The GIMP

Thanks for the article GIMP the Image Editor.

I once tried out the GIMP way back in its 1.x days and it left me feeling stupider than a Bush. I simply couldn't work out how to do things (at least, not within a reasonable frame of time). The GUI was possibly the least intuitive I have ever encountered with certain options being so well hidden and deeply buried that I began to wonder whether the program had been designed by sadists intent on making me suffer.

So, I wonder, is the GIMP still a program suitable only for masochists with plenty of time on their hands, or have things improved? How does it come to Paint Shop and Photoshop Elements in terms of usability?

Thanks!

GIMP has come a long way since those early days. It has an interface and many features akin to those you'd find in Adobe's Photoshop. However, it still does not quite match the intuitiveness or ease of use of Photoshop and some of the other mature image editing programs. That said, it is still FREE.   If you or someone you know needs a photo editor, and has a bit of time for the learning curve, it is a capable, stable program--you won't be disappointed.