Is Gimp As Good As Photoshop?
The short answer is – NO.
Simply because Photoshop has been, is and will be the number one photo editing software for the foreseeable future. It’s functionalities are far superior to any other photo editing software.
Adobe is too huge a company (almost $17 billion in revenue in 2022) and there is no way any of its competitors will find a way to match the resources Adobe has.
Especially, in the Generative AI era, the resources required to compete are even amplified and Adobe has already dominated this area in a short of time with amazing tools like Generative Fill.
But there is a long answer too.
Which is that depending on YOUR circumstances, GIMP can be as good as Photoshop or even better FOR YOU!!
The circumstance I am referring to has got to do with your ability to pay.
Ever since Photoshop started to require a monthly subscription, many people looked for other alternatives.
That’s where GIMP comes into play.
It’s FREE!!
Yes, the interface may not look as sexy as Photoshop, but …..It’s FREE!!!!
And as a budding professional photographer, having at least one overhead chalked off permanently from your income statement is a huge deal, since it is bound to make you more relaxed about your photography endeavors.
And of course for hobbyist photographers, it’s important too, since they would anyway not be able to recover the expenses involved with an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.
But apart from GIMP being free, it also has some other benefits:
It’s not cloud based
Unlike some other free Photoshop alternatives, you don’t need to be online to use GIMP. It’s one of those software where you download it and use it on your computer. Cloud-based editing software, like Photopea, can sometimes result in lagging.
It’s as deep as Photoshop
GIMP is not a superficial software that offers just a few editing tools. It can go as deep as Photoshop when it comes to tools and functionalities that it offers. In fact, it can pretty much do everything that Photoshop can do.
It has stood the test of time
The Windows version of GIMP was released in 1997. Being a free software and surviving in such a competitive market is a testament to the quality that GIMP can offer.
It’s available for all Operating Systems
A lot of free alternatives to Photoshop are only available for one particular OS like Windows or Mac. But GIMP is available for all.
Easily integrates with Third Party plugins
Even if GIMP lacks in certain things, it’s versatility in being able to integrate with third party plugins usually solves those issues. For instance, GIMP on its own can’t open RAW files, but there are plenty of plugins available which can be used with GIMP to do so.
A strong community behind it
GIMP has a very large following, which means there are plenty of YouTube tutorials, troubleshoot content, forum discussions, etc, that can be found with a simple search. So if you ever find yourself stuck while using GIMP, you can always find a solution online.
So there you go. The answer is – GIMP may or may not be as good as Photoshop, depending on your unique circumstances.
I am currently in the process of creating a crash course on using GIMP for photo editing.
When I release this course, you will be able to see it here.
