what is a good program for graphics and making graphics?

[infamou]

hello anyone out there.. . One question... I am trying to make a website but i have no clue what kind of programs to use to even make any graphics. Does anyone know any good website or any programs that i can get graphics and how to make graphics... any programs out there that are good on making graphics.. please someone help.. thanks soooooooo much

[SnakEyez]

Well if you are a student then you can get educational discounts which are very helpful. The rest depends on you.

Ulead is the cheap alternative. Programs like Cool 3D and PhotoImpact are good for beginners and the price for PhotoImpact (which is the more expensive one) is onl $89 for download version and $99 for boxed.

The next up on the list is Macromedia. They sell a four pack of programs, for students its $199 for regular purchases it is $799. This gives you Freehand 10 (a drawing program), Flash MX (makes interactive content), DreamWeaver MX (web-page editor with nice built in reference guide), and Fireworks MX (makes java pop-up menus and stuff like that). Also if you are thinking to buy more than one from macromedia just buy the set its a lot cheaper.

The top of the line is Adobe. Photoshop 7 is by far the most powerful image editing program. It comes with a program called ImageReady 7 which is comparable to Macromedia's Fireworks. They also have a superior drawing program known as illustrator 10. This program allows great control of XML if you are interested in using that. Adobe also has LiveMotion (which is Flash with a nicer editor and reference section built in), and GoLive (which is the web page editor). Adobe programs, being that they are rated best in the world come with a large price tag, Again educational discounts help here but also the packages are good too. Their packages include the web (illustrator, photoshop, livemotion, and golive) for $999 and the design collection (indesign 2 (used for print), acrobat (pdf program), photoshop and illustrator) and the publishing collection which is the same as the last one except indesign is gone and pagemaker replaces it. All those products are $999 normally and 1/2 price if you are a student (or know one who can buy it for you).

Hope this helps you a little.

[infamou]

Thanks snalzeyez for your help.......... :) :)
this helped alot...

[w8uP]

Free --
Freeware Graphics Programs & more (http://www.wombat-online.com/freelist.htm)

[KittyKat]

I personally am a die-hard Paint Shop Pro 7.04 user. And I love Photoshop as well...the educational version ;)

[ogoy]

The world revolves around Photoshop!!!

Paint Shop Pro is good too, but I LOVE Photoshop

[SnakEyez]

Yea Photoshop 7 is the best...and Mac's make it a hell of a lot better.

[southfr]

I agree with everyone's posts on Photoshop and basically Adobe products in general are just top notch.

A big advantage that Macromedia software has over just about any other developer I've seen is their online help files and included tutorials. I've never seen as detailed and comprehensive help files, in such an easy to read and use format. Just wonderful.

[edgarperez]

Originally posted by w8uP
Free --
Freeware Graphics Programs & more (http://www.wombat-online.com/freelist.htm)

Excellent link

[sccr410]

adobe photoshop runs the world of design. I rarely talk to anyone who uses something other than photoshop to create their designs (may use Illustrator as well).

Gimp I hear is the best free image editing program, and is available on windows now too (formerly just unix i believe).

[Tammy]

I think you might want to try Paint Shop Pro. The learning curve is a little easier than Photoshop. If you want to really get into it, Photoshop, but for making simple graphics and buttons and stuff, I stick with Paint Shop Pro. It's a lot cheaper too. ;)

[vanselus]

I use photoshop/indesign for all print design (on macs of course) but for web graphics I hands-down prefer Fireworks for ease of use and built-in features.

But the real question you'll have to answer before you decide on appropriate software is if you know how to use the programs yet - and how much time you expect to spend learning them. They can be quite daunting at first...

[Myke]

adobe photoshop is the only graphic editing program i would reccomend anyone. its the industry standard, you have to know photoshop.

[sxtxixtxcxh]

photoshop and image ready. :D
image ready has a lot of the functionality that fireworks has... though i haven't really tried fireworks since.. 3.0

[uhsites]

Paint Shop Pro is pretty neat if you're starting out doing graphics... I don't like PSP8, though, I prefer version 7 :-)

Oh, and there are tons of tutorials online for PSP, which is very helpful. You can do quite a lot with PSP, and it's easy to use.

Photoimpact is a nice little program too.

[intricate]

The best program by far has to be adobe photoshop. It is used WIDELY by sig makers. Paint shop pro is alright, but adobe rules the graphics design world. If you are new at designing with adobe and find it confusing. I suggest getting instant contact help. Also, to add animation to your graphics, I would recommend image ready. I used to make sigs but I stopped. If you all have questions about using adobe. Post and I'll see if I can help as a adobe-veteran.

[DarkSuiyoken]

i'll make the first question then, how do you make those patterns in your sig?

[johca]

Photoshop is great if you are working with an image that is photographed or scanned. Not so good if the illustration or graphic is something you need to create by drawing and coloring. I can't draw to save my life, but I do use a lot of adobe products. If I could draw I'd probably use Industry-standard drawing tools provided by adobe illustrator or similar program.

Macromedia software would be on my list too.

[sxtxixtxcxh]

photoshop has some limited vector support... so laying out a webpage with photoshop is feasible... and depending on the artist: preferable. some people get used to photoshop's interface...

[Ophelia]

For web graphics Photoshop is it, no questions. Not just because of the program itself but also because it's got so many users, tutorials & tips are really easy to find.

For artsy-art Photoshop I find way to limiting though. I actually tend to use a version of Fractal Painter (was owned by metacreations, I think corel owns it now?) It's OLD, but has beautiful natural media, and for it's age I think it's still better than Photoshop for painting/drawing. I usually end up completing the art in Painter, then importing it into photoshop to tweak it for printing, add any text, etc.

For 3-D, I use an older copy of 3dsMax combined with some freebie/cheapware like Milkshape. Again, it's old, but it's fine for the little I use it, and there's no way I can afford to update to a new Max package.

I think with any graphics package though, people are going to like what they are used to, because learning the interface is the hardest part of any of them :)

[vanselus]

Originally posted by Ophelia
I think with any graphics package though, people are going to like what they are used to, because learning the interface is the hardest part of any of them :)

Amen. However, if you assume that the user is fairy good with the interface, then you can compare the programs fairly.

[Rogue Poet]

When working with bitmap images - photos and such - Photoshop is champion. However, if you are working with vector graphics, the Corel Graphics suite is king. I even edit some of my simpler bimaps with it. It's stable, easy to use, and has tons of features. You can even use it to make flash graphics and pdf - i wouldn't recommend it for animation, though.

[Chile]

I can only go with what I'm trained in.

Photoshop, Illustrator, and Quark Express. ;)

In Design is very appealing too!

[DarkWarriorXII]

I'm having a problem with Photoshop CS. I saved an image I created (not too good), but how do I edit it after I've saved it? I had like 4 layers, and now it only shows Background in the Layers menu thing.

[Pman]

I have to agree with most of the previous posters...Photoshop is by far the best graphic proggie. However it is a bit expensive for someone with graphics as a hobby. You might wanna have a look at Photoshop elements www.adobe.com/products/photoshopel/main.html , here for $99, wich is a li'l cheaper then PS CS wich costs $649 at Adobe...

You might also wanna check out Ebay or any other pricy site, for a even cheaper version/copy.

Patric.

[Sqeakie]

Originally posted by DarkWarriorXII
I'm having a problem with Photoshop CS. I saved an image I created (not too good), but how do I edit it after I've saved it? I had like 4 layers, and now it only shows Background in the Layers menu thing.

If u want to edit your image again in photoshop. You need to save it as a default photoshop file as *psd as it saves the layers in too.