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Adobe Photoshop vs GIMP (best i mac apps)

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Winner
User Interface
Editing Tools
File Format Support
Compatibility
Performance
Ease of Use
Technical Support
Price
Learning Curve
Plugins and Extensions
FREE / PAID
Adobe Photoshop uses a subscription-based model. The Photography plan, which includes Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, and 20GB of cloud storage, costs $9.99 per month.
GIMP is free to use. There’s no need for subscriptions or purchases. But you can donate to support the project if you wish.
Conclusion

🌟Adobe Photoshop is a powerhouse for professionals, with comprehensive tools and features🎨, but the expensive subscription plan💰might be a drawback for some.😕

👍GIMP provides a good range of features with zero cost💸, making it ideal for budget-conscious users. However, its interface may seem a bit complex to newcomers.💡

Adobe Photoshop Pros & Cons

Top Pros
  • 👑Industry-standard software

  • 💎Comprehensive tools and features

  • 💼Professional-grade results

  • 💡Great online community and resources for learning

  • 🔄Seamless integration with other Adobe apps

GIMP Pros & Cons

Top Pros
  • 💸Free and open-source

  • 🛠️Good range of features

  • 💻Cross-platform compatibility

  • 🤾Flexible and customizable

  • 😎Supports many file formats

  • 🎓Many online tutorials and resources

Top Cons
  • 💰Expensive subscription-based pricing

  • 🏋️Can be resource-intensive

  • 🔮Some features may be complex for beginners

  • 🔒Requires an Adobe account

  • ⌚Installation can be a bit lengthy

  • 🤹‍♂️May have too many features for casual users

Top Cons
  • 💡Interface might be daunting for beginners

  • 📉Limited advanced features compared to paid software

  • 👥Lacks customer support

  • 😤Can be buggy at times

  • 🔄Updates aren’t as regular as in paid software

Other best i mac apps

3

🔥Pixelmator Pro offers a balance between affordability and powerful features. It’s a great choice for those looking for an easy-to-use app.😊

4

✔️With a one-time purchase plan💵, Affinity Photo definitely has a pricing edge. Strong editing tools💪make it a great Photoshop alternative.👌

5

📸Capture One Pro, with its robust feature set and advanced color grading options👀, is specially tailored for professional photographers, albeit at a premium price tag.🧾

FAQ

Several prominent apps for iMac are Adobe Photoshop for image editing, GIMP for photo manipulation, Google Chrome for browsing, Microsoft Office for productivity tasks, Spotify for music streaming and Slack for team collaboration.

Adobe Photoshop offers an abundance of features including advanced layer management, a variety of filters, 3D modeling, vector graphics, and extensive color and gradient adjustments. It supports a variety of file formats and has robust plugin architecture.

Yes, GIMP is a useful and free Adobe Photoshop alternative. It also comes with a wide range of image editing tools and supports many file formats.

Some beginners might find GIMP challenging to learn initially due to its vast range of functionalities. However, there are numerous online tutorials and guides available to help users master this powerful tool.

For an iMac, Adobe Photoshop requires a 64-bit processor, macOS version 10.13 (High Sierra) or later, 2 GB or more of RAM, and 4 GB or more of available hard-disk space. For more specifics, you can check the Adobe’s official system requirements.

The popularity of GIMP can be credited to its ability to deliver high-quality photo manipulation and creation tools for free. Being open-source, it provides room for personal customization and includes support for various plugins to extend its functionality.

Yes, Adobe Photoshop can handle 3D designs. It offers a variety of tools for creating 3D objects, adding 3D effects, and manipulating 3D images.

GIMP supports a wide range of file formats, including but not limited to JPEG, TIFF, PNG, GIF, PSD, and RAW formats.

Yes, Adobe Photoshop can be expensive for some individuals as it operates on a monthly subscription basis. However, for professionals who require its comprehensive features, it could be considered a worthwhile investment.

Yes, GIMP does offer a collection of advanced editing tools. These include layer masks, customizable brushes, filters, and automatic image enhancement tools.

The preference between Adobe Photoshop and GIMP depends on the specific needs and budget of the user. Professional commercial artists and designers may opt for Photoshop’s comprehensive toolkit and refined interface. Conversely, hobbyists or those on a budget may find GIMP’s free and open-source model more suitable.

Yes, both Adobe Photoshop and GIMP are multi-platform applications. They are compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux operating systems.

GIMP is considered safe to download and install. Be sure to download it from the official GIMP website to avoid any potential security risks.

The Adobe Photoshop tutorial page offers numerous guides and video tutorials to help beginners understand the basics of the software.

Yes, there are many tutorials available online for GIMP beginners. The official GIMP tutorials page is a good place to start.

