Cheap, easy graphic design software?

Rolsen · Post by **Rolsen** » Fri Apr 29, 2011 12:44 pm

I know, this isn't recording related, but it is band poster, cover art related - hope thats ok. I've got a 1 yr old iMac and it seems that the included software is really limited for graphic art design. I'd like to get something where I can fairly easy put and edit images, add text, manipulate, etc for our posters and maybe even album art. I don't plan on becoming a master graphic artist, so I don't want to spend the big bucks for a professional suite of software and I'm fine with 'lite' capabilities. Any suggestions?

jhharvest · Post by **jhharvest** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 12:25 pm

Gimp.

And Scribus if you are properly masochistic. http://opensourcemac.org/ is a useful site.

leigh · Post by **leigh** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 1:25 pm

Not free, but cheap:

Acorn, from Flying Meat.

Currently only $30 (usually $50). I've been using this for a couple years for almost all my image editing. It's fast, powerful, and well-supported. Been so much happier using Acorn than Photoshop LE (aka Elements).

cheers,
Leigh

aophoto · Post by **aophoto** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 3:13 pm

Like anything else, sometimes it pays to actually pay a pro to do work like this, if there is a budget available. I'm sure there are graphic designers out there who could do the job at an affordable rate, provide quality work, and save you the headache of trying to do the job yourself.

Might leave you more time to concentrate on the music side, since there are only so many hours in the day!

Just a thought.

TheTallerMan · Post by **TheTallerMan** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 7:29 pm

Inksape, and save your stuff as a pdf. If you enjoy creating posters, then enjoy. But if it is a chore, hiring a professional might be better.

http://inkscape.org/

Snarl 12/8 · Post by **Snarl 12/8** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 8:28 pm

I wouldn't call GIMP easy to use. Certainly no easier to use than Photoshop, which is a very deep program. I'm not bashing GIMP, Gimp Is My Photoshop, but I'm just sayin.....

Scodiddly · Post by **Scodiddly** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 9:50 pm

I use GIMP, and it does mostly what I need. But I find it kind of fun to do that once in a while, so it was worth buying a book and spending time learning how to use it.

Anything serious will be that way. Hiring a graphics dude is always an option.

graphic-design-software · Post by **graphic-design-software** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:12 pm

You can try Fatpaint.com ( Free Online Graphic Design Software, image and photo editor ).

It has tools to paint, draw create pages and illustrations. It contain lots of fonts, cliparts and public domain images. Basically all you need for creating a nice design. The really cool thing about it is that at the press of a button, the graphics you create can be visualised on custom printed products, that you can purchase or sell. I have never seen this feature on any other image editor or graphics program.

jhharvest · Post by **jhharvest** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:25 pm

Snarl 12/8 wrote:I wouldn't call GIMP easy to use. Certainly no easier to use than Photoshop, which is a very deep program. I'm not bashing GIMP, Gimp Is My Photoshop, but I'm just sayin.....

I don't think any graphic design program is -that- easy to use. Pretty much all programs have their own idiosyncrasies. Isn't it a bit the same if a graphic designer came around this way and was asking "I'd like to record and mix an album, nothing too serious but I make album covers so I'd like to make an album myself."

leigh · Post by **leigh** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:37 pm

graphic-design-software wrote:You can try Fatpaint.com ( Free Online Graphic Design Software, image and photo editor ).

If you're shilling for your own company, it's good etiquette to identify yourself as such.

As for others' suggestions to hire a pro designer, that's a great idea for bigger deals like album graphics, or posters for important shows. However, you can't be calling in a pro every time you need to edit or resize an image for your website/blog/TOMB avatar.

For that kind of stuff, as well as more complex jobs like posters, I really think it's hard to beat Acorn (not my company - just a satisfied customer).

Ron Obvious · Post by **Ron Obvious** » Sun May 01, 2011 8:08 am

Hello Roslen,

In the graphics world, Adobe InDesign and Quark still rule. However both of these applications are over $ 600.

I would suggest two great "real" applications that would work for you. Because you're on a Mac -
1) Apple "iWork 11" $ 79.00. It has three applications of which one "pages" > Page Layout > Blank, will work perfect. Text boxes + drag and drop images from your iPhoto library, resizing and a bit of colour editing, etc.

2) Abobe PhotoShop EL $ 100.00 Again text boxes, image editing placing, etc. Plus lots and lots of ability to alter your images.

I have personally helped young bands create proper CD covers, gig posters with both of these applications.

John Jeffers · Post by **John Jeffers** » Sun May 01, 2011 9:53 am

Since most people have been talking about Photoshop-style raster based apps, I thought I'd throw this one out there:

VectorDesigner

As the name implies, it's a vector based editor, more like Adobe Illustrator than Photoshop. IMHO, it's about as easy as these kinds of apps get. There's still a learning curve, but it's easier (and WAYYY cheaper) than Adobe Illustrator. It's only $30 in the App Store.

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Mon May 02, 2011 11:15 am

John Jeffers wrote:Since most people have been talking about Photoshop-style raster based apps, I thought I'd throw this one out there:

VectorDesigner

As the name implies, it's a vector based editor, more like Adobe Illustrator than Photoshop. IMHO, it's about as easy as these kinds of apps get. There's still a learning curve, but it's easier (and WAYYY cheaper) than Adobe Illustrator. It's only $30 in the App Store.

Yep. This is the best alternative to Illustrator.

The best alternative to Photoshop is also dirt cheap in the App Store. It's called Pixelmator. And, it's fantastic!

Gimp has got a lot of features... But, it's a pain in the ass to work with. The fact that it runs inside another app makes key commands pretty useless. Also, having to click to bring a window to the front before it's active and able to be edited with a tool makes for lots of frustrating clicks.

comfortstarr · Post by **comfortstarr** » Mon May 02, 2011 1:17 pm

Graphic Converter is also a good Photoshop stand-in--at least for my limited needs and abilities.

woodhenge · Post by **woodhenge** » Mon May 02, 2011 4:39 pm

I've used this in a pinch when I wasn't on a machine with photoshop installed:

http://www.sumopaint.com/home/

It's completely in the cloud... pretty handy!

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Cheap, easy graphic design software?

Cheap, easy graphic design software?

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