GIMPers, please read on

[inneist]

Recently I installed all computer programs from scratch on my new computer. I was a GIMP user in the past and so I first searched for an online GIMP download. But at the same time, I now have the option of getting a Photoshop package for free. Because I'm not a professional, I feel what GIMP can do for me suffices for my purpose and GIMP is in practice much quicker to open a picture. If you have experience with both programs, do you agree?

Also on the GIMP official site, they say they are soon releasing the new version 2.4. But how soon it would be? Should I wait?

Thanks!

 

[morydd]

If you've got the space, and PS is free, why not install both. Then you can pick whichever is best for what you're trying to do for any given pic.
As far as new releases, as with most OSS since they're not on a marketing schedule the eternal answer to "When will the next version be out?" is "When it's ready." It's always hard to tell. I don't see a timeline on the Gimp site, but I'd suspect it'll be a while as there doesn't seem to be talk of a Release candidate yet, and the changes in the current development versions are rather significant as opposed to being cleanup and bug hunting.

 

[wolfepakt]

I love theGIMP except for one thing..... That blasted 8bit color. and it is not likely to be fixed until at least 2.6
But I agree with morydd, if you can have it free (and legal) why not do both!

oh and if you use gimp make sure you get UFRaw to go with it if your cam does raw!

 

[inneist]

Thanks, I loaded them by now.

I think you two have a valid point here. I perhaps didn't explain myself well. Right now I have Microsoft image manager to handle some basic functions. Resize, crop, tweak the contrast a bit. 80% of my past work was done this way. That said, there were occasions the picture might require a bit more work, so I was thinking I should choose one of either PS or GIMP. They are just similar to me, but GIMP is quicker, this is in practice what's really meant for me so..

I still recoil from my last crash of programs so I'd really want to keep the number of them barely to the minimum this time around. Gosh, it's so good now back to normal. Yay!