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GI Protip #2: Image Tools
Stop right there. You know that copy of Photoshop you’ve got in your Torrent folder is not legal right? Most of the computer users out there think they need Photoshop. Not so much. While Adobe’s flagship product is undeniably amazing, many users can achieve what they want for cheap or free. So save that $700 or possible lawsuit and read on to find a better, easier way.
Things like hero images, avatars and blog posts are pretty cool here on gameinformer.com, but how do you get there? That’s a question I hear very often both by email and through the forums. Below is a list of tools that are either free or cheap and they all are very powerful.
Gimp
Free – Windows, Mac, Linux
Ahh Gimp. The most popular on the list, this open-source alternative is a great tool with a ton of community support. While the interface can take a bit to get used to, it’s worth it. The best part is that it’s available for pretty much every computer on the planet. If you’re looking for something more on the hardcore spectrum, take a look at Gimp.
Pixelmator
$59 – Mac
Another app for the hardcore, this Mac exclusive may cost money, but its worth it. Pixelmator has pretty much every major tool that Photoshop has. The program also features a super sleek design interface, something designers will appreciate.
Paint.NET
Free – Windows
The nerd’s editor. Paint.NET is a favorite among programmers for its fast startup time, very low resource usage and versatility. The layer system is really handy and Windows users will find that it does much more that the apps that come built into your computer.
Photoshop.com
Free – Browser
It’s pretty obvious that Adobe created Photoshop.com to try and curb the high level of piracy that they battle daily, but it doesn’t mean it’s not a great tool. In fact, it may be my favorite on the list because it’s browser-based. Users can login and pull photos from Facebook, Flickr and more. There’s also a generous amount of storage space given for free to each user. There’s also an iPhone app.
Picnik
Free – Browser
Picnik is basically an alternative to Photoshop.com and also features a great toolset and pulls photos from a ton of social networking sites. This is also the editor that Flickr uses for their users.
That’s All? Nay.
Here are some sizes that may be helpful to get your page and posts looking really awesome.
Profile Hero Image: 940px x 324px
Profile Avatar: 128px x 128px
Blog Post Images Width: 610px (Hint: For perfect 16:9, use 610px x 343px)
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