Re:Why is GIMP still so bad?
by wildrhythms on Sunday April 17, 2022 @06:55PM
(#31065327)
I switched from Adobe Photoshop to Pixelmator Pro. I'm happy to pay for software when it's fast, feels native, and has intuitive UX. Respect to the GIMP devs for continuing that important work, but I have to +1 to each of your points; the GIMP UX is not good. I find myself constantly getting 'locked' into some selection or transformation state I don't understand, there's no UI indicator for, and pressing escape or deselect doesn't get me out of. Very annoying usability in my experience.
Another worthy mention for macOS/Windows are the https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/ tools.
Well, it's the exact opposite for me. I don't do a lot with Gimp but I can only remember one time I needed to google how to do something, I just find it very intuitive to use. Sure it's not the most polished software and I've seen one or two bugs but overall it does everything I need with an easy to use interface.
> Changing it in the filename box returned an error
I always do it like that and it just works. Though in current versions you have to "Export" to jpg/png and not "Save as". Afaik the intention is to prevent overwriting the original file on accident.
Re:Why is GIMP still so bad?
by jonnycomputer on Sunday April 17, 2022 @10:34PM
(#31066691)
Yeah, I don't find it too much of a bother either. For my (admittedly) limited use cases, it serves me just fine. Better documentation of the scripting capabilities would be wonderful though.
On Linux, I use mtPaint whenever I can, because it is quick and intuitive. So when I need to use GIMP, it is for a relatively complex task. I keep a GIMP-instructions text file to record every step of these operations so I won't have to research it again the next time.
My colleagues on Windows have been tempted to try GIMP (for casual use), but none I know have stuck with it. They revert to either PhotoFiltre or Serif DrawPlus.
Of all the tools I played around with over the years, as a beginner or intermediate, be it Photoshop, Cinema 4D, Blender, Paint.Net, Illustrator, Inkscape, Premiere, and countless other less prolific..
I was always able to figure it out myself fairly easily, with a bit of tinkering... except GIMP. It is my least used program with the most Google and YouTube searches, and I'm never not frustrated while using it. Still, every few years I come back and try it again.. and am disappointed again.
I remember, to this day, what my very first frustration was. I wanted to use GIMP to resave a PNG as a JPG and didn't notice the hidden dropdown (behind a checkbox!?) to change the file type why saving. Changing it in the filename box returned an error.. why? why? Sure, it only took a minute to find it, but it shouldn't have.
Don't get me wrong, it is undoubtedly a powerful program and I am grateful that it exists. But the UI is abhorrently unintuitive.