When it comes to choosing the best graphic design software, it’s important to know about its features and advantages. In this article, we’ll compare GIMP vs Photoshop and look at which one is the best choice for graphic designers in 2023.
The graphic design industry plays a significant role in today’s visual culture. It’s made up of a range of creative activities, from creating logos to designing posts for social media.
Graphic designers use their artistic skills and graphic design software like GIMP or Photoshop to make effective designs that communicate messages and ideas.
But you may be asking which one is the best, GIMP or Photoshop? Let’s take a look!
An introduction to GIMP and Photoshop
If you are a beginner in the industry or you simply want to learn graphic design, you have probably heard of the two programs GIMP and Photoshop. GIMP is a free, open-source app while Photoshop is a commercial application created by Adobe Systems.
The two programs are rated highly by graphic designers and they’re often seen as the two best graphic design tools on the market. Even still, you might be struggling to figure out which is best for you and your budget. Let’s take a closer look at both.
Photoshop is a well-known image editing program developed by Adobe that has been around since the late 1980s. You might have heard the term “photoshopping” used about someone wanting to edit their looks, that’s how popular it is.
GIMP is another popular software used in the design industry. If you have not heard of it, GIMP is a free program that has been available since the late 1990s. Both GIMP and Photoshop are capable of producing high-quality results and have a wide range of features to use, but they have key differences.
GIMP is a versatile program used for a variety of tasks, including photo manipulation, image editing and digital painting. Photoshop is a powerful and feature-rich program designed for digital imaging and graphic design.
You can download GIMP from their website and Photoshop is available as part of Adobe Creative Cloud or as a standalone product.
What are the features of GIMP?
GIMP has a wide range of features that make it a great choice for software in the creative industry. It’s quite versatile and it can be used for things like digital painting or image rendering.
Here are some of the key features that GIMP has to offer:
Customisable interface
A handy tool for creatives is the ability to customise your workspace. This is a great feature that GIMP has, as different projects need different tools. This can really help to speed up efficiency.
Image retouching
As you can expect from photo manipulation software, GIMP can be used for image retouching. Using features like the clone tool or the healing tool allows the user to remove any unnecessary details and retouch or sharpen images.
Image painting
GIMP offers a variety of different tools for the user to go wild when it comes to painting images. Included in the software is a full suite of brushes, a powerful gradient editor and much more!
External plugins
Third-party plugins for GIMP are widely available, made possible because it’s open-source design software. If you want to explore some of the handy plugins, here are the best GIMP plugins in 2023.
File Handling
If you are worried that GIMP might not be able to support certain file types, then consider your concerns gone! The supported file types include bmp, gif, jpeg, pdf, png, svg, tiff and many others!
What are the advantages of GIMP?
Not only does GIMP have a range of different features it also has many advantages for choosing to use it. From price to ease of use, here are some of the biggest advantages of GIMP.
GIMP is free!
Not everyone has the budget to purchase Photoshop. GIMP is the best choice if you have little or no budget to spend. It is completely free for all to use.
GIMP is open-source
As we keep mentioning, GIMP is open-source. That means anyone can view the code and develop the software. This is usually done by the users, for the users, so you know you’re getting a graphic design tool made by experts.
GIMP is cross-platform
Aside from macOS and Windows, GIMP is supported on many platforms, including Linux, Sun OpenSolaris and Free BSD.
GIMP runs on most computers
If you don’t have a powerful Apple or PC to run design software, then GIMP is for you! GIMP is memory efficient, so you can run it on older computers if you need to.
GIMP has lots of free tutorials
GIMP has a passionate following and lots of contributions to both the software and how to use it! See for yourself, here are some free GIMP tutorials to get you started!
GIMP is really easy to use
If you are starting out and want to learn graphic design software quickly and easily, GIMP has a user-friendly interface that is great for beginners.
What are the disadvantages of Gimp?
We have established that GIMP has lots of great features and there are many advantages in using it, but what are GIMP’s weaknesses? Let’s take a look at a few of the main disadvantages of the software.
GIMP is RGB only
RGB is a colour mode for digital screens while CMYK is a colour mode for print. In GIMP, you are only capable of editing in RGB, which can be limiting if you’re designing for print.
GIMP crashes often
GIMP can be a great image editing tool but it has its limitations. When dealing with large format files it can struggle and some users report a lot of crashes.
GIMP is for basic editing
The editing software is good, but it doesn’t have the ability to perform more advanced tasks like Photoshop. This makes it great for beginners but it has its limitations.
What are the features of Photoshop?
Most professionals would say that Photoshop is the leader in the editing and design industry and that high status doesn’t come from thin air. It is well known for its many impressive and simple-to-use features.
Aside from having one of the most comprehensive sets of image manipulation tools, here are a few more Photoshop features you should know about.
Brushes
Arguably the most popular tool in Photoshop is the brushes. Not only is there a large library to choose from, both built-in, online and free, but you can also create your own. This feature is popular with artists who want to create digital paintings.
