James Battersby Tutorial 04: Graphical Editors - HTML Forums

batterj2 · 09-15-2009, 05:01 PM

Disclaimer:
A few of these tutorials feature specific products and opinions. I do not work for any of the mentioned companies and these opinions (although shared by many) are my own. Take them as you will (visit my website for more information on my background).

04: Graphical Editors

Adobe Photoshop
If money were no object every web developer would have this. Unfortunately money is a concern we all share so it tends to be restricted to those employed as a web developer for a company that can afford the license or the very keen. It is extremely powerful and used all over the world as the de facto standard. It has a steep learning curve but once you've mastered the basics you become very sought after.

Corel Paint Shop Pro
Paint Shop Pro used to be built by a company called Jasc which had been around since the dawn of graphical editors before it was bought out by an equally historical company called Corel. I have used this for years and it is considerably easier to use than Photoshop although there are some features that are missing from its toolkit. It is marketed as a digital photography tool (removing red eye for example) but I have found it to be a useful tool for web developers. Considerably cheaper than Photoshop it is definitely worth considering if you have a bit of cash.

GIMP
The GNU Image Manipulation Program is the open source equivalent of Adobe Photoshop and they've done a fantastic job in recent years. I have even started using it more than Paint Shop Pro if I am doing more generic web designing. Modelled (not copied) on Photoshop a lot of what you can do in one you can do in the other. It is continuously being updated meaning that you can get more and better features over the coming years without paying a single penny. I recommend this tool for beginners and veterans alike.