Comment on hula girl avatar by sethness
You're right, much of what you can do in Photoshop you can also do by hand.
I personally find that I work better if I do the initial sketch/line-art on paper.
The existence of layers, adjusting-tools for hue and saturation, the ability to UNDO things, and the free-transform (CTRL-T) + Warp tools are powerful things that make editing sooOOooo much easier than mere pen and paper could allow.
Consider Linux rather than Mac-- it's the same hardware as Windows, but the OS is free.
I use a dual-boot Win2k + Xandros Linux at home. The Xandros Linux runs most of my Windows programs (under WINE/ Crossover, a bit slower than on Windows) and has a mock-Windows interface which is so close to Windows that except for finicky hardware installs, one could actually believe one's in Win2k/WinXP.
Amen to not sticking with Windows, though-- Vista, the successor to XP, is more like an insult to consumers, shackles, and a "down"-grade to performance and users' rights. I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot mouse.
I personally find that I work better if I do the initial sketch/line-art on paper.
The existence of layers, adjusting-tools for hue and saturation, the ability to UNDO things, and the free-transform (CTRL-T) + Warp tools are powerful things that make editing sooOOooo much easier than mere pen and paper could allow.
Consider Linux rather than Mac-- it's the same hardware as Windows, but the OS is free.
I use a dual-boot Win2k + Xandros Linux at home. The Xandros Linux runs most of my Windows programs (under WINE/ Crossover, a bit slower than on Windows) and has a mock-Windows interface which is so close to Windows that except for finicky hardware installs, one could actually believe one's in Win2k/WinXP.
Amen to not sticking with Windows, though-- Vista, the successor to XP, is more like an insult to consumers, shackles, and a "down"-grade to performance and users' rights. I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot mouse.
I usually do traditional artwork, but I alter it on PSP and even that takes ages so I am very greatful for the existance of advanced image programs.
Thanks for the advice. I probably will get Linux if is alot like Windows, I don't take to vast changes very well.
Ten-Foot mouse, well said.
Thanks for the advice. I probably will get Linux if is alot like Windows, I don't take to vast changes very well
.Ten-Foot mouse, well said.
"I probably will get Linux if it is alot like Windows"
Definitely shop around before choosing which version of Linux, then. Many of them are hard to use and quite different from Windows.
For me, like you, the learning process was a frightening hurdle. Hence my choice of Xandros, which has a "Windows emulation" mode and a thing called "Xandros Network" which lets one download and install lots of programs and upgrades with a single click. The only problem I had was gettign it to recognize my Wacom tablet in exxxactly the same way as I've got it set under Windows-- getting that done was a bear because I don't have a local savvy guru buddy to cajole, consult, and bribe with pizza/ramen/beer/pepsi.
There are some other "distros" (versions of Linux) out there that are pretty easy to use, too, so do research and ask friends before choosing one! Making the wrong choice could leave you frustrated and ready to give up.
Definitely shop around before choosing which version of Linux, then. Many of them are hard to use and quite different from Windows.
For me, like you, the learning process was a frightening hurdle. Hence my choice of Xandros, which has a "Windows emulation" mode and a thing called "Xandros Network" which lets one download and install lots of programs and upgrades with a single click. The only problem I had was gettign it to recognize my Wacom tablet in exxxactly the same way as I've got it set under Windows-- getting that done was a bear because I don't have a local savvy guru buddy to cajole, consult, and bribe with pizza/ramen/beer/pepsi.
There are some other "distros" (versions of Linux) out there that are pretty easy to use, too, so do research and ask friends before choosing one! Making the wrong choice could leave you frustrated and ready to give up.