Phil O'Keefe Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 I've been searching around and getting frustrated trying to find something that will do what I need to do, when I though "hey, I bet someone on SSS will have a good recommendation " so rather than waste any more time, I'm asking for help... I like using my PC for audio stuff for the most part, and my MacBook Pro for web stuff, writing articles, photo editing, etc. I know I could do some of this with Microsoft's Paint, but I don't want to have to switch between computers all the time, and I prefer to leave my PC offline as much as possible. For the most part, I can do a lot of what I need to with Apple's Preview, and I use a freeware program called Paintbrush for basic photo touch-up work... but there's a couple of things the pair can't do - or can't do easily. Here's what I need in a photo editing app: The ability to combine parts of two images into one, composite image - and the ability to place those "parts" where I want them within the combined, final image. The ability to put an image or photo on to a white "background" so I can create a "border" around it. The ability to open .PNG image files and save them as .JPG files. The ability to resize and crop images easily. The ability to touch up images would be nice, but if necessary, I can continue to use Paintbrush for that. Same for the PNG to JPG conversions. Now for my question - is there a Mac app that will do all of these things relatively easily and that doesn't require a subscription, a ton of time spent on the learning curve and / or cost over $100 - $150? If so, what would that program be, and would you recommend it? All suggestions greatly appreciated - thanks everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted July 22, 2015 Members Share Posted July 22, 2015 I use Photoshop CS6 to do all that, which I purchased used, but even used, that's more than your stated price range. I don't know if Lightroom can put white backgrounds or borders or combine two images into one composite image, but that's an intuitive program that fits your budget. At least, the non-subscription ones do. For Mac, you might want to check into Gimp (powerful program, but I can't stand the interface) or Pixelmator (I know nothing about it but it gets good reviews). And there's a version of Gimp called Gimpshop that apparently emulates Photoshop that you may want to investigate as well. Sorry i don't know more, but I've been using Photoshop for years, and haven't used anything else except for a brief attempt at using Gimp some years ago, and I couldn't stand it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted July 22, 2015 Members Share Posted July 22, 2015 There are two free solutions. GIMP for Mac does virtually as much as Photoshop; I use the Windows version all the time. For something that does most of what you want easily, check out Seashore. For example, if you want to put a white border around something, just paste file from clipboard, then under Image > Boundaries, add 5-10 pixels as needed around the picture. Save it...done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted July 22, 2015 Members Share Posted July 22, 2015 GIMP is really powerful. It may be that I've worked with Photoshop for years, but GIMP's interface is what bugs me. It doesn't seem logical, and it frequently seems to take one or two more steps to do something than Photoshop, at least to me. That's why I mentioned checking out GIMPshop, which apparently emulates Photoshop to some degree. Maybe you'll like that, I don't know. Regardless, they're free, and a lot of people use them. Thankfully, there seem to be a lot of options for Mac (and PC). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 I've tried GIMP previously, but like Ken, I wasn't thrilled with the user interface. I also hated having to deal with x11, although I see that the later versions for later Mac operating systems (I'm still using 10.8.5 Mountain Lion for compatibility with Pro Tools 10) don't appear to require running it in an x11 window anymore, so I may give it another try and see if it has improved. I will also check out Seashore as soon as I can, but it appears that the SourceForge website is currently down... and has been for several days. Thanks for the suggestions guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted July 22, 2015 Members Share Posted July 22, 2015 Oh, you Lightsiders... Well, I guess when everything is handed to you, you never have to learn to search... BUT, yeah, for sure, the project website (linked above and on the page below) is currently unavailable, but you can DL the program iself from the SF page below: The Seashore Project: http://sourceforge.net/projects/seashore/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 Thanks Blue... but I downloaded not long after posting that. Unlike some people, I've heard of mirrors, and do know my way around a Google search... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted July 24, 2015 Members Share Posted July 24, 2015 If you are a student or teacher, you may qualify for an educator's discount on Photoshop or other apps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 I'm an eternal student... and regularly provide instruction; just not one who is currently enrolled in or employed by an accredited educational institution - so I doubt I'd qualify. But still, that's a very good tip for others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted July 24, 2015 Members Share Posted July 24, 2015 Cool. I just wanted to throw it out there in case it helped you or anyone. And yes, that's one of the things I like about you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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