From Newsgroup: rec.photo.digital

On Wed, 3 Sep 2025 14:47:41 +0200, Fokke Nauta wrote :

I have Photoshop CS6 installed on my pc. It has a license. I bought it
years ago. Unfortunately it didn't work well and had a problem, so I
decided to install it again. I did, but the licence was revoked. I can't
use it now.
For a new version of Photoshop I'll have to pay a monthly amount, which
will continue for all the years I will use it. This will cost me far too much. Is there any acceptable replacement for Photoshop?
I'm curious.
Thanks for your answers.
With best regards,
Fokke Nauta

I find the Apple owners more 'snobbish with respect to claiming that
only the latest PhotoShop expensiveway can allow them to do good work,
where Windows owners are generally far more pragmatic than Apple owners.

I consider myself a Windows-freeware connoisseur, where I've tested
every free Photoshop-replacement ever suggested on these newsgroups.
<https://i.postimg.cc/sDWhsB18/editor-pic.jpg>
(Let me know if I've missed testing any free Windows photo editor!)

My go-to-photoshop-on-Windows replacement?

Short answer:
Paint.NET freeware (yes, with God-awful net-framework requirements)
<https://www.dotpdn.com/downloads/pdn.html>

Some day, that short answer "may" become this Paint.NET replacement:
Pinta is "supposed" to (eventually) be a suitable replacement.
<https://www.pinta-project.com/>
(If someone has recently tested Pinta against Paint.NET, let me know.)

Slightly longer answer, but really, these tools are not the answer:
The Gimp
<https://download.gimp.org/pub/gimp/>
PSP trial/shareware/ruin-your-context-menu-crapware
<http://www.oldversion.com/windows/paint-shop-pro/>

A bit more nuanced answer:
Adobe Creative Suite (perpetual license, sort of, let's not argue morals)
<https://www.techspot.com/downloads/4948-adobe-creative-suite-free.html>

Here's the list of tools that I found in my testing logs (not all vetted).
* Active Paint (freeware version) - http://www.roubecsoft.com/
* AndreaMosaic - http://www.andreaplanet.com/andreamosaic/
* ArtRage - http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html
* Artweaver - http://www.artweaver.de/index.php?en_version
* Artweaver Portable - http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=1390
* Avance Paint (art & image editor) - http://users.belgacom.net/rgs/avancepaint.htm
* CherryBrush - http://www.drpetter.se/project_cherrybrush.html
* CobPaint (Kids/Special needs) - http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/obsolete.htm
* Colorpad - http://www.webmasterfree.com/ColorPad_d7705.html
* Context Free (images from instructions) - http://www.contextfreeart.org/
* Deep Paint 2 - http://download.chip.eu/en/Deep-Paint-2.0_132831.html
* Draw3D - http://www.draw3d.com/
* Draw4free (on/offline) - http://www.draw4free.com/drawPage.htm
* Drawplus - see Serif
* Draw SWF - http://drawswf.sourceforge.net/
* DrawWorx - http://www.plworx-software.com/products.html
* Dynamic Draw - http://www.dynamicdraw.com
* Epic Pen (draw on desktop) - http://sourceforge.net/projects/epicpen/
* Falco Auto Image (capture/convert) - http://www.falcoware.com/downloads_icon_editors.php
* Falco Image Studio (create/edit/manage) - http://www.falcoware.com/downloads_icon_editors.php
* Freehand Painter - http://www.deskshare.com/freehand-painter.aspx
* GIMP - www.gimp.org/
* GimpMinimizer - http://www.mystercrowley.com/software_pros.php
* Glab Bumpy Paint (Bmp/Tiff only) - http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA024811/english.html
* GrafX2 - http://www.eclipse-game.com/
* Gradient Studio - http://freshney.org/index.htm
* Greenfish Painter - http://greenfish.xtreemhost.com/downloads.php
* Helios Paint (hue,saturation,brightness) - http://www.heliospaint.com
* Hornil StylPix - http://hornil.com/en/products/stylepix/
* ImageForge (paint) - http://www.cursorarts.com/ca_ai.html
* ImageJ (2d) - http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/features.html
* ImageTasks - http://www.imagetasks.com/
* Imagicon (convertor) - http://www.deviouscodeworks.co.uk/ - http://www.download3000.com/download_9302.html
* Inkscape - http://www.inkscape.org/
* InsightPoint(graphics) - http://www.icytec.com/
* IrfanPaint (IrfanView addon) - http://www.mitalia.net/irfanpaint/
* Junior Airbrush - http://www.cybia.co.uk/juniorairbrush.html
* Kavlon Coloring Book - http://www.mmnt.net/db/0/0/files.akl.lt/GGCD/new/Kavlon%20Coloring%20Book
* K-Sketch - http://www.k-sketch.org
* Kolorgenerator - http://www.kolorgenerator.godula.com/
* Kolorowanka (create colouring book) - http://www.english.aionel.net/
* Labography - http://axpha.com/labography/review-english/
* LazPaint (+P) - http://sourceforge.net/projects/lazpaint/
* MediBang Paint Pro - http://medibangpaint.com/en/
* Metropaint - http://rcpsoft.net/metro-paint/
* Microsoft Expression Design 4 - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36180
* Mosaizer (Mosaics) - http://www.mosaizer.com/
* MT Paint - http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/
* Open Canvas (v1.1) - http://wistinga.online.fr/opencanvas/#downloads
* Paint Album - http://www.lujosoft.net/sitemap.html
* Paint.com - www.rw-designer.com/image-editor
* Paint.Net (Get Paint) - http://www.getpaint.net/index2.html
* Paint.Net Plugins (14) - http://www.boltbait.com/pdn/
* PaintBox - http://www.photo-freeware.net/paintbox.php
* Painter 25 - http://jansfreeware.com/
* PaintStar (drawing tools,layers,3D text,morphing) - http://wang.zhenzhou.googlepages.com/
* Paint Studio lite - http://www.photo-freeware.net/paintstudio-lite.php
* Pencil (cartoon) - http://www.les-stooges.org/pascal/pencil/
* Phierha (Editor) - http://www.ne.jp/asahi/mighty/knight/index.html
* PhotoLine (free to use shareware) - http://www.pl32.net/
* Picasion (animated gifs) - http://picasion.com/
* PicPick Tools - http://picpick.wiziple.net/features
* PictBear - http://www.fenrir-inc.com/us/pictbear/
* PicTester (image->text art) - http://www.axiomx.com/free_software.htm
* Pinta - http://pinta-project.com/
* Pixia (hpnf)- Painticle (plug-in) - http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA024811/english.html
* Pixopedia - http://www.sigmapi-design.com/wp/
* Plant Studio - http://www.kurtz-fernhout.com/
* Project Dogwaffle - http://www.thebest3d.com/dogwaffle/free/index.html
* Penny Paint (Spline smoothing) - http://www.thebest3d.com/dogwaffle/penny/index.html
* RealWorld Paint.com (also portable v) - http://www.rw-designer.com/image-editor
* RW Paint.Com - http://www.rw-designer.com/
* Serif Drawplus (reg req) - http://www.serif.com/free-graphic-design-software/ * Simple Paint - http://jdmcox.com/
* Sketchup - http://www.sketchup.com/
* Smoothdraw - http://www.smoothdraw.com/
* Speedy Painter - http://speedypainter.altervista.org/
* StylePix - see Hornil
* SVG-Edit - https://github.com/SVG-Edit/svgedit
* Symmetrisketch - http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2009/symmetrisketch-a-simple-app-for-playing-with-symmetry/
* Tuxpaint (great for kids too) - http://tuxpaint.org/
* Twisted Brush Open Studio - http://www.pixarra.com/product.html
* Ultimate Paint 1.91f (LFV) - http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/page19.html
* Ultimate Paint Standard LE - http://www.ultimatepaint.com/
* Vectr - https://vectr.com/
* XFader (texture grabber/stereogram) - http://www.pegtop.de/products/
* ZonerDraw - http://www.callisto.cz/
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From Newsgroup: rec.photo.digital

