What's different?

http://gimp.org/downloads/]Download

A screenshot of my doing some raster modifications of a vector file I had made in inkscape using fullscreen mode and the xneat window manager (excellent free program for XP and Vista) for keeping the toolbar "always on top" and transparent.

I shall have to inform my artist of this. She tries so hard to keep up with new releases of the GIMP. She's gonna love this....

im downloading it right now...is it true its a "poor man's photoshop" like ive been told?

Yes and no, NickGuy. It does a heck of a lot for free, and can make some dang impressive stuff, but it can't do everything PS can, and a lot of people find it hard to learn.

My artist and I use it for coloring our comics, and she uses it for a lot of her regular artwork. She's learned it over the course of a year through trial and error, and I must say she isn't bad. It won't magically turn all your work into a masterpiece, but it can add a lot.

It also works pretty good for photos as well. My father works with a lot of pictures, and recently he did up a whole mess of photos for the local High School's yearbook.

So, really, it depends on how far you're willing to go to learn it, and what you want to do with it.

i see...ive got it open now and im looking for some tutorials on it...is it any good for lettering? is it fast and easy? basically what im looking to do is letter my comics, but in a way thats faster than hand lettering. If i have to waste more than a half hour lettering a page the computer way id rather hand letter.

Hmm, you might want to hand-letter then. :P

Sorry, but my artist is still working out how to do easy word bubbles. We can do them, and they look good, but it'll take a bit of effort. I find I spend at least half-an-hour, if not more, lettering my comic. More usually because I'm making an effort to learn and do it better.

Plus, I've looked at one of your comics (Kung Fu Komix) and I think you might have a tough time finding a font that complements your art. You don't want something that seems glaringly out of place. You don't want something obviously computer-generated marring your hand-drawn art.

Yeah, Im also not a fan of computer lettering, I find that the hand letters are so "wrong" its right....i dont think ill do the computer lettering...besides, google gave me no decent results.

Is coloring on gimp like on photoshop?

I wouldn't know first-hand. I've only ever used GIMP, and not PS, but I doubt it would be very dissimilar. If you have a basic grasp of layers, you should be good to go.

If you want any in-depth advice on the program, just PQ me and I'll see if I can't find my artist to lend a hand. As one example of what she has colored digitally, check this out here on DA. All coloring, shading, and the snow were done entirely in the GIMP, using basic techniques, nothing very drastic or tough.

But like I said before, if you want to really get into the GIMP, you're going to have to be willing to do a little experimentation on your own as well as following advice and tips.