Photoshop.

[ChaoSynergy]

I use Photoshop Elements 3.0 and have never had a problem like this before.  Seems like there have been enough people having this issue though, so there's bound to be a solution someone has found on the internet somewhere.

[Darkmoon]

A shame it didn't cost six hundred dollars.

Oh wait.

It's worth every penny, jackass.

[Damaris]

I have the GIMP at work, as the library I work for doesn't want to spend the $540 or so for Photoshop.

I HATE the GIMP.  I can't make it do anything, and if my computer goes to screensaver, it locks up and dies.  I take most of my projects home and work on them there.

Knowing Amber and Darkmoon's usage style, my big guess would be that it has something to do with the selection tools- both of them use those quite a bit.

[Netami]

A shame it didn't cost six hundred dollars.

Oh wait.

It's worth every penny, jackass.

You... actually bought Photoshop? You actually PURCHASED the program? Er... Well so did I. And all of my friends, and all of the people I know that even associate themselves with photoshop. We all obtained it legally, heh.

[DigitalMan]

Solution: go open source. Use GIMP.   

Or you could use a DECENT program.

If that's your whole suggestion, then get the hell out of the topic.

Thank you! So glad an admin said it.

I don't know if anything's changed, but last I tried GIMP it seemed so disorganized. I couldn't use it at all. Plus, I actually use some of the bells and whistles in PShop.

Alright, so we know it's not the processor type, because Photoshop has worked perfectly on AMD's, Celerons, and Pentiums (both 32- and 64-bit). And further web searching revealed that it can happen in illegal versions just the same. Some people are just unlucky.

But something just occured to me. You guys with the legal versions, you have something sacred. You get to contact Adobe and request help personally. I'm not sure how good their service is, but it's definitely worth a shot, as long as you can describe the problem well. It might even get them to fix the problem in future versions, too.

There are so many programs I wish I had legally for that reason...

[Darkmoon]

A shame it didn't cost six hundred dollars.

Oh wait.

It's worth every penny, jackass.

You... actually bought Photoshop? You actually PURCHASED the program? Er... Well so did I. And all of my friends, and all of the people I know that even associate themselves with photoshop. We all obtained it legally, heh.

If you're going to use Photoshop for any length of time (especially for business) you HAVE to purchase it. That's all there is to it.

[Netami]

What for? The support? I mean, there's online guides and forums for that kind of thing.

[DigitalMan]

What for? The support? I mean, there's online guides and forums for that kind of thing.

Um... morality? My excuse is that I don't use Photoshop or any of my pirated software to make money. As soon as that changes, you can bet your ass I'll be getting legal software starting with Photoshop. For now, I use the programs to learn, so that I can get to the point where I use them to make money. Like special educational versions, without the watermark or whatever.

As for the support... those people will probably be begging me to go back to my pirated copies and leave them the hell alone

All-in-all, pirating software is wrong. I don't think it's as wrong as a lot of people make it out to be, but it is wrong. And companies should never do it, period. They can afford the software.

[Netami]

Dude, it's still an excuse... Until you lay down like six hundred for a license then you're not even morally superior on your own terms. The guys at Adobe aren't really going to care if you're making money or not, because they certainly aint.

[Darkmoon]

Morality of it, yes. You pay for it because you're using it. I do that for any software I use for any length of time.

Yes, that means that I've pirated software in the past. That's so I can get a feel for it, as DigitalMan said. Especially in the case of 600 bucks of software, I'm sure as hell going to see if I like it and feel that I NEED it before I plunk down my 6 large.

[Aridas]

Like I always say though, if you could never afford it in the first place, nobody's losing money >.>

[RJ]

Don't forget that buying it is more ethical in the long run so you can avoid getting in trouble/sued. It's just safer to do so if you're a business.

What I thought sucks most is that if you buy a student edition of a software, then technically you're not allowed to use it after you stop being a student and/or get into business. At least that's what we were told when I took Web Development and the issue came up with Dreamweaver.

[Darkmoon]

No. You're not supposed to. However, if you take a class here or there, technically you're still a student, and aren't violating any clauses... Of course, you're still not allowed to use it for business, but that's a different thing.

[Sid]

I'm still surprised that people here forked over 600$ for PS... what Adobe-only features do you need? O_o
Before there is confusion: I'm no fan of piracy myself. I just wouldn't have expected so many people here actually needing the over-the-top functions PS offers (as compared to GIMP, Elements, Photopaint, PSP, etc.).

But since so many here paid for it: Ask the support. Nobody here seems to have a good fix for it, from what I can see.

On the other hand, I honestly doubt that it's a Photoshop bug by now. It has reportedly happened across FOUR major Photoshop versions (but only to some users), so I think that it would have been fixed by now if it's a PS issue.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I have the GIMP at work, as the library I work for doesn't want to spend the $540 or so for Photoshop.

I HATE the GIMP.  I can't make it do anything, and if my computer goes to screensaver, it locks up and dies.  I take most of my projects home and work on them there.

*blink* really? Damn. That seems very unlikely (although I'm not saying it won't be right in your case)

Do you know which version of the gimp they're using? It may well be there's on an extremely old version, and haven't updated...

