What graphics programs do you use?

Adobe Photoshop CS2, Flash 8, MSPaint.

I mainly use the Macromedia MX suite of design tools, however on rare occassions I use photoshop if I need something a bit special! Having said that the images are then reloaded into Fireworks MX to optimise file sizes. I also create some really great 3D text effects in seconds with a nifty little shareware tool called Xara3D.

I want to try Inkscape, but for now I'm pretty much all about Paint Shop Pro. For what I need, it does the job perfectly. It has a function that allows easy creation of buttons, and the tubes function is a lot of fun. In fact, all of the art on my Deviant Art page is compiled in PSP. When I get around to doing a webcomic, I'll be using it extensively to create my backgrounds (for the record, all the figures in my pics are created in Poser).

I have used Gimp, but I mainly used it to make some wallpapers with logos(boy was my daughter surprised to see her face on my desktop). I'm having troube getting used to the "right click for everything" model.

I'm experimenting with Serif PhotoPlus right now. It seems to be a minimalist PSP, but still good.

Mike

I use Psp and Photoshop

I use Fireworks to sort out my layout and any graphics I need to produce. I find that because of the native vector graphics environment, I have better control than that I have tested in the likes of Adobe Photoshop (raster image editor).

I also prefer the simple user interface and the control it has. Admittedly, it doesn't have as advanced control over gradients, shadows and such, but these can be worked around quite easily.

I use MX 2004 as opposed to 8. This is simply because of the rediculously large footprint that 8 has (twice that of 2004) and it doesn't really have any new features (existing features have been reorganised).

Photoshop of course, it's really good and has a lot of options and functions. Sometimes if there is need to do smth quickly I use Capture Professional Design.

I use PSP and the Gimp at the same time. As i'm completely rubbish with both of them I just kind of keep switching between the two as I don't know how to do everything on just one.

i use photoshop, bcos its so familiar...
and also from template there a lot of design using this program.

I use Photoshop, Illustrator, and something called Xara Xtreme. For good 3D modeling I use Swift3D. I also just discovered the Xara 3D which works great for adding 3D animated effects to text. For longer, DVD graphics and animations I use Adobe Premier, After Effects, and Photoshop. They all work linked together which is really cool (I create and size the images in Photoshop, link them into Aftereffects where I apply animations to them, then link several different After Effects files into one Premier file to be rendered out as a movie. Lots of "geeky" fun! If I make a change in Photoshop, the After Effects files are automatically updated and then the final Premier file is also updated without having to make the changes on all three.

I used all graphics software and tried it all. And among all those programs, i prefere to used corelphotopaint for masking, adobe photoshop for photo manipulating and ulead photoimpact for powerfull effects and colors.

I tried out photoPaint a few weeks ago just out of interest. It's an interesting program, for sure! I think it has a lot of potential, especially given the cost difference bewteen the corel suite and adobe's suites.

the nature of my work demands that i work with vector graphics programs.
for that i use CorelDraw since i find it somewhat more user-friendly than Illustrator.

However must say that both kick butt.

In raster software, Photoshop beats the competition hands down, though photo paint is a worthy opponent.

photoshop always and nothing else it is the best program i have aevr touched in my life

Jeff

Update: am now using Xara Xtreme for Linux for vector graphics (am also using Inkscape alongside Xara). They've recently gone open source under Linux, unfortunately for Windows users they still have to pay.

Xara isn't at version one yet so there are still problems to be ironed out, SVG support isn't complete yet. Which is a pain when trying to transfer images between Xara and Inkscape. That doesn't stop it from being a great product though!

I think Photoshop is great. It makes making good gfx very easy!

I primarily use photoshop 7. I sometimes use fireworks because it has many output options like html or swf. I remember using fireworks a long time ago when i was assigned to make an html page and i did not have any clue about it. Thus, i used photoshop to design how it would look and all the other images. Then open these images in fireworks and added buttons for the menu. And finally save the output as an html file.

I heard that PSP has destroyed it's interface and is now trying to be super easy to use?! How many other really easy to use graphics programs are there out there? Has anyone been affected by this?

I use Photoshop because I'm familiar with its user interface as well as its keyboard shortcuts. Once in a blue moon I use The GIMP for its plugins.

I tend to use PSP 9 most of the time for ease of use but if I have something real technical and complicated I will use photoshop since it is more robust.

