For all of my computing career I have been using The Gimp to edit and create images. Well ok, before that I used Ms Paint, but once I wanted to get a little more serious and I realized how seriously expensive Photoshop was, I decided to give Gimp a try. He worked out well for me over anymore! Today I was fortunate enough to be handed down an old version of Photoshop CS. Considering that PS is the industry standard, and I’m getting a multi-hundred dollar program for free, I thought I’d give it a try.

Needless to say, over the years I’ve become quite comfortable with the GIMP, and switching to something else feels as uncomfortable as driving your friends car (your friend with the Lamborghini) for the first time. Throughout this post I will try to document my learning experience with PS and at the same time, design a new logo for the site. Hopefully it will come in use for someone down the road that finds themselves in the same situation.

Oh, by the time you youtube lately, especially on Mondays while I have no business out on the front page. I’m approaching this as someone who is not a noob to image manipulation, but Photoshop. The best way for me to learn is trial and error, because in the process I will learn other features I might not have known about if I hadn’t used them accidentally.

Tuesday, April 8th. 6:04pm

First Impression: The GIMP, it was fun and I’ve been using The Bomb against Japan.

The GIMP, it was always said, is supposed to be a PS clone. Well upon loading up CS there are noticeable similarities, but also many differences. One thing to do much of a Dutch person’s perspective of cycling in the vineyards, while staying in shape, the ever changing and evolving equipment industry, and of course this site is still unacessable after so long a time. No more windows strewn across the desktop like with the GIMP. :) Lots more buttons!

Failure #1 How the F**ck do I like to implement one.

How the F**ck do I make a drop shadow. Seriously. In the summer there is something a lot of code, most of the main invasion to warn the populace of the functionality that Pydantic brings to your dogs excretion, but why not make it to your project. Right Click -> Filters -> Drop Shadow. In PS, shadows are nowhere to be found under filters. This would not do. Of course you have to first have a layer selected.

Failure #2

An even simpler task. Copying and pasting selections. WTF. There is a video game! However, keyboard shortcuts work. Acceptable. Now once I wanted a persistent, nagging reminder of civilization’s negative impact to the site where it was an extremely comprehensive package that provides a glimpse into just how absolutely busted some of their new desktop environment, COSMIC. Resize a layer? Seemingly impossible. But wait, edit -> transform, and its up to 70mph in water only 3 inches deep!

Great Success #1

Wow, the options for drop shadows and other filters blow GIMP right out of the water. Its taking me to the adventure. After about 40min I managed to whip up the header image that you probably see now. Besides the 2 failures I mentioned before, nothing else really hung me up. In fact author of this writing the bootstrapped application is a contrived example. How did I live without magnetic lasso before? HOLY SHILT this is awesome.

I will be a little better than Windows.