Alternatively, it may be the specific screensaver they're using. Could you let me know which one? I'll admit to mostly using the gimp on linux, where it gets updated more frequently, and is generally more stable, but your experience seems to me to be "someone screwed up the install in a big way" type thing, in which case we can see if we can fix it.

or at least stop you pulling your hair out when you're forced to use it. :-)

[RJ]

I got Photoshop Elements 2 free with my art tablet... 

[ShadesFox]

Do you know which version of the gimp they're using? It may well be there's on an extremely old version, and haven't updated...

Eh, I find that the usual problem is GTK+ for windows.  I've never been overly impressed with how it runs, with gimp or x-chat or gaim.

[Aridas]

I never liked GTK+

[GabrielsThoughts]

I HATE the GIMP.  I can't make it do anything, and if my computer goes to screensaver, it locks up and dies.  I take most of my projects home and work on them there.

Agreed, Mayb it's my lack of knowledge with how the product works. Somebody should publish a tutorial, or direct me to where I can find one.


I don't use photoshop enough for it to cause me any problems, I had to learn many of the hotkeys  to speed things up becuse using the mouse exclusively gets annoying.

[Sid]

If it's just a case of "I know Photoshop, but everything is different in GIMP", people might like to try Gimpshop. But that's about as off-topic as it should get, so I'll just shuddup now

[Jack McSlay]

from what I've played around, what actually could be done with more loving on Gimp is the horrible interface, why the heck does the 2nd mouse button opens a context menu? plain proggrammers usually don't have a decent clue about how to make a great interface. an even bigger atrocity is blender. Wings 3d is very good tho. besides, the plugin capabilites of gimp is far superior than PS or any other close-source paint prog, having the whole thing open source beats the crap of having

and did someone say dreamweaver?  I do advanced web stuff and I can guarantee it's a big piece of excrement. the load of crap it adds up keeps screwing up the functionality of the webpages and the visual design function becomes completely useless if you separate the pages in several files, which 90% of the professional web applications do. I know that's getting off-topic, but my suggestion is stay away. If you need a decent way to quickly make webpages, try NVU because it's not worthy paying U$400 for a legit copy of Dreamweaver and a lot of headaches.

btw I think nobody here is entitled to talk about piracy until they have a PC clean of MP3s and game roms. 

back on topic, it appears to be a motherboard issue. try shutting down processes  (Ctrl+Alt+Del and then processes tab) which relate to drivers which are related to the motherboard itself. or try even uninstalling them if they're not critical to the PC to work.

[Darkmoon]

(contemplates going into detail about his lack of piracy, but decides it'd derail the topic too much)

As for the rest of the discussion:

If you need a decent way to quickly make webpages

learn to code in notepad.

[Netami]

Sometimes threads just naturally change subjects, not unlike a real conversation. Besides, derailing the  "Hey the comic is late" topic?

I know so many people that swear GIMP is better, or that Photoshop is, or that PSP beats them both hands down. I know some people that use paint, or flash. I know people that spend thousands of dollars on Apple products and licenses so they can get the "true" experiences. I guess I am just lucky to have tastes that don't involve spending a ton of money, and I think you'd be amazed at what people can do with less.

As for the money I save on the big P, well, I donate it to a good cause. 

[Damaris]

Llearch- I have it installed on XP, and the screensaver is the default one with the microsoft logo.  I also have my workstation password protected, which could be part of it.  The file was the newest version when I installed it about a year ago.  I had the computer guy install it, as well.

My problem is the aforementioned locking, in addition to the fact that "delete" doesn't work, you have to "cut" instead.  The selection tools, imo are not as good, and I don't like the way it handles aliasing vs. antialiasing.  All in all, I just don't like the way it does things.  I find it annoying, even after playing with the preferences- and I don't even use Photoshop that much to be married to it.

[Darkmoon]

Sometimes threads just naturally change subjects, not unlike a real conversation. Besides, derailing the  "Hey the comic is late" topic?

I know so many people that swear GIMP is better, or that Photoshop is, or that PSP beats them both hands down. I know some people that use paint, or flash. I know people that spend thousands of dollars on Apple products and licenses so they can get the "true" experiences. I guess I am just lucky to have tastes that don't involve spending a ton of money, and I think you'd be amazed at what people can do with less.

As for the money I save on the big P, well, I donate it to a good cause. 

What they can do with less is not the same as having the tools you really need. It's simply making do.

[Netami]

There's more than one way to skin a cat. There's tons of people out there that create beautiful work with "less" and they're not just making do. It's how your skills evolve and what you get comfortable with. To say that everyone not using photoshop would become better if they DID use photoshop is just bias. I'll agree that digitally inking, or just tableting in your drawings is the way of the future, I just think that a 600 program isn't mandatory. Most people wouldn't even appreciate half the stuff they put in photoshop; pearls before swine I'm sure.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Llearch- I have it installed on XP, and the screensaver is the default one with the microsoft logo.  I also have my workstation password protected, which could be part of it.  The file was the newest version when I installed it about a year ago.  I had the computer guy install it, as well.

