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Post by grammadee on Apr 15, 2021 15:19:01 GMT
My dd just bought a new computer b/c her old one was crapping out on her. She is working on preparing for a PhD comp exam on Arts Based Methods. She wants to create some digital collages to represent layered concepts and ideas. She would like to use colour, design, size, repetition, and texture to express relationships among actions and consequences and...
She asked me if PhotoShop would be the best place to start, or are there better programs for this? She used to do artwork with Paint and layers with Photoshop years ago, but has not done much of this in the last ten years or so. I said I would ask the Peas. HELP!
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Post by justjac on Apr 15, 2021 15:41:43 GMT
I am far from an expert, but if I was going to try that I would use my Photoshop Elements. I assume the subscription Photoshop would be even better. (It's $9.99 a month in USD.) Another program that some online friends like is Canva. There is a free version and a pro version of it. I've been told it's more intuitive than Photoshop, but since I already knew Photoshop it didn't seem that way to me! |
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Post by babylou on Apr 15, 2021 17:02:05 GMT
I know very little about this kind of stuff, but my husband would probably recommend Adobe Illustrator over Photoshop.
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jediannie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,081
Jun 30, 2014 3:19:06 GMT
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Post by jediannie on Apr 15, 2021 17:24:04 GMT
I've heard decent things about Canva. If she's getting a Mac, there's a program called Pixelmator Pro that also has decent reviews.
Otherwise, Adobe products are always solid.
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Post by wendifful on Apr 15, 2021 17:38:59 GMT
Adobe products are great but with a few exceptions (like buying Photoshop Elements), are only available as a subscription now, so it can get expensive. (I say this as someone with a subscription!) So, it totally depends on how many features she needs and how often she'll use it. Since it doesn't sound like she's trying to be a professional graphic designer, I think she'd be just as well served by some of the free options out there. I'm going to insert a picture from a Reddit thread that has a great guide to free/single payment Adobe alternatives. I haven't used any of them personally but I know a lot of people find they work well.  |
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Post by joblackford on Apr 15, 2021 17:53:59 GMT
Adobe products have a pretty steep learning curve. PSElements takes a bit of learning, although there are focused tutorials - you don't have to (and probably couldn't) learn everything it can do. It would be a lot more than she probably needs, but it's something you can find other uses for once you have it. Full PS is what you get with the subscription and it's more powerful in ways I don't really need, but I've gotten used to it. Illustrator wasn't something I could figure out from several years of experience with PSE and PS - I played around thinking I could intuit some of how to use it, but no, I would've had to take a class to do anything with it.
Canva might meet her needs. I know Kristin (rukristin) from Awesome Ladies Project uses that for all her digi needs doing her daily pages and the like. I would try to find a free solution and stretch it to its limits rather than get the bloat that is anything from Adobe (unless she can get her work done using a free trial).
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Post by oldgardengirl on Apr 15, 2021 23:22:51 GMT
My dd just bought a new computer b/c her old one was crapping out on her. She is working on preparing for a PhD comp exam on Arts Based Methods. She wants to create some digital collages to represent layered concepts and ideas. She would like to use colour, design, size, repetition, and texture to express relationships among actions and consequences and...
She asked me if PhotoShop would be the best place to start, or are there better programs for this? She used to do artwork with Paint and layers with Photoshop years ago, but has not done much of this in the last ten years or so. I said I would ask the Peas. HELP!
I recommend that she check with her university to see what software she can get for free or reduced cost. I am a professor at a state university, and students and faculty at our university are able to use all the Adobe software at no cost. I know that not every school is like that, but it's worth looking into. They may also have access to tutorial content too, like linkedin learning, where she could pick up a quick course in photoshop or illustrator to get her off to a good start. |
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Post by hop2 on Apr 15, 2021 23:45:44 GMT
I am far from an expert, but if I was going to try that I would use my Photoshop Elements. I assume the subscription Photoshop would be even better. (It's $9.99 a month in USD.) Another program that some online friends like is Canva. There is a free version and a pro version of it. I've been told it's more intuitive than Photoshop, but since I already knew Photoshop it didn't seem that way to me! Canva isn’t intuitive to me either ( although I use it because I’m too cheap to subscribe to Adobe ) |
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Post by claire on Apr 16, 2021 19:44:49 GMT
If Adobe’s programs are too costly, she could also look into Affinity. I am in the process of ending my Photoshop subscription and switching to Affinity Photo. Affinity offers for a limited time 50% off of their programs Photo, Publisher and Designer. There are more and more graphic designers switching to Affinity, because of the subscription-based use of Adobe programs. |
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Post by grammadee on Apr 16, 2021 19:55:19 GMT
My dd just bought a new computer b/c her old one was crapping out on her. She is working on preparing for a PhD comp exam on Arts Based Methods. She wants to create some digital collages to represent layered concepts and ideas. She would like to use colour, design, size, repetition, and texture to express relationships among actions and consequences and...
