Adobe's interface...Copyright?

[feardotcom]

Does Adobe have a copyright on its interface? Seriously, why is there no open source software that look, feel, and function, even the slightest bit, like Adobe products?

[jpaugh64]

Why should any brand feel like any other? Mac certainly doesn't feel like Windows. Google Chrome doesn't feel like Safari or IE. Part of the point of using open source alternatives is that they are different--or because only they support one's platform of choice.

[feardotcom]

because the adobe interface is more productive than gimp, or kompozer, imho.

[jcolyn]

because the adobe interface is more productive than gimp, or kompozer, imho.

You obviously haven't used Gimp much.

[feardotcom]

You are correct... i cou;dn't get used to it, it was so annoying to me.

[chrisw92]

You are correct... i cou;dn't get used to it, it was so annoying to me.
isn't there a "theme" for gimp to make it look a bit more like photoshop?

... A quick google search says yes, http://www.gimpshop.com/

[juancarlospaco]

You obviously haven't used Gimp much.

+1

Its more powerfull than Adobe, learn Python-Fu and try again

[jcolyn]

isn't there a "theme" for gimp to make it look a bit more like photoshop?

... A quick google search says yes, http://www.gimpshop.com/

GimpShop works fine in Tiger and ******* XP but has to be run in XP mode on Vista and 7.

Plain ole Gimp beats them all...

[psoulocybe]

I like Gimp's interface a lot more than PS, but Gimp is not better in terms of photo processing/manipulation. Or brush work.... god is Gimp's handling of brushes archaic.

When Gimp handles 16bit images, we can at least start calling them equals.

If you get the Gimp 2.7 development snapshot, you can start using single window mode. That along with making docks appear where and when you want them does give Gimp a more flexible UI. Also, it gives you great (better than PS in every way) brush dynamics. Unfortunately, it's a snapshot, and stability is not guaranteed. I've been using it a couple months in a production environment, and had few glitches, bugs, or issues.... that's just me though.

[mcduck]

When Gimp handles 16bit images, we can at least start calling them equals.

Considering that Photoshop only gained this feature very recently, and before that the only real option actually was a gimp-based program, Cinepaint, I wouldn't really give Photoshop much credit on this... ;)

Not to mention that it still handles high color depth and HDR images rather badly and large part of it's features aren't available at all unless you convert the image to 8-bit colors.

Anyway, what comes to the interface itself, it really is just a question of what you are used to, and especially when comparing with the Mac version of Photoshop the two are really very similar.

But the real point is that if you try to make a better program, then copying from others isn't going to do it. You only end with a copy that most likely (read "never" :D) isn't even as good as the original.

[feardotcom]

isn't there a "theme" for gimp to make it look a bit more like photoshop?

... A quick google search says yes, http://www.gimpshop.com/

Yeah thats a dead project. Its still on gimp 2.2...gimps getting ready to release 2.7..lol.. on a side note though, they are apperantly making 2.7 like gimpshop.. not 100% though.. Im going to test it out later today.


...and especially when comparing with the Mac version of Photoshop the two are really very similar.

Yeah i cant stand the mac version either, just something about seeing my desktop annoys me. Not to mention if you have gittery fingers its annoying when you accidently click the desktop and the PS interface hides itself. I was under the impression they made the new cs4 and i think cs5 versions act like the windows version now. Not 100% sure on that.

[mcduck]

I was under the impression they made the new cs4 and i think cs5 versions act like the windows version now. Not 100% sure on that.

If that's true it would really suck. MDI interfaces are pretty horrible on a multi-monitor setup :/

[feardotcom]

Yeah not 100% sure of it, but i looked at a screen shot, it may have been a windows version run through on mac with that vm software. But who knows. I dont own a intel mac nor do i own CS5 for mac so i couldn't tell you for 100%.

[Fri13]

You are correct... i cou;dn't get used to it, it was so annoying to me.

So all what you basicly did was you just tested the GIMP, noticed that it UI is not exactly like in the Adobe Photoshop and you uninstalled it.