I have Photoshop CS6 installed on my pc. It has a license. I bought it
years ago. Unfortunately it didn't work well and had a problem, so I
decided to install it again. I did, but the licence was revoked. I can't
use it now.
For a new version of Photoshop I'll have to pay a monthly amount, which
will continue for all the years I will use it. This will cost me far too much. Is there any acceptable replacement for Photoshop?
I'm curious.
Thanks for your answers.
With best regards,
Fokke Nauta

Fokke,

A pity that Adobe treated you like that.

You might like to check Serif Affinity:

https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/

Not expensive, and a single payment, not a recurring subscription!

There's a free trial, I believe.
--
David
Web: https://www.satsignal.eu
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From Newsgroup: rec.photo.digital

On Thu, 4 Sep 2025 02:56:07 +0100, J. P. Gilliver wrote :

Depends what you want to do. For me, IrfanView (free) does all _I_ want,
but I _am_ aware what it doesn't do - see subsequent posts. (FastStone
is a less-known alternative that I think does almost exactly what
IrfanView does, from the time I tried it, with a slightly different user interface for the functions; I prefer IrfanView, but that's almost
certainly because I'm more familiar with IV, than it being _better_.

This post of mine will only be useful to the small number of people who
don't use these editors all that often, where I use only some often.
<https://i.postimg.cc/sDWhsB18/editor-pic.jpg> my photo editor archive

Irfanview:
a. I mostly use it for fast viewing almost every image format
b. It's also my batch processor for images;
c. And, it's my "shrinker" "sizer" "cropper" for images;
But I would never call Irfanview an "editor" in terms of what that means.

Paint.NET
a. I mostly use it for editing (i.e., greatly changing) images
b. In my use model, that's mostly for screenshot editing
c. As it is fantastic for adding text, arrows & circles/boxes
Where I think it's the closest free 1:1 replacement for Adobe Photoshop.

There are times when I use the plugins to both to add features.
A. An example is an OCR plugin for Irfanview
B. An example is a PDF plugin for Paint.NET

I'm probably more well organized on a computer than any other human being
you have ever met in your life, or will meet in the rest of your life.

So what I have on my system is what I found over the years to work for me.

If I look at what's installed at this very moment, each time I've needed a specialty editor in the past year or so, I've re-installed a tested editor.

Here's a quick "dir /b" of my c:\app\editor\pic\ installation folder:
analogexif
fastone
fotosketcher
freehandpainter
hip
imagemagick
inkscape
iview
krita
paint.net
photofiltre
pinta
pnet
psp
vicman
xface

Each of those "specialty" editors does "something" that neither Irfanview
nor Paint.NET did that I had needed in the past year or so for images.
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From Newsgroup: rec.photo.digital

On Wed, 3 Sep 2025 15:57:42 -0400, Zaidy036 wrote :

Not free but can do a lot of PS's adjustments: Photoshop Elements
Free but not full featured: Faststone Image Viewer

You should ask in a photo newsgroup

Prolly' the best "photo newsgroup" on Usenet would be rec.photo.digital although alt.comp.freeware is no slouch when it comes to free replacements.

To that end, I've already clued in both of those groups as to this query.


On Wed, 3 Sep 2025 17:58:47 -0700, John C. wrote in alt.comp.freeware

Nice list, but you missed PhotoFