We actually don't care if Adobe or other are better. I like how you say it: "So it really depend on you, and if you are willing to learn new tools, new ways to work, and be independent. There's not a problem with paying for software, but I have problems when 1 software forces you to use an OS just in order to use the application ie, it's not cross-platform , 2 software threatens to rob a user of the ability to always have access to their data ie, non-open file formats that become useless without a license for the application that opens them , and 3 people and companies implying that an artist isn't "serious" because the artist chooses to not use the de facto closed source apps.
Those reasons alone are enough to use open source software for all my creative work; the fact that open source apps tend to be in my opinion "smarter" and more efficient is just a bonus for me.
Your point about using open source apps not being serious is a great point. I have to admit, that when I first saw that ad was produced in Scribus, I felt that it had to be inferior. As I replied to another commenter, there are many alternatives when producing graphic design work. Maybe Scribus just won't work for you, but you don't know unless you give it a try, test it, compare and then decide if it does. You have to keep an open mind and not listen to everyone who tells you why it can or can't work.
It's kinda like presidential politics. We are told there are only two choices, maybe both are bad, and many people won't vote because they don't want either. However, there are other choices.
It's the same with graphic design. I would never have considered using anything but QuarkXPress on a Mac. Until, that is, I tried InDesign. Until, that is, I used it on a PC. Until, that is, I tried Scribus. Test, explore, compare, experiment. You may save money and it's a lot of fun, too. In an odd way, the Quark vs InDesign conundrum is a great argument for open source alternatives. I remember when designers scoffed at the idea of Adobe moving into Quark's domain, that there was no way anything but Quark could do layout, blah blah blah; then Adobe practically stole the market.
Well said, Seth. Here's a quote from Bill Gates that I think can apply to this situation: "I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created.
They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user. It was so slow, I would start an article import, go to lunch, and maybe it would be ready when I got back. And I remember the time of Freehand and other great tools, destroyed by Adobe when the acquired Macromedia To your first point, I can reply with a totally different experience, when people ask me what I use for digital photography and I answer: "darktable, is awesome but you can't use it because isn't available for Windows".
See, it cuts both ways :. I agree with you on the financial aspect of cutting the cord on Adobe and Microsoft products. I attended school from to and paid for Adobe products, but back then it was financial aid so that seemed okay. By my calculations that is close to dollars a year.
For that very reason I started trying to figure out what to do to not spend so much money. I read a book called Linux from the command line and the author recommended that I make an assessment of what I use a computer for and I was shocked and surprised that I could actually save money by not doing the same old thing I had been doing.
Granted the LInux apps seem only partially functional, but I am new to Linux and there was a huge learning curve for me. Usually I like learning new stuff, but this has been challenging to say the least. I did learn most of the features of scribus and found it hard to learn and use.
Specifically Scribus doesn't really allow you to edit different parts of text and lumps it all together in the editor.
I did try to work with the program, but wish the editing of my newsletter allowed me to insert the articles in the order that they were submitted to me without reconfiguring the entire document. I have given up on using scribus for my newsletter and will use Libre Office in the future for my newsletter. It is more like MS Word in that aspect and allows me to insert and move things around and edit the different parts as unique parts and not part of one long edit.
I know one thing I won't do is give up and go back to Windows and Adobe products. Today's distributions like Ubuntu are really user friendly, and you really don't command line at all.
My grand mother, 85 years old, is using Ubuntu every day. Second, a lot of interesting applications are available for Mac and Windows too. So instead of changing your operating system, just keep windows or mac. And start to replace your applications by open source one.
When you notice that you actually made the change, and you are using only open source software, then, why would you keep the operating system? And please, do not start with a difficult distribution, but with a user friendly one. I haven't seen your newsletter so maybe I'm misunderstanding. In Scribus, and in InDesign, you can place stories, or parts of stories, into independent "boxes.
I have never used the internal editors because I don't see the point in them. I would recommend that you placed your articles, in order that you receive them, into individual boxes and edit them right on the page. Maybe there is a reason this won't work for you, but I have created hundreds of magazines, newsletters and the like this way.
I just plop the Word or LibreOffice text onto the page and assemble, move and format in the page. Very interesting article, and also very good comments by everyone else One think I would like to point out is that Blender is more of a substitute for a program like 3DStudio Max than Premiere or After Effects.
I am learning GIMP and move away from Photoshop but the thing is most printers, production houses etc demand psd files as s source files. This sort of worked. I just tested it to make sure. I created a simple GIMP image with some shapes and text layers. This saved the file as gimptest. I then opened that file with Photoshop CC.
I opened the. I read on some forums that editable text export is in development. So, to answer your question: you are correct, if a printer demands. However, in my experience as a graphic designer, I have never sent a printer a.
Of course, different designers, clients and vendors have requirements I may have not encountered. I'll keep investigating and if anyone has any solutions please reply back. Thanks, this was a great question. That's a very interesting thread, just wide open my eyes, every one would have his own handy tools,doesn't matter which one is the best, right choice is good as long as problem solved.
I'd like to thank you Jeff for the well written, very interesting article. Differently from you and the majority of the designers, as for my graphic work, I grew up with open source software and, as it has been well commented, in time making use of them has become easier. It is also true that the results are great indeed and nobody notices any difference as for the Graphic made with commercial SW!
Nevertheless, I think that it is also true, as commented by ElectricPrism, that these software, when it comes to professional work, may at least sometimes turn out into being a liability rather then an asset be it due to the monopoly of the Commercial SW over the Open one or not.
