Mouseykins Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I recently bought a Macbook Pro and my photoshop elements 8 program I bought last year said it was for both PC and Mac, however this isn't so. Until I can purchase the new photoshop for Mac I was wondering if there is a good program that I can download free that is relatively similar to photoshop. I need it to have layers, a good paint brush as I do a lot of drawing with the paint brush. I would prefer it to be able to open photoshop documents. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedhaun Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Free programs like Photoshop? I found a list of them right here: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/free_alternatives_to_photoshop_with_all_the_bells.php Out of everything, GIMP is recommended since it uses most of Photoshop's features. Second best of them would be Paint.NET. They do have their pros and cons, but you can see which one suits you better. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xepha Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Pretty sure you won't be able to open .psd or whatever the extension name is in elements without using the right software. Personal recommendation is: On your dock, locate the icon that looks like a 'A' on a blue background. That's the apps store. Click on the star icon at the top, the in the second box you will see the top *FREE* applications. Click on the link to see them all. Browse that page and look for stuff identified as 'graphics and design'. That should find you the top applications used for drawing in general, that are free. Once I come back from University, I'll go and dig for you the name of a cool and powerful drawing software that my friend recommended to me. However it's in my chat logs on my other computer and I can't seem to remember it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetdang Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 FRom playing around with these and trying to find a replacement for photoshop, I'll say Gimp comes in a close second but I find it much more confusing and hard to work. Paint.net is recommened, but I've never tried it before. There's also some called sumopaint - a link to the site is here. Unfortunately, you only can use it online, should you want to download it - impossible, unless you pay. I suggest you play around with it, though. it's fun and such, plus easy to use, but I'm not sure how good it'll be when you're trying to do all the professional stuff. Still, worth a shot! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queensorchadragon Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I use GIMP but according to my boyfriend it's not as easy to install for mac. He dual boots anyways, though, so he runs it in windows on his mac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parry Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I would recommend GIMP; personally, I prefer it to Photoshop, as I find it easier to use. You can download it here: http://www.gimp.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachiee Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Like pretty much everyone else has been saying, my first choice would be the GIMP. I use the Mac version and there's really not all that much difference from the Windows version- except, this is a minor pet peeve, but I can't do my little pixel animations with a transparent background like I could with the Windows version. :( But yeah, the GIMP is a good drawing/general graphics program for any OS. I've been using it for three years and it's just amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In7 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 This has been mentioned several times, but personally I LOVE Gimp. It can be a little tricky to figure out, though. There are some other good open source art-type programs out there, and if you're looking for painting and sketching I like the program SAI. This topic has been edited by a member of staff (Haunted Neomysterion) because of a violation of the forum rules. Don't bump any topics that haven't received posts in 21 days or more. Please check your user inbox to see if you have been contacted regarding this incident, then review our rules. Per the reason above, this topic has been LOCKED. Please contact Haunted Neomysterion if you have any questions regarding this action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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