Photoshop Vs. Gimp - the Texture Battle

Carrie Lowe
For many people the task of creating a texture can be a complete disaster. The overall time, effort and work that is required in order to really create the texture that you have envisioned in your head likely is much more complicated than you have ever imagined. Working to create your own textures might be the best solution if you are looking for something that is extremely unique, however it can also be much more expensive if there is a suitable texture that already exists.

Many people argue that Gimp is the best program around to use for textures simply because it offers a wide range of tools that can be used. The biggest benefit that Gimp offers though is the price. While many other powerful graphics tools cost several hundreds of dollars, Gimp is offered as a free open source option for people to choose from.

Those who prefer Photoshop, which is another highly powerful graphics tool, argue that it is far superior due to the increased amount of tools that are readily accessible to use in order to manipulate the images to the exact manner that you desire. The price tag that Photoshop commands though prohibits many people who would prefer it from actually using it though, which can quickly and easily shut the door on your hopes of using Photoshop.

If you are working with a very limited budget, your best option is to typically consider the benefit that Gimp can offer you. Trying to save up the money to buy Photoshop immediately might not even be necessary if you find that you prefer the easy user format that Gimp can offer. However, trying to create just the perfect texture, regardless of the software that you use is not always simple. The amount of skill that is needed in order to produce a good quality texture is almost as important, if not more important than the need to have a really good graphics program to work with.

Proper care and special attention paid to the software that you use can help you to quickly and easily start creating your own textures. Just be very careful to consider both pieces of software and the full list of features before you dash out and purchase software that you might not actually need to purchase. Just keep in mind that any software decisions you make can have a huge impact on your budget and the final results.

Published by Carrie Lowe

Freelance writer and graphics artist.  View profile

1 Comments

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  • Mr.Me7/4/2010

    For people preferring Gimp because of its low being free, they should also check out MaPZone, http://www.mapzoneeditor.com/. It's also free, and has the ability to create photorealistic textures from scratch. Combining this with Gimp is actually a smart idea.

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