: Switching to GIMP from CS5.5. Is it feasible? I've recently moved to linux from Windows7. The only program I can't do without is photoshop. I make a lot of banner ads and small landing page

@Holmes874

Gimp has a fraction of the features that Photoshop has. Some would consider that a pro, some would consider that a con. It will really come down to personal preference.

You do mention that you like to use layer filters (like drop shadows). That's probably going to be the one thing you miss the most in The GIMP. It doesn't have that feature.

Also remember The GIMP is just RGB, so if you do a lot of print work, keep that in mind.

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@XinRu324

My question, is it realistic to switch and would I be able to easily create graphics like this?


Yes and yes - you would be able to do that sort of thing (maybe with slightly poorer text rendering), however since you are used to Photoshop already, and (presumably) own a legitimate copy (which isn't cheap!), why switch to Linux?

You could, for example, keep Photoshop on a Windows 7 partition and dual-boot. Or you could just not switch to Linux - if you are a graphic designer who already owns a legitimate copy of Windows 7 and of CS5.5, I don't see a real reason.

If you're doing it because you are tired of paying for upgrades, consider that GIMP may be comparable in features to a 10-year old version of Photoshop (CS1). It doesn't, for example, have adjustment layers yet, which Photoshop had since CS2. Just in case you were worried that CS5.5 is getting out of date...

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@Hamaas979

I don't see anything in those image you wouldn't be able to create in GIMP. Depending on how competent you are with Photoshop, the biggest struggle is going to be re-training yourself to use the different UI. If you rely heavily on keyboard shortcuts, you're going to stumble a lot as some of them are quite different.

It may be helpful to re-map all the shortcuts to ones you are familiar with, but I would recommend forcing yourself to learn the default GIMP set. That way, if you use GIMP on another machine, you won't be completely lost.

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