Help me buy a grapics program (for manipulating scanned images)

hobbes9324 · #1 12-09-2006, 04:36 PM

I (being an old guy) could use some advice from my more computer savvy OOT'ers on buying a program that will let me manipulate graphic images (mostly JPG and BMP)

Windows based.

Mostly for scanning postage stamps and envelopes and enlarging/manipulating.

I've been using CompuPic, but am looking for something better.

Thanks!!

MM MD

Freakin · #2 12-09-2006, 04:44 PM

try out some free ones first like Gimp.

MrMon · #3 12-09-2006, 05:56 PM

Just buy Photoshop Elements and be done with it. It's about $60, if you have anyone who's a student in the house, you can save a bit with the academic edition. Photoshop is the gold standard of image software, it'll do everything you want (and more) without wasting your time. I know someone will claim the freeware is out there and just as good, but trust me, just pay the money for Photoshop and don't look back.

I've used Photoshop for years for what you're doing, so it will do what you want. If you want to get really fancy, you can move up to the full version at some point, but odds are, you won't need to do that.

Beavis68 · #4 12-09-2006, 08:23 PM

I just got PSelements free with an epson scanner.

BTW, you may be better off using Tiff instead of BMP.

pvn · #5 12-10-2006, 11:03 AM

Gimp http://www.gimp.org/ is free and does everything you want and more. It has a steep learning curve for the advanced features, but for scanning, enlarging, and minor cleanup stuff it doesn't take very long to figure out. Plus there are tons of free tutorials on the web (and there are even more for photoshop, and the techniques are easily transferable).

jjshabado · #6 12-10-2006, 02:09 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Gimp http://www.gimp.org/ is free and does everything you want and more. It has a steep learning curve for the advanced features, but for scanning, enlarging, and minor cleanup stuff it doesn't take very long to figure out. Plus there are tons of free tutorials on the web (and there are even more for photoshop, and the techniques are easily transferable).

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah I agree. And since any image manipulation software has a fairly steep learning curve, Gimp isn't that much worse than photoshop. I've been using Gimp at work for the last little while and its easily as good as Photoshop for everything but advanced features. Even there it might be as good, I just don't use them so I can't compare.