Looking for graphics software

Factual Questions
1

The graphics software I have isn’t cutting it. I need to be able to create basic shapes and graphics for Web pages and other types of development. I’m basically looking for whatever the latest and greatest version of CorelDraw that I used to use in 1990 or so.

I have:

  • MS Paint. Great for little touch ups, but sucky for much else
  • Photoshop. I don’t know how to use it well enough to do much. It also seems geared more towards photo editing and touch ups (which I use it to do) than simple drawings. Maybe it does do simple drawings, but I don’t know how to use it well enough to do them. Basically, it seems like overkill for what I want to do.
  • Paint Shop Pro version 5.0. Sort of does what I’m looking for, but I hate the interface.
  • Smartdraw (a Visio clone): kind of what I want, but not quite.

Can someone recommend a basic vector based drawing package that won’t take forever to learn how to use that I can do things like draw custom shapes that look good (starbursts, etc.) and some basic text tools? Or should I just suck it up and learn how to use one of the above better? I’m not an expert at any of them.

2

Look no farther than Corel Draw Essentials if you want an inexpensive solution ($73) with a minimal learning curve, assuming you remember how Draw worked.

If yo really want the latest and greatest version, it’s version 12, but costs $340 or so.

3

Photoshop may seem like overkill at first blush, but it can be as powerfull as you need it to be. All its basic drawing tools are right there. It may take you an hour ar two to familiarize yourself with them, but in the long run, it’ll pay off. If you just can’t get yourself to use PS, Adobe Illustrator is an object (vector) based drawing program (as opposed to Photoshop, which is a pixel [raster] based program). It has more geometry tools than PS, plus better/easier ways to manipulate them. Not very familiar with Corel, but i understand it had vector based drawing tools… and when it come to vector based drawing there’s none better than Illustrator (sorry Freehand fans).

linky

4

I’ve used them all, and nothing comes close to Illustrator. I don’t know whether there’s a simplified version, like there is with Photoshop.

5

Send in The GIMP!

(That line always cracked me up. ;))

The GNU Image Manipulation Program probably does everything you need (especially if you think Photoshop is too much) and it’s freely available for multiple OSes.

6

I’ll second The GIMP. For creating graphics, it’s easily the equal of Photoshop. Can’t beat the price, either.

7

I tried to do the Gimp once.

:::pauses for laughter to die down:::
It seemed that the download and installation was a bit convoluted and may have required a bit more than just a few clicks to install.

Any tips on getting the thing installed on the average system,- guys?

8

Inadvertent yet well placed smiley.

9

Go to http://www2.arnes.si/~sopjsimo/gimp/stable.html

Download the GTK zip file. Unzip and run the setup.

Download the GIMP zip file. Unzip and run the setup.

Done.

Let me know if you have problems.