GIMP is the reason why we do have GTK+. GIMP is very flexible. You can configure GIMP how you like it, better way than what you can do with the Adobe Photoshop.

Adobe Photoshop UI just is not perfect. Actually it is far away from it. It does not have a logic on it. It is a mix up from multiple different areas to one UI and fails on everything.

Example. Adobe Photoshop is no use for photographers. Thats why Adobe bought the Adobe Lightroom (and renamed the software as such) to offer a program for photographers.

Adobe Photoshop is not good for vector artists. Thats why Adobe have maintained the Adobe Illustrator.

Adobe Photoshop was first designed for after effects for movies. (The Photoshop makers are those who maded it to Star Wars moviews because they did not like the tools what was in use at that time). But Adobe does not even offer Photoshop for them, there is the Adobe After Effects.

Adobe Photoshop does have very great features, there is nothing to deny those. But the UI is terrible. You want to edit the layer? Why you go to Image > Adjusments?
You want to edit colors of the layer? Why you go to Image > Adjusments > ?
You want to do something for the selection? Why you go to Image > Adjustments > or Filters > ?

In GIMP, the logic is much better. By default, changes are done to the layer. If you have a selection, changed are done to it. Otherwise you work with the layers itself. The workflow is more like a real work.
If you want to do something to layer, you go to the layer >. If you want to do something for the image, you go to Image >. Something to colors, you open Colors >.

Actually GIMP is very easy to learn and use. First when it is told to the user what is image, what is layer and how you do whole work with the layers and layer masks. And with basic tools what user needs first to learn and how to mix them. But if user is expecting a Adobe Photoshop clone, she/he fails to see the GIMP's rich features. Same thing happens with anything when person has strong expections (were it a starting to use new application or going to blind dates ;))

Adobe Photoshop is very much needed by professionals, that is about 5-10% of it users. Most of the Adobe Photoshop users could very well do everything with GIMP. But they do not trust that it could do it as it is not taunted every forum "you need photoshop to crop your pictures from smartphone" -kinda way.

GIMP is very very powerfull tool. It just demands same things as every great artists needs. To learn the tools and how to use them. In real world, artists does not have automatic scripts or tools what generates things for them. That is not art, it is just like driving a car.
Same thing can be noticed with Adobe Photoshop. People search from google the tutorials to do stuff. And then they follow the tutorials point by point. The good user checks out the results what can be done and then tries itself. Finding out by the "hard way" the technics and then learns to do everything with the basic tools, like gradient tool, brush and black and white color.

It is same thing when learning to paint the great artwork. When artists students starts to make a first artwork. They usually focus to small things. Not the whole image. Great artists start working with 1-5 inches brushes. They literally use brushes what are used to paint house. They do very great work with such big brush and then in the end, they focus to smaller details with smaller brushes until they are using the 1/8 inch brush to draw the very very small objects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9tOnxHmRiw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YubTz_3IUIg

For painters I would suggest to use MyPaint, what is as well better for painters than GIMP. Painters could as well use Krita.

http://davidrevoy.com/?article24/video-time-lapse-lezard

GIMP does need as well a powerfull windowmanager to company it. Or customized shortcuts. KWin is great companion to GIMP. Metacity not so good.

[kayosiii]

Adobe does hold Intellectual property rights over some of it's interface elements. A few years back Adobe and Macromedia exchanged rather hefty blows over this (Since Adobe now owns Macromedia this makes them doubly dangerous). Adobe also have fairly proactive lawyers I know of one opensource project that was threatened with legal action if they didn't change the name of their product.

I don't expect Adobe to anything in the immediate future but if somebody were to create the free Photoshop knock off app that everybody seems to want and it actually looked like threatening Adobe's market share there is a good chance that the project would be at least threatened with legal action and probably end up in court. I doubt most projects have the resources to fight such a battle.

I don't mean to paint adobe with the bad guys here. They are typically a lot nicer than other software companies of their size but that's pretty much how things stand.

Basically as an open source coder it is much nicer to try solving problems for yourself than simply aping somebody else's work. The legal issues are just part of the equation.

You have to look at what motivates people to write free software, what problems are they trying to solve and why.

