# Free Photoshop-like tool? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2015, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-photoshop-like-tool/719097 "2015-05-02T13:53:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-photoshop-like-tool/719097/21 "2015-05-04T18:01:41Z")
> [@sevenwood](#): > > I needed to crop and save the result as a photo so that I could upload the results as a photo to my Facebook page. There was a small amount of editing involved. You can still do this using software you may already have: 1. Create your collage in something simple (as **John Mace** suggested, PowerPoint can be used for this, plus it allows you to add text to your image, if you want that). 2. Open Snipping Tool (on a PC; Apple likely has something similar), and “take a snapshot” of your collage. You define the rectangular area you want, cropping out the rest of the screen. 3. Save your snapshot. Snipping Tool automatically saves your image as a JPG. 4. Upload your image anywhere you like: Facebook, Flickr, wherever. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-photoshop-like-tool/719097/22 "2015-05-04T19:30:14Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Actually that’s correct according to the instruction given to the browser. Yet another charming effect of dumbing down browser UI by eliminating the search box of old ! It’s a Google problem (Firefox doesn’t do it) - if you visit [Google.com](http://Google.com) using Chrome, you can’t actually use the Google search page to search (the first keypress in the search box snaps the focus up to the URL/search bar of the browser. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-photoshop-like-tool/719097/23 "2015-05-04T20:30:45Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Actually that’s correct according to the instruction given to the browser. Yet another charming effect of dumbing down browser UI by eliminating the search box of old ! It’s also a hint to software developers to not name their program something that can be confused with a URL. Which is a pretty dumb thing to do in the first place, IMO. Still, as I said, a good program, name notwithstanding. Also, yes, as a general point, the OP could perform the needed task with software that s/he already has, through some more or less convoluted process. But it’s just so much less of a pain in the ass with a half-decent graphics editor. So just go get it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-photoshop-like-tool/719097/24 "2015-05-04T20:47:00Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > It’s also a hint to software developers to not name their program something that can be confused with a URL. Which is a pretty dumb thing to do in the first place, IMO. > > Still, as I said, a good program, name notwithstanding. > > Also, yes, as a general point, the OP could perform the needed task with software that s/he already has, through some more or less convoluted process. But it’s just so much less of a pain in the ass with a half-decent graphics editor. So just go get it. 😉 Not so convoluted. Open the JPG in either Paint or Preview. Crop as needed. Load cropped images into Excel or Powerpoint. Powerpoint is probably better, but Excel can work just as well. Either can resize as needed to fit on one page, either letter or landscape. I’d use LayOut, but that’s a more specialized program and although it has a lot of cool features isn’t the easiest tool just pick up and use right away. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-photoshop-like-tool/719097/25 "2015-05-04T21:28:05Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Not so convoluted. Well, there’s convoluted and there’s convoluted. But there’s also the principle of the thing. The idea of using Paint and Excel as a solution for your image processing needs gives me the same eyebrow twitch as watching someone do all their file management through the “open file” dialogue in Word (and, yes, I have seen a person do that). Or, I suppose, as watching someone use a shoe to hammer nails, when there are free hammers available. Sure, it works, I suppose. But there are simpler and better ways, which also have the added benefit of not giving you a fundamentally messed-up understanding of how the universe works. There’s improvising in a pinch, and there’s having actual tools for a job. Your idea is a shoe. Mine is a hammer. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-photoshop-like-tool/719097/26 "2015-05-04T21:29:57Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It’s a Google problem (Firefox doesn’t do it) - if you visit [Google.com](http://Google.com) using Chrome, you can’t actually use the Google search page to search (the first keypress in the search box snaps the focus up to the URL/search bar of the browser. Yes, you can and no, it doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-photoshop-like-tool/719097/27 "2015-05-04T21:33:50Z")
My mistake - the default Chrome homepage (which looks a lot like like the Google homepage) does it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-photoshop-like-tool/719097/28 "2015-05-05T04:59:20Z")
> [@dr\_zippermeyer](#): > > In theory, Photoshop CS2 is free for download. As far as I see, Adobe has neither confirmed or denied it. I guess you can quite safely download it from [here](http://www.techradar.com/downloads/adobe-photoshop-cs2) and take a screenshot of a page (which states it is freeware). In extremy unlikely case troubles arise you can show the screenshot and claim you just believed what was told there. Should work. As it says on the site you linked to and on Adobe’s own site, this is only for previous owners of Photoshop CS2. The reason this exists is because they shut down their licensing servers, and want to make sure people who have bought Photoshop CS2 can still use it. Also, I found it’s rather tedious to use. Keyboard shortcuts that are standard on any graphics program now are missing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-photoshop-like-tool/719097.md?page=1)