Encountered an interesting article recently:
"If someone is doodling for fun, why doodle with Photoshop? it's like learning to drive in a Ferrari?" - Granted, but if you have any intention of going pro, why waste time learning an application with a completely different layout than Photoshop's? Your time is better invested in skill and technique, not memorizing where various buttons are, and it will hurt you if you find an opening for a job that uses Adobe...but don't know Adobe. Or to use the quote's style, why learn to drive a Pinto if you're going to be driving Ferraris? But it sounds pretty irrelevant to compare autos with a medium that you can't crash into a maple tree.
As far as morals are concerned, once you decide to sell your first work, you should buy the software. Most of the pricing is for production licensing anyhow.
I can counter some of the anti-pirating stuff. If you're an art student, $600 for Photoshop, or exponentially more if your classes use any of the other Adobe programs is tantamount to usury, and with something as easy to steal as software, pirating is a resonable response from the public. If you're an 'official' art student, even the reduced pricing is nasty. You could argue that it's possible to stay in after class to use their computers, but it isn't always so. First, the room might be shared with another class, and second, security won't usually (at all, in my experience) let you stay and work after closing hours.http://kalaalog.com/2007/07/19/top-3-re … photoshop/
As a response to the No More Photoshop - Use GIMP, in the comment section and also through other mediums, I think I can sum up the top three reasons why Photoshop is pirated.
1)a There are features in Photoshop that are not available in Open Source alternatives. Adobe has invested a lot of research and filled features into its products that make life much easier to do many tasks for the professionals in the field. Open Source alternatives like GIMP lack built in features like CMYK support (which is quite important for print) or more basic things like grouping layers.
2)a Adobe has priced Photoshop too high - it is impossible to use it for hobbyists. Shelling out a $600 on Adobe Photoshop is far away from being thrift when the use is for minor touch ups of photos or creating banners for use in forums and other social websites. If they had priced it lower, many would have considered buying it and using it legally.
3)a Who cares if it is piracy? After all, Adobe can not come after each and every one of us for running priated version of Photoshop on our PCs. Running legal versions of software is something corporations and companies need to worry about.
In spite of these reasons, I am going to stand by my word. I do not condone pirating software - be it Photoshop or something else. I will try to give my views on each of these ‘justifications’ for using pirated Photoshop.
1)b It is true that Photoshop has features that is not present in another Open Source software. But most of the features can be found in a number of softwares put together. You might not be able to get all features - but you sure can get the features that is really necessary. For example, CMYK support can be got into GIMP by using a plugin. If you need to use a lot of vectors in an artwork - move it over to Inkscape. If you need to do digital painting - ArtRage should be sufficient for most of the work.
2)b Adobe has put a rather heavy price tag on Photoshop. But that does not mean it is legal for us to pirate the software. There are many things that are costly and getting them with out paying for them is considered stealing. And if you are just using it for honing your skills or doodling, why do you need Photoshop. As a member of one of the forums I frequent, (Kyle) said:
If someone is doodling for fun, why doodle with Photoshop? Its like learning to drive in a Ferrari?
3)b There is no real arguing with this. It is just ones conscience that can answer that. I can not create an artwork with a pirated software and display it as my creation.
Use the software you can afford - open source or other wise and improve your skills. Once you get ‘pro’, you can afford Photoshop. Priacy is not the way to go.
"If someone is doodling for fun, why doodle with Photoshop? it's like learning to drive in a Ferrari?" - Granted, but if you have any intention of going pro, why waste time learning an application with a completely different layout than Photoshop's? Your time is better invested in skill and technique, not memorizing where various buttons are, and it will hurt you if you find an opening for a job that uses Adobe...but don't know Adobe. Or to use the quote's style, why learn to drive a Pinto if you're going to be driving Ferraris? But it sounds pretty irrelevant to compare autos with a medium that you can't crash into a maple tree.
As far as morals are concerned, once you decide to sell your first work, you should buy the software. Most of the pricing is for production licensing anyhow.