So, recently I start feeling compelled to turn to the first rather then the latter though I'm still using the OS instead. A client asked me. I tried in all possible ways to convert. Another issue was related to Color Profiles. A previous client asked me to work no matter how, namely no matter the program used for with layers and a specific color profile.
I used Gimp and layers but the limit about CMYK forced me to spend a lot of time, make so many researches and try different times to install the only available plug-in Separate available for Gimp that should allow an implementation of the CMYK conversion. Still, I'm not sure that it will really well satisfy the requests of the client.
I know, I lack all the expertise and smartness required in those situations and this is also the reason why I'm writing any idea please?
I'm sure that there are tricks i never thought about. However, it is tiring to work in this way besides, I use Ubuntu. I love Open Source and I still believe that it can be the best option, especially when economical resources are few, but must it necessarily be so hard to work when work itself is already not a game to play?
Perhaps, starting with Open Source and shifting later to Commercial one—once the income starts growing up—is a balanced way to approach Graphic Design as well as other works. Also, continuing to have OS SW as an alternative tool available while also using the Commercial one can be of great help. I've never had anyone ask for vector art in a.
SVG's closed equivalent is more like. It's odd that a client would expect a. Possibly going out to. All that aside, the client ultimately does, to a degree, dictate the end product. Personally it's never been an issue for me although I do work a lot with clients who are using open source and Linux , but it's ALWAYS vital to communicate early and often.
Ask the client about their pipeline; find out what formats they need and WHY. Unfortunately, a lot of clients are actually very stupid I mean that in the nicest possible way , so they may insist that they need a PSD even though their graphics "expert" is actually just going to open the thing in Photoshop and do an immediate export to an uncompressed TIFF or TARGA. If you offer to save them a step, they may end up happier; they just didn't think to ask for it. The important thing is to help the client.
If you find out what they need, usually open source products can be used to produce it. Worse case, in my experience, is some stupid 5 minute trip into some closed source app just to make sure the deliverable still looks and acts like I think it should. Save, send, done. First of all, I apologize, I realized that I got confused with file extensions!
Instead of. All that the client was looking for was the source. I had used Inkscape, so the output file is. To his mind though, the converted file was blank. Having said that, I think that your advice is really useful! Thank you very much for the encouragement!
I have Image Magick but I've barely used it before. This probably isn't the right place for an in-depth discussion, but aside from IRC, I'm not sure what is. I have found those to be very good intermediate files. That said, most recent versions of even Illustrator can open SVG files. If all you want is for an image file to be flagged as CMYK, then all you need is a quick conversion with Image Magick.
Oh thank you very much for the interesting advice! I didn't know about the EPSs usefulness. I'll get more infos thereupon as well as for the other things you said.
What about mock-ups? It seems that the only way to produce beautiful mock-ups is to use Adobe SWs or alike. I've been thoroughly at least I think so! The most remarkable feature of this program is the variety of readable fonts, including such popular options as TrueType, CID-keyed and many more. So, if you are interested in creating original fonts, here is a great tool to use for this task.
In addition to the main toolset, there are many instruments for drawing, transformation, rounding, adding serifs, as well as copying individual elements or letter options. This open source designing software attracts attention with its numerous handy tools that allow drawing entity relationship diagrams, flowcharts, network schemes, etc. You can also try your hand at programming and add support for new shapes, thus advancing the capabilities of this program.
If needed, you can print the result of your work. Verdict: SVG-Edit is first-rate graphic design software online, which is supported by most modern browsers. It is aimed at an average user, containing only basic instruments in the toolset, namely, shape tools, hand-drawing tools, text and path editing means. The program is divided into 2 interfaces, which work in conjunction for a smoother and more productive workflow.
SVG-Edit may fully satisfy those graphic designers, who are looking for intuitive, simple-to-use software without bells and whistles. You can use the program to create detailed diagrams, elaborate illustrations and drawings. It operates on interpreted languages, for instance, Python, and can ideally suit professional designers. Looking through its wide-ranging features, you will find clipmasks, gradient fills, Bezier curves and many other handy options.
Each element is introduced as a mathematic description of its shape, e. This is rather an interesting approach, which sets this open source design software apart from the analog programs. Verdict: Pencil2D is an efficient animation software with a strong emphasis on drawing.
It allows using bit-map and vector graphics as a basis for hand-drawn animations. Being very intuitive to use, this software impresses with a rich collection of high-end animation tools. What is more, Pencil2D supports layers, features a timeline, so you can tackle the pace of your animation. Considering all the benefits of Pencil2D, no wonder, I added it onto this graphic design software list. In addition to the design tools, there are some meant for photo editing and drawing. The software allows developers to create flowcharts, organization charts, and network diagrams.
You can learn more about it here. Xournal is an open source application that can be utilized for sketching, note-taking and even can be used as a journal using a stylus. Get more info here. Greenshot is a lightweight software tool that is designed for screenshot purposes. It allows users to quickly create complete or partial screenshots. You can get it here.
Pencil is an animation, drawing software that lets you design traditional hand-drawn animation using vector as well as bit-map graphics. You can download it here. FontForge is a lightweight, outline front editor that brings forth the ability to smoothly create your own open-type, postscript and true-type. For more info click here. Blender is an open source 3D computer graphics tool for developers which can be seamlessly used for designing or creating interactive 3D applications, visual effects and animated films.
It is specially designed for creative web developers.
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