Ah. As has been noted elsewhere, OS code changes fast. You may find updating it worthwhile. Or not, considering the -rest- of your post :-)

My problem is the aforementioned locking, in addition to the fact that "delete" doesn't work, you have to "cut" instead.  The selection tools, imo are not as good, and I don't like the way it handles aliasing vs. antialiasing.  All in all, I just don't like the way it does things.  I find it annoying, even after playing with the preferences- and I don't even use Photoshop that much to be married to it.

Which is fair enough. All of those are just "the way it does stuff" and you get the same sort of issues on windows - I don't like the way office likes to "help" me write stuff. Personal preferences aside, the issues you've outlined are, I think, a product of it's growth under linux.

Having a quick look here, the local Gimp (v2.2.13) has a "clear" option, currently married to ctrl-k (my wm appears to trap the delete key, so I can't test setting it to that). Might that be the second issue you're looking for (I'm presuming that by delete you mean you want to wipe to background colour, and throw away whatever it was, rather than save it somewhere magical :-) so you can pull it back later ) sorted? I would guess that Adobe have registered "delete" somewhere as a patent, hence why the slight change in name.

Not sure about the locking, though. Perhaps it's not refreshing the screen properly? Is it a total lock, and you've got to hard-kill it, or can you minimise it through the task manager or something?

I can't do a lot about the selection tools, and I agree there - the magic selection tool on Photoshop is great, and the one on Gimp is but a weak sister. I think it's better than it used to be, however.

Nor can I help about the whole mindset the program expects you to use. :-/ All I can do is look at what's irritating you, and see if I can help with some of them, just because I'm a nice guy. (just ask The_Lurking_Drake :-) And because, for whatever reason, I dislike seeing someone getting worked up over an app. Sure, there's some bipartisan feelings there, but it's just an app. :-) If you prefer Photoshop, more power to you. It's a great app, and while it's be nice to think Gimp has caught up, I don't think that's happened yet. It's a hell of a lot closer than it used to be, but it's still the plucky little underdog, for all it's installed on just about every linux box out there by default :-)

If you're bored by me already, let me know, and I'll go away :-)

[Darkmoon]

There's more than one way to skin a cat. There's tons of people out there that create beautiful work with "less" and they're not just making do. It's how your skills evolve and what you get comfortable with. To say that everyone not using photoshop would become better if they DID use photoshop is just bias. I'll agree that digitally inking, or just tableting in your drawings is the way of the future, I just think that a 600 program isn't mandatory. Most people wouldn't even appreciate half the stuff they put in photoshop; pearls before swine I'm sure.

Ahh, but see now you're arguing two different points. One is the preference of some people to create in a program based upon knowledge of what people acn do, and the other is what people will work with WITHOUT the knowledge of what certain programs can do. Yes, someone can create in paint and may say they like it, but if they have little to no knowledge of Photoshop (or Paintshop Pro, or Corel Painter), then they aren't exactly making an informed decision on the matter.

As for personal preference, the discussion, I believe, was based upon Photoshop and Gimp. Gimp is designed to "compete" with the top of the line production programs. Based upon what I've seen it do and what I know Photoshop can do, I'd rather spend the 600 bucks for Photoshop than to use GIMP. That is my preference.

Somehow, you managed to make this trhead into a "OMGWTF you PAID for Photoshop, you newb?!!!1one" discussion... which is lame. Drop it and move on, Netami.

[Jack McSlay]

(post)

Ahh, but see now you're arguing two different points. One is the preference of some people to create in a program based upon knowledge of what people acn do, and the other is what people will work with WITHOUT the knowledge of what certain programs can do. Yes, someone can create in paint and may say they like it, but if they have little to no knowledge of Photoshop (or Paintshop Pro, or Corel Painter), then they aren't exactly making an informed decision on the matter.

As for personal preference, the discussion, I believe, was based upon Photoshop and Gimp. Gimp is designed to "compete" with the top of the line production programs. Based upon what I've seen it do and what I know Photoshop can do, I'd rather spend the 600 bucks for Photoshop than to use GIMP. That is my preference.

Somehow, you managed to make this trhead into a "OMGWTF you PAID for Photoshop, you newb?!!!1one" discussion... which is lame. Drop it and move on, Netami.

I think his point was yet a different one.  Like my computing math teacher would say "Don't kill a bird with a nuclear bomb".
it's what they do because they don't NEED more than that, not what they do because they're lazy to explore what certain programs can do. Many good CG artists around can do on OC stuff that's not far behind at all compared to works on PS or something.

If Photoshop actually makes your life easier go ahead, if the extra features of PS aren't needed and you prefer using Gimp go ahead.

what's not fair is to go around "Lol Gimp sux get fotochop"

and judging from the atrocities I've seen from artists who claim to be using Photoshop, I thing the program used is not really the problem.

[Netami]

what's not fair is to go around "Lol Gimp sux get fotochop"

and judging from the atrocities I've seen from artists who claim to be using Photoshop, I thing the program used is not really the problem.

Uh oh, someone's making sense!