[scottuss]

I like the GIMP, and find it better than Photoshop (less confusing)

However, my partner is a creative and much prefers Photoshop. One of the reasons the she (and many others) don't even give GIMP a proper first chance is the stupid name. Then, if they do get other this, for whatever reason they just don't seem as happy with it as Photoshop.

Don't get me wrong, I do like GIMP but until the creative industry takes a liking to it, I can't see it taking off big time.

[qamelian]

because the adobe interface is more productive than gimp, or kompozer, imho.
That's your opinion. I hate the Adobe interface and find GIMP's much more flexible and productive.

[feardotcom]

Thats why i said imho, and in case you dont know what that means...In My Honest Opinion.

As far as multiple monitor setup, i use to have Photoshop on one monitor and illustrator, dreamweaver, fireworks, etc etc on the other monitor. I dont like how gimp's interface is so big and bulky or how the brush menu is in the opposite corner than it needs to be. It would just be nicer to have a frame so i could also snap the boxes to the corners or sides so everything is nice and neat. A tabed window for when you have maximized the image windows, would be nice.

Its just going to take some time to get used to is all. If it wasn't for not paying for cs4 and getting a free copy through work i would probably still be on windows to make that money worth it.

[feardotcom]

Yeah so i just realized you actually select a "small theme" in the preferences. Also noticed you can move the "Dockable dialogs" around. Still, the annoying thing is no framed window for gimp as a whole. Atleast on linux it doesn't do what PS does on mac and makes everything disappear when clicked on the desktop. Anyway, this is what i got configured so far. I imagine it will be changed later on, again.

EDIT: I also do like some of the tools in gimp like the flip, perspective, and shear tools, those are neat.

[IMG]http://a.imageshack.us/img294/1662/screenshottr.png

[durand]

One of the reasons the she (and many others) don't even give GIMP a proper first chance is the stupid name.

Well, thats a classic example of judging a book by its cover. Though to be fair, I didn't even know of the word "gimp" before coming across "The GIMP", maybe I'm just not old enough :/

[scottuss]

Well, thats a classic example of judging a book by its cover. Though to be fair, I didn't even know of the word "gimp" before coming across "The GIMP", maybe I'm just not old enough :/

But whether people should or shouldn't judge the name, they do and it is a bad name. If it had slightly negative connotations, perhaps they could get away with it but in modern English... well, look it up for yourselves!

A name change wouldn't be a big deal.

[durand]

Yeah, I agree. I have no idea why they don't change the name, they could still retain its acronymic meaning with a nicer word.

[scottuss]

Gima would be good: Gnu Image Manipulation Application or Gims Gnu Image Manipulation System (or Software or Suite.. etc etc)

[durand]

Maybe someone should get them to rename it for the new release, which is a pretty major one I think.

[qamelian]

Thats why i said imho, and in case you dont know what that means...In My Honest Opinion.

As far as multiple monitor setup, i use to have Photoshop on one monitor and illustrator, dreamweaver, fireworks, etc etc on the other monitor. I dont like how gimp's interface is so big and bulky or how the brush menu is in the opposite corner than it needs to be. It would just be nicer to have a frame so i could also snap the boxes to the corners or sides so everything is nice and neat. A tabed window for when you have maximized the image windows, would be nice.

Its just going to take some time to get used to is all. If it wasn't for not paying for cs4 and getting a free copy through work i would probably still be on windows to make that money worth it.
See, I find the Adobe interface to be the one that is "big and bulky". With GIMP, I keep all the controls on one display and my image is by itself completely filling the second display. This give me a much bigger area in which to actually work. By comparison, the Adobe interface is horribly clumsy and restictive. It's like trying to work with one hand tied behind my back.

And by the way...the 'h' in imho means humble, not honest. It's an expression I don't use, as most people that use it do not appear humble and they usually express their opinion as if it was an immutable fact rather than simply their point of view. Anyway, to each their own. If I had to use an interface like the Adobe one to use GIMP, I'd start looking for another app, as GIMP would then be a next-to-useless time waster for me.