One of the things I’m always on the lookout for is good graphics editing software.

I’ve used Photoshop to create complex layouts, but as a blogger, I often just need to do basic editing - resizing, touching up, creating simple buttons, etc. For these kinds of things, Photoshop is complete overkill. It’s way too slow on my aging laptop… not to mention far too expensive.

So I’ve gathered together a quick list of some of the better low cost graphics solution for PC, Mac and Linux. I hope you find it useful.

If you have any suggestions of your own, please leave them in the comments!

Acorn (Mac)
$39.95 from flyingmeat.com
Acorn is one of a new breed of Mac image editing solutions which use Core Image technology. What this means is that many of the drawing functions are handled by the GPU (the graphics card), which takes load of the main processor and makes the whole program faster.

Acorn has layer based editing, but its main claim to fame is the ability to chain together multiple filters to create entirely new effects.

Pixelmator (Mac)
$59 from pixelmator.com
Pixelmator also uses Core Image and features an interface that resembles Photoshop’s - only it’s much better looking. It lacks many of the advanced features of Photoshop, but for basic image editing and manipulation, it’s got all the main features (layers, filters and a nice selection of editing tools).

Pixelmator is the one I use.

GIMP (All platforms)
Free from gimp.org
GIMP (the GNU Image Manipulation Program) is free, open source, and has been around for years and has developed into one of the most powerful image editing packages there is. In many respects it can even give Photoshop a run for its money. However, it has two fairly major issues:

  • It’s horrendously complicated and difficult to get to grips with. Everything from the layout to how the tools actually function can be confusing for a beginner. There is an add-on called Gimpshop which simply changes the interface to look more like Photoshop, but it doesn’t really work for me.
  • Because GIMP is open source and cross platform, it does not take advantage of any hardware specific features (such as OSX’s Core Image or Windows’ DirectX). In fact, on a Mac, you’ll need to install Apple’s X11 environment to get it working. The result is a slow, cumbersome piece of software that simply isn’t suitable for the average blogger’s basic needs

Having said that, it is free, so if that’s all your budget can stretch to, it’s worth trying!

Pixel (All platforms)
$38 from kanzelsberger.com
Pixel is another cross platform offering. This time it’s a commercial product and it’s been in development since 1997. According to the author, the final, stable version will be released this year.

I’ve not used it myself, but some of the screenshots look pretty impressive, even if they’re not quite as polished as Pixelmator or Acorn.

Paint Shop Pro Studio (Windows)
$79.99 from Amazon.com
A cut down version of Paint Shop Pro, this is another one I haven’t used. In fact, I’ve not used PSP at all for over 10 years, and I know changed significantly since then.

This particular product seems to have some good reviews on Amazon, although I should add you should be wary of any ’stripped down’ software like this. It could be that the feature you need most has been deliberately left out in order to try to get you to upgrade the the full version. Check the feature list in full to make sure it does what you need before buying.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 (Windows, Mac)
$99.99 from adobe.com
I know many people use Elements, but as with PSP Studio, it’s a cut-down version of a more expensive product, so that caveat about checking the feature list beforehand applies here. Having said that, there is a free trial available on Adobe’s site, so it’s worth checking that out.

At just under $100, this is the most expensive piece of software on my list, and I’m not completely convinced it’s worth the money.

If you’re planning on upgrading to the full version of Photoshop in the future, or if you’ve already used it elsewhere, then you’ll probably be quite comfortable using Elements and find yourself getting to grips with it more quickly than some of the other packages. If you never plan on using the full version of Photoshop, then you might be more at home using something else.

Many of the packages listed here have free demos that you can play with, and I’d highly recommend you play with a few of them before buying. Other than that, the choice is yours!

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