She asked me if PhotoShop would be the best place to start, or are there better programs for this? She used to do artwork with Paint and layers with Photoshop years ago, but has not done much of this in the last ten years or so. I said I would ask the Peas. HELP!
I recommend that she check with her university to see what software she can get for free or reduced cost. I am a professor at a state university, and students and faculty at our university are able to use all the Adobe software at no cost. I know that not every school is like that, but it's worth looking into. They may also have access to tutorial content too, like linkedin learning, where she could pick up a quick course in photoshop or illustrator to get her off to a good start. She investigated options through her U. The most inexpensive option was half price on a Corell. Paint shop? |
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Post by katlady on Apr 16, 2021 20:22:44 GMT
If Adobe’s programs are too costly, she could also look into Affinity. I am in the process of ending my Photoshop subscription and switching to Affinity Photo. Affinity offers for a limited time 50% off of their programs Photo, Publisher and Designer. There are more and more graphic designers switching to Affinity, because of the subscription-based use of Adobe programs. Yes, I've bought Affinity Photo and Designer to replace Adobe when my annual subscription expires this summer. I got Affinity at the 50% off price so it was a good deal to me. Is your daughter going to need a program after her project is over? I think you can rent Photoshop for $9.99/month if she only needs it for a short time. |
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Post by Embri on Apr 16, 2021 20:53:11 GMT
Do NOT buy an Adobe product / subscription. They're vultures, who overcharge for their buggy, barely updated software with invasive DRM. I had a legally purchased copy of CS5 that stopped working because I had to get a new computer and couldn't uninstall it on the old one, which died from sudden catastrophic GPU failure. They've gotten thousands and thousands of dollars from our family over the years, but never again. They have some of the most anti-consumer policies out there. If you try and cancel your Adobe subscription you can end up paying an extra 50% of the year's cost as a cancellation fee. This little turd of a clause is buried in the agreement. And which subscriptions are truly month-to-month vs. a year of commitment are not easy to distinguish. Pick literally anything else. Affinity Photo (one time $) or Krita (free!) is a great place to start. For layout / graphic design, try Inkscape (free!). Or pirate Photoshop, if you really must have Adobe's crap. But don't pay for it.
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Post by oldgardengirl on Apr 17, 2021 4:52:49 GMT
I recommend that she check with her university to see what software she can get for free or reduced cost. I am a professor at a state university, and students and faculty at our university are able to use all the Adobe software at no cost. I know that not every school is like that, but it's worth looking into. They may also have access to tutorial content too, like linkedin learning, where she could pick up a quick course in photoshop or illustrator to get her off to a good start. She investigated options through her U. The most inexpensive option was half price on a Corell. Paint shop? I haven’t used Corel paint in a loooong time, but it might be fine. Photoshop Elements might be a good choice. It isn’t a subscription and might be worth the investment if this is a long term project. Now that I think about it, if she’s just making collages, Google Slides might work and it’s free. She only needs a graphic manipulation tool if she’s creating the graphics or editing them. If the graphics already exist, she can just import/paste into a slide and save it as a pdf. |
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Post by grammadee on Apr 17, 2021 15:02:18 GMT
Thanks, oldgardengirl. Google Slides might be something she will find helpful. I am not sure how long she will need the capability for doing assigned projects, but she seems really motivated by arts based methods, and already thinking about how they could be used in gathering and interpreting her research. She is a good academic writer, but often feels stilted by having to discuss ideas only in writing. She believes that layering images and colours and textures along with thoughts and quotes would be more effective in portraying interrelationships among theories and experiences in practice, and interaction of actions and effects between practitioners and clients. I think she may get the Corel program just because of her experiences years ago on Corel Paint, just playing with it on my computer. |
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nicolep
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,197 
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Post by nicolep on Apr 17, 2021 15:38:48 GMT
I have been a PSE user since 2005 and I still love it!
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