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Thread: Pixelmator vs PS

  1. #1
    Guild Member mozltovcoktail's Avatar
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    Question Pixelmator vs PS

    I have next to no experience working with digital image editing, and I'm planning on diving headlong into making a map. I have both Pixelmator and Photoshop CS5, and am wondering which one I should use.

    I find Pixelmator's interface more user-friendly, but I want to be on the same page as the rest you guys and be able to use all the great tutorials and tips on this site, which tend to be for Photoshop/Gimp. I also don't want to get part way into the project using Pixelmator and realize I need Photoshop to do certain things.

    Is it worth it for me to learn Photoshop?

  2. #2
    Guild Journeyer Facebook Connected Joshua's Avatar
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    I think it is. I've been learning it partially through a friend, partially through trial and error, and partially through the tutorials here. Once you start to get the hang of things, it gets easier. You may find that before long you're not even thinking about them when you use them. For me, this is because while learning a particular feature takes effort, it commits to second nature easily enough because I end up using it so much. There's a lot of repetition in Photoshop to drill things in, and a lot of tools communicate their settings in similar enough ways.

    I've never used Pixelmator, but honestly I'm not stepping away from PS/Gimp at this point simply because of the wealth of information on the both of them here.
    Yes, I'm colorblind. But my pink fields and orange forests are avant garde!!

  3. #3
    Community Leader Lukc's Avatar
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    Also, if you have the chance to learn Photoshop, it is basically the industry standard in photo editing - so it can't hurt to be up to speed with the professional gear

  4. #4
    Guild Member mozltovcoktail's Avatar
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    Photoshop it is. To quote Bud Light, "Here we go!"

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    Community Leader jfrazierjr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mozltovcoktail View Post
    I also don't want to get part way into the project using Pixelmator and realize I need Photoshop to do certain things.
    I would not use that as an argument. I use GIMP exclusively a this point.. but i KNOW i need to learn Inkscape also for some certain things. If I had the money today to buy everything I needed + photoshop, I would use PS for the things it's better than GIMP for, but still use GIMP for the things that is better than PS for. Ie, learn the tools and use the right tool for the job. You can saw a few thousand pieces of wood with a hand saw, but circular saw, table saw, or radial arm saw are the much better tool for the job(and the latter if possible for repeatable cuts of the same length for example)
    My Finished Maps
    Works in Progress(or abandoned tests)
    My Tutorials:
    Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
    How to create ISO Mountains in GIMP/PS using the Smudge tool
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    Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

  6. #6
    Guild Journeyer Facebook Connected Joshua's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jfrazierjr View Post
    You can saw a few thousand pieces of wood with a hand saw, but circular saw, table saw, or radial arm saw are the much better tool for the job
    Yeah, but then you won't have that buff carpenter's torso and arms.
    Yes, I'm colorblind. But my pink fields and orange forests are avant garde!!

  7. #7
    Guild Member mozltovcoktail's Avatar
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    Are we still talking in metaphor here?

    I'll go for PS.

  8. #8
    Community Leader jfrazierjr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mozltovcoktail View Post
    Are we still talking in metaphor here?

    I'll go for PS.

    While learning PS is never going to hurt you if you plan to do anything career wise, I still would encourage you to spend some time with whatever other program you have. Learn PS by doing some of the tutorials, and then go back and see if you can do that same tutorial in the other program to achieve a similar result.. of course, you will likely end up having to take many different steps, but I would still suggest trying...
    My Finished Maps
    Works in Progress(or abandoned tests)
    My Tutorials:
    Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
    How to create ISO Mountains in GIMP/PS using the Smudge tool
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

  9. #9
    Guild Journeyer Facebook Connected Joshua's Avatar
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    That's a great idea. It changes the focus to understanding principles instead of blindly following commands.
    Yes, I'm colorblind. But my pink fields and orange forests are avant garde!!

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