Graphics Software
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Image Editors and Graphics Software
Choosing Graphics Software
Sometimes graphics software chooses you! While trying out some software which you have downloaded or which you have read about, you just fall in love with it.
If you can, you buy it.
In order to build a website, you are going to have to be able to use graphics software at some time or other. Even if it is just to resize a picture.
More likely however, is that you will need to compress your images in order to allow fast downloading of a web page because no matter how good the page, if it doesn't download in about 10 seconds, it is unlikely anyone will wait to see it.
Graphics Software
Adobe
Adobe produce a huge range of products but when it comes to graphics software but perhaps the most well known is Photoshop. Considered the industry standard in graphics software, Photoshop is the benchmark all other products have to meet. Being the best, it does not come cheap.
Macromedia
Macromedia, once an independent company beloved by industry professionals, was bought over by Adobe in 2005. They used to produce a vast array of different products under the Macromedia name but Adobe has almost entirely phased it out in preference of the Adobe name.
Graphics software such as Illustrator and Fireworks are the main graphics and photo editing software packages available. Widely used among Pro designers, these graphics programs deliver top quality results and this is reflected in the prices too; they don't come cheap!
To fill the gap between low-priced graphics editors and Photoshop, Adobe released the low priced and commendable Photoshop Elements, mainly in direct competition to the widely praised PaintShop Pro.
Jasc (now Corel)
Jasc was bought over by Corel in 2004 and while Corel still produces PaintShop Pro, it is in keeping with their own range of graphics programmes.
PaintShop Pro is the low priced answer to Photoshop.
Although only a fraction of the price of the Adobe product, PaintShop Pro delivers a huge range of features (including an extremely useful screen-capture utility) and has won praise from all corners for it's low price vs quality results. Highly recommended!
Worthy of a mention
Gimp is a very capable open source graphics program that has features similar to Photoshop.
Worth a mention is IrfanView, which is a free to use, basic graphics program.
Next: What NOT to do when Building a Website
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