NRR: what's the best photo editor / ad-maker / graphic design tool?

actually, i misread your post.

perhaps see if you can find/download Adobe Photoshop (could be just version 7) off the Internet. Get some practice with the tools and making layers and you'll be able to make professional looking logos and everything!

Why don't you recommend the Gimp since it is legal to download???

Anyway, the best will be Adobe products, though there are some other very, very capable programs around. Gimp will allow you to import and incorporate many different photos and graphics, as well as create them from scratch. Inkscape, also freely available, is very good for illustrations.

Sometimes it may be useful to see what the Linux community is up to and what they are using. Most of the open source and fee apps that are popular among them are also available for Windows, which I'm assuming you use. I use Linux myself.

lskdmf wrote:

you'll be able to make professional looking logos and everything!

Yes. Just like any Joe can be a professional elite runner if they buy (or steal) a good quality pair running shoes.

But seriously, Adobe makes great products. You should buy their stuff instead of sneaking around downloading shit. You've own a business for god sakes.

Photoshop is the cat's meow. More specifically for webwork, you can get Fireworks (another Adode product) geared specifically for work with optimized graphics, i.e., images meant to be transferred quickly and easily.

As others have suggested, you should get the Adobe package. As far as which program to use, each of the Adobe programs really has its own purpose. Between InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, you'll be able to do everything you want to do.

thanks for the advice fellows.

I currently work from a Mac laptop if that makes a difference.

Im not opposed to buying (not illegally downloading) the suite of Adobe products mentioned (Indesign, Illustrator, photoshop), but is there no online/free programs that could do the trick?

It seems like in this day there would be a web-based program to combine two photographs, and put text and your logo over the top. Picnik is great for working with single photos, but seems unable to layer an additional photo or logo.

thanks again, much appreciated!

There's a reason Photoshop and Illustrator are industry standards, and that's because they're the best, hands down.

GIMP is a free alternative to Photoshop with 80% of its core functionality (and easily powerful enough to do what you'd like to do), but the learning curve is fairly steep. Download it, download some tutorials, and you'll be able to achieve what you wanted to - will probably take you a week or two, though.

For Ad Creation you probably want illustrator, so you can make vector images. You need a pretty high resolution for print if you are going to use Photoshop (150+ DPI) so it is convenient to just make vectors and you can scale them up indefinitely.

I know Adobe used to offer 30 day free trials on all their products, I don't know if they still do but if you want to make a couple of ads 30 days is more than long enough.