Layers
Most design software has some form of layer panel, but Photoshop seems to lead the way with this feature. The layers window is probably the most used feature in photoshop. This is where the artist controls their work, using things like layer masks, blending modes, opacity and more.
Selection Tools
The ease and precision of the different selection tools in photoshop are well known. Their main purpose is to make the user’s life easier. Photoshop excels in this particular area, especially with the automatic selection tools.
Layer Masking
Layer masking is so significant that it deserves its own mention. Despite the fact that other tools have since been created, layer masking is still wildly used and is a crucial tool for designers. As an added bonus, you can control the mask by using the brush tool if you want to make further edits such as erasing. This gives the artist even more ease and control.
Smart objects
The pixelation of images has been an issue in Photoshop for a long time, but smart objects changed this, offering even more to Photoshop’s users. The biggest benefit of smart objects is the amount of time you can save and the quality of the final image.
What are the advantages of Photoshop?
Now we know what the best Photoshop features are, let’s dive deeper into why the software is rated so highly by designers all around the world.
Photoshop is efficient
Not only does Photoshop provide the highest quality features, it does them well and it does them fast. We have all experienced the spinning wheel of death, but Photoshop is built to excel with the abilities it has. This saves the designer so much time in the long run, meaning more work can be done.
Photoshop has free templates
As soon as you open up the program, you are greeted with a library full of ready-to-use templates. If you’re stuck on where to start, take inspiration from this handy, built-in feature. If none of the templates work for you, there are thousands available online, both free and paid.
Photoshop can be used for animation
Photoshop has advanced to the point where it is now capable of creating basic 2D animations and editing them. The animations are created frame by frame and can be exported to many different formats.
Photoshop handles multiple file types
Photoshop can handle loads of different image file types, and they can be edited all in one place without the need for downloading plugins. This can save so much time for the designer!
Photoshop has lots of cutting-edge tools
Photoshop really is the whole package. The number of tools available and at such a high standard is the reason it is voted the best graphic design software. The best part is, they are always improving and adding more.
Photoshop is the industry standard
When people talk about professional graphic design or photo editing, they immediately think of Photoshop. It is the industry standard software around the world. If you want to take your designs seriously and build a career in graphic design, then it would benefit you to learn Photoshop.
What are the disadvantages of Photoshop?
Photoshop offers some amazing tools and features to benefit every type of designer. However, although it has been crowned the king of photo editing and digital art by many, it still has its disadvantages.
Photoshop needs a powerful computer
Due to the cutting-edge technology and tools photoshop is equipped with, you’ll need to own a PC or Mac capable enough to run the program. This can then be expensive having to buy a high-quality machine, let alone the cost of the software.
Photoshop is expensive
It is no surprise that owning the licence to use photoshop comes with a price. Whether you want the whole Adobe Creative Suite or just Photoshop, it will be a large chunk of your budget unlike GIMP, which is free.
Photoshop can be hard to learn
Because of the wide variety of tools available that can be used in such an advanced way, it can take a lot of time and patience to learn the basics. If you find yourself struggling to learn, take a look at these 30 amazing Adobe Photoshop tutorials for beginners.
Gimp vs Photoshop: Which one is better?
Gimp vs Photoshop: Which one is better?Since we have run through the features, advantages and disadvantages of using GIMP and Photoshop, it’s time to compare both to see which one is better.
Just a reminder, GIMP is free and open-source while Photoshop can be a strain on your budget. You do however get what you pay for with the number of tools available for Photshop. GIMP is more suited towards beginners with its easy-to-use and customisable interface, whilst Photoshop requires more time and energy invested to learn.
They both offer a variety of different plugins and templates for graphic designers, but if you are working on a large professional project, Photoshop is more well-equipped. This does mean extra money needs to be invested in a computer powerful enough to run it, mind you!
If you are interested in joining GIMP’s large open-source community, you’ll have the opportunity to adjust and adapt the code in the software if you know how. You do not get this with Adobe Photoshop, but it is frequently developed and updated with a simple click of a button.
Conclusion
The design industry has an overcrowded market with lots of different types of software available for graphic designers, which can make it difficult to choose which one to use. In this article we’ve compared GIMP vs Photoshop in 2023, so knowing what you know, it’s time to choose which is best for you.
The answer is this…it really depends on what you are using it for.
GIMP is a well-rounded design software if you are a beginner without a high budget. It is celebrated for its user-friendly and easy-to-learn tools and interface, and it is free!
Photoshop on the other hand is a must-have software for professionals as it is the industry standard with many advanced tools at your fingertips.
If you really want to take your graphic design seriously, it really is worth it to invest the time and money into Photoshop. But if you want to learn the fundamentals of design without breaking the bank then give GIMP a try!
If you want to learn how to use Photoshop, check out BCE’s Graphic Design course, or you can experiment with digital art through our course.
