Well, I thought it was about time to start up a new topic in here.

So basically. Which program do you use for making your graphics and other related art? Do you only use one program, or do you use multiple programs, and if so, why?

Do you also have a special preference for a program, and why did you choose that program?

Also, do you only use such programs for making graphics, like avatars and signature, or do you also use it for making other pieces of art. Like colouring your drawings.

I mainly use Adobe Photoshop 7.0 and Microsoft Paint. I don't know every single feature of PS7 yet (even though I've had it for nearly a year now) so I enhance siggies with a border in that program. And, Paint is amazing, as hard as that is to believe. :P I guess I chose to get Photoshop because it was a popular thing at the time and still is. It was scary at first but it's really not that bad. I use it for a number of things from coloring manga to sig/avy making. B:

My dad won't pay the moolah for photoshop, so I got the next best free, legal thing. The GIMP version 2.2.

And yes, paint IS amazing.

For nice pixely signatures, I use Paint
For the complex signatures with blends and textures and stuff, I use Photoshop 6.0 and Paint Shop Pro 6.0 ...but the 7th version of these are better, I think. Photoshop also have more functions than Paint Shop Pro, so I also use it to color my "artwork"~~ :yes:

I use PSP X and occasionally Animation Shop 3, both programs work great and are relatively inexpensive ^_^

Mmmmm Photoshop CS2 is my hero. That's how I make my money, so I kinda love it. It's quite useful for enhancing photos, giving your art that nice glossy look, or putting Bush's head on Darth Vader.

Because I'm close to broke after saving for a digital camera, I am still stuck with the two prgrams that I've always had -- MS Paint and a program called Corel Art Dabbler.

MS Paint is a great program if you want to shrink images and add some basic text, but you can't do any special effects in it. I have made some basic blends in it with a lot of work involving going down to 800% zoom and changing the colors of pixels one by one. It takes a good hour, but it gets the job done. Neh. YOu all know all this stuff.

Art Dabbler is good for adding angled text and naking your graphics into custom shapes, but it tends to lower the color quality of your images and leave them slightly pixeled instead of looking smooth and of high quality. A tool involved in it can blend colors together, but it takes a lot of time to make it look just right. When you put the images together in paint first and line them up to where it will be the easiest, it doesn't take so much time. The downside is that I can't make the images colorized, or look blue, off-white, etc. I have to leave them in the colors that they came in. Which kind of sucks.

I'm hoping to invest in Paint Shop Pro once I can get the money for it. But until then..that's what I've got to play with.

So yea I finally got Photoshop 7.0 and am a total spaz so far. I can do simple things like loop things and get rid of backgrounds. I'm better with actual photos because I can burn and dodge things, but with making sigs and buttons I just cant grasp it. So yea, I like it, but I'm not great at it.

My suggestion would be to find some tutorials on how to do different techniques if you haven't done so already. Your best bets would be to go to places like deviantART.com, or to just do a google search on it. There are plenty of private sites that have tutorials. Sites that create website layouts also may have some good tutorials.

I never fully understood photoshop when I downloaded the trial version of it. =\ I prefer Paint Shop Pro to it, even if it doesn't have as many features as Photoshop. Its also about a fifth of the priice that Photoshop is. xD And its less work on my poor brain.

I use Photoshop CS2 and ImageReady CS <3 they rock. I also SOMETIMES use paint for the more pixely siggies and stuff XD But I really couldn't live without my photoshop XD The Imageready I can use to make blinkies as well XD

Call me a looser who's behind in technology but I use Paint for everything. Actually, I made my siggy as shown below in Paint! I don't care how few people use it, I like it. If i need to change colors of something, then I'll go in an use Irfanview for that, but otherwise its paint.

I am a traditional artist, so far. I need a decent graphics program and Im waiting to get a drawing tablet until i move onto graphic stuff.

But even so often I play around with it... :P

I use Photoshop 7 and Image Ready, but when I'm on my laptop (Which is rarely, I hate that thing :irritated:) PaintShopPro X. But I perfer PS7 over PSP because it makes life a whole lot easier! :yes:

I use PSP 8, but I also use plain ol' Paint a lot and Irfanview as well. I'm sure I could probably do everything on PSP 8, but I'm too lazy to really figure everything out about it. I use it mainly for brushes and the other cool effects. =] I had PSP X for a trial, but I didn't really like it much, so I came back to PSP 8.

You didn't really like PSP X? I thought you were all jealous of me because I bought it?

I, obviously, use PSP X, although my graphics aren't anything to brag about.

Oh, Tamar, don't get me wrong, it's a lovely program, but for what I do, it's got too many features. Heh, I know that's sort of odd, saying too many features, but I felt somewhat intimidated whenever I used it. I guess I've used MS Paint way too long and now I just like things that're a bit more simple.

I can't get my scaner too work i have too ask my mom or dad too buy a new one and i had a funny drawing to show ><

I've had Photoshop 6.0 since I started making graphics a year and a half ago. I just recently (about two months ago) got Photoshop CS2. Although I've found that it freezes sometimes and doesn't really like my computer (I think my laptop needs more RAM or something) I love that I can import all of the brushes that weren't compatible with 6.0 and the added blending options.

I used to use Photoshop, but Windows got messed up so I started using The GIMP.

I use Photoshop 7.0 and Imageready. I don't know what i'll do with out it rreally. :lol:

PS 7, and CS2. I prefer using PS 7 though, 'cause that's where I've loaded all my brushes and stuffs. It's on my laptop, whereas CS 2 is on the family computer. I'm just too lazy to transfer them :D

I only use Photoshop CS2. I've tried GIMP...and failed. Yep. XD I only use on program because my peanut sized brain can't handle more than one. ^_^ And, well, I never felt the need to get any others.

I used to use it all the time to try and make my rping graphics, and I use it for other online stuff I'm a part of too. Although when I upgraded from CS to CS2 I lost all my brushes...I don't use it that often anymore.

I use Paint for everything. I've made banners, sigs (I think XD) and a single avatar in Paint. I can't wait till' I get PhotoShop though. Then I won't have to rely on others whenever I need an awesome banner made! I mainly use Paint for image altering, like pictures I liked on the internet. It just takes too long to do it for drawn images. O_o

I use Photoshop CS and my left hand for drawing. Art art art, rawr! XD

I used PSP7 and PhotoFiltre for everything. I've been told to try The GIMP, but it took me two years to figure out PSP so I'm not that optimistic. XD

PS 7. It's not exactly the best program in the world, but It'll do.

I use the GIMP, because my parents won't pay for Photoshop >.<

Although I went to my friend's house one day and tried it out and got so confused. GIMP had the same features, but the usual hotkeys that I had didn't work and I couldn't figure out how to do some special effects on PS7 that I had on GIMP.

So, although GIMP isn't the best program, I love it =D

I looked Photoshop CS on the internet and it said it was like $200+ so i was like 'Nah...' Is PhotoShop 6.0/7.0 any cheaper?

At the moment all i use is Paint, Animation Shop 3, and a nifty (but not very good program) called Microsoft Picture it! It appeared on my computer so I used it...

I'm thinking about convincing my dad to let me download something called Draw Plus. It's free and seems pretty good, but i shall see.