Photoshop and Fireworks. FW is more intuitive and for the things it can do it's much easier. But PS can do more.

I Primarlily use Adobe Photoshop and Flash.

I personally use Adobe Photoshop CS2. And, I pretty much stick to that one. It seems to meet all my needs.

hi, i have photo shop and mc front page and pain pro i use all those but i also use diffrent softeare called World DEginer well, it came with a games . where i fond it??? i found it inside the program folder inside my game called commonader and conqer so i use that mostly to degine realistic and i also use ARTRAGE u can get it at download.com and look under deging tools.

I like Photoshop Elements for basic work. It's a very nice program, and sometimes comes free with new computers.

I use photoshop, fireworks, Microsoft expression and Inkscape. Each is good at various jobs - none does them all well.

Adobe Photoshop

SBalan Group

I have GIMP but I didn't really use it. I used to use Microsoft PictureIt, but we lost the program. So right now, I'm trying to figure out GIMP!

IMHO, i used and tried almost 80% of the apps discussed in this thread, but my thought is its not the tool, yes its an advantage to have the best tool but what matters still is the one using the tool. Use what you are comfortable with, the tool that brings out the best in you. Ive even known someone in college who was really good coloring comic characters using plain old paintbrush...

It's a familiar scene, I used to ride the Blue Line when I lived in Chicago. Thanks.

For CSS, html code and other I use PHPExpertEditor, simple text editor with code highliting and additional functions.

As for my design studio, we use PhotoShop for webdesign. Corel we used to make some shapes, for future using in PhotoShop. FireFox not good for us, due we do not only webdesign, but polygraphy, and it is better to know good one program, than 2, but so so. So, as wrire before, our choise PS+Corel.
But if somebody whant, he can do all only in PS, without any problems. For different shapes in PS you can use "Path`s" - some like vector.

Ooh, Illustrator can export CSS??? Layouts in CSS?? Is the end result any good? I haven't used Illustrator since somewhere around version 8 so I'm a little bit out of the loop.

I definitely agree that it's better to use vectors for logos and things like that. Anything that might end up in print.

My opinon is that neither photoshop nor illlustrator was designed for doing web design. They both have their strengths and weaknesses for this medium. In many cases they may work best in tandem. Fireworks, on the other hand, was designed for web design and is more well suited to the medium in a lot of ways.

I think it also depends a lot on your design style. Some people really like to do a lot with lighting effects and textures and things like that which are better done in Photoshop, while crisp edges are better in a vector program.

I'd like to add that we could be talking about the Gimp and Inkscape here, for those into open source (or those who don't have $600 to spend on Photoshop!

I'd like to hear some elaboration on that, actually. I've worked with vectors a lot in Flash and a little in Illustrator but haven't used it for web design hardly at all. For web design, the end result is in pixels so it makes sense to design in pixels rather than vectors which have to be converted.

I like Fireworks for some types of design projects (like the TWF design, with crisp edges). It's a raster program that works like a vector app so that's good for web design.

90% of my time is still spent on Photoshop.

I use a combination of Serif PhotoPlus and Paint.NET. They aren't wonderful, but they get the job done for me. They have everything I need (not everything that I WANT though) and I know how to use them easily.

In this light I think Adobe Illustrator... I use the three AI, PS, PSP ... I like them all, but for quick preparations I like PSP it is lightweight, and it supports vectors the way AI handles it... Its nice to use PSP when you have a tablet like wacom for you can make tipped vectors...

I've been using PSP since I downloaded the shareware version 4.12 in 1996. The evaluation copy was fully functional for many weeks after it expired and that impressed me so much that I have remained loyal--well there was also the invested learning curve.

I'm now using v.7, having almost bought 8 when it was released for the robot function. But now I really need the robot function so I will be buying the Corel version 10. I was wondering if Corel had ruined it, as companies sometimes do when they buy a popular product but I don't see any complaints on this thread so I will buy version 10 today because I need to batch process hundreds of thumbnail images that I am finally adding to my site.

Are any of you guys finding Adobe Photoshop CS2 horribly bloated? Actually worse than Microsoft products?

I'm using the GIMP almost solely now because of that horrible bloat, it's not as if they've added any amazing new features to make it worth it!

Photoshop CS2 and Corel Draw 12.

Now that I've switched to my Mac, I'm currently using a combination of Fireworks and Photoshop Elements.