The key differences between Adobe Photoshop and GIMP lie in their functionality, user interface, price, and support. Photoshop is paid software with a sleek user interface and offers extensive tools and customer support. GIMP, on the other hand, is free, open-source software with a less polished interface but loaded with powerful tools and a helpful community.

Yes, Adobe Photoshop fully supports RAW image files and provides a variety of tools and options for editing RAW images through the Adobe Camera RAW plugin.

Yes, GIMP also has the ability to work with layers, similar to Adobe Photoshop. It supports a variety of layer modes and provides tools for managing and manipulating layers.

No, GIMP is entirely free to use. There are no subscription fees or hidden charges. It is open-source software, which means it’s developed by a community of volunteers and is freely available for anyone to download and use.

Yes, Adobe provides real-time customer support for Photoshop users through chat and over the phone. Their support service also includes tutorials and a community forum.

The latest Adobe Photoshop has introduced several ground-breaking upgrades, such as Sky Replacement, Neural Filters, Pattern Preview, and loads more. These features aim to simplify the design process and boost productivity. Check here the details about the latest Adobe Photoshop updates.

Definitely. The GIMP, or GNU Image Manipulation Program, is a free and open-source image editor. It offers a range of tools equivalent to what premium software offers. As an added advantage, it can be extended with plugins. Here is where you can download GIMP.

Apps such as Adobe Photoshop, Affinity Designer, Sketch, and Pixelmator Pro are well-regarded within the graphic design field due to their extensive features and tools. Adobe InDesign is another fantastic tool especially optimized for layout design and desktop publishing.

Adobe Photoshop has included AI-based features labeled as ‘Neural Filters’. They provide users a set of powerful AI tools that drastically enhance photo editing even for beginners. These filters can adjust facial expressions, age, and even lighting direction in your images.

Yes, GIMP does support layers. It allows users to create, merge, and control different layers for complex image editing, much like Adobe Photoshop. Using layers in GIMP can significantly improve the flexibility of your photo editing process.

Adobe Photoshop is a powerful tool extensively used by professionals in various fields such as graphic design, animation, architecture, and even the medical field. However, with the availability of numerous online tutorials, anyone passionate about digital art and photo editing can take advantage of this software.

GIMP is quite versatile and supports a comprehensive range of file formats, such as JPEG, TIFF, PNG, GIF, and even PSD (Photoshop files). This flexibility makes it a great tool for a variety of graphic work scenarios.

Yes. Adobe Photoshop can open XCF files, which is GIMP’s native format. However, some GIMP-specific elements might not be maintained in Photoshop, such as some layer effects.

For the best experience, Adobe recommends iMac users to have at least 8GB or more RAM, macOS version 10.13 (High Sierra) or later, and a graphics card with 2GB of GPU memory. Visit the official Adobe website for complete system requirements.

Yes, GIMP is available and compatible with iMac. You can easily download it from the official GIMP website.

While Adobe Photoshop does have a steep learning curve due to its extensive features, there is a wealth of online resources and tutorials available for beginners. Hence, learning Adobe Photoshop, although challenging, is certainly manageable for committed individuals.

Absolutely. GIMP offers an extensive set of tools for photo retouching, image composition, and authoring. Tools such as curves, levels, and filters are all available for refining your photographs.

Indeed, you can remove the background with Adobe Photoshop. The software offers multiple ways to perform this task, including the Magic Wand Tool, Quick Selection Tool, or through advanced techniques using Layer Masks.

Though GIMP is primarily designed for raster image editing, it does have some basic capabilities for handling vector graphics, such as paths. However, for comprehensive vector editing, tools like Inkscape are more suited.

Yes, Adobe Photoshop does support 3D designing. With Photoshop, users can create 3D objects and realistic artwork. One can also animate and print 3D content. Check out Adobe’s support page for more information on 3D design.

Adobe typically releases major updates for Photoshop annually, with additional minor updates and bug fixes throughout the year. Adobe Creative Cloud subscribers have the advantage of receiving these updates as soon as they are available.

Even though GIMP is free, it doesn’t lag too far behind premium tools like Adobe Photoshop in terms of features and functionality. GIMP offers a range of tools for complex image manipulation, making it a worthy consideration for individuals who can’t invest in premium software.

Yes, Adobe Photoshop can handle large files. It supports images and designs up to 30,000 pixels in either direction and can manage files up to a size of two gigabytes. However, optimizing your machine’s hardware configuration will improve the performance of Photoshop with larger files.

While GIMP may lack some of the advanced tools found in premium software, many professional designers do use it for certain tasks. Its functionality can be extended with various plugins, and its robust set of features makes it a viable option for professional use.

Adobe has an extensive array of helpful resources such as tutorials and user forums for support. Furthermore, there are countless online communities, courses and tutorials available on platforms like YouTube, Lynda, and Udemy for in-depth learning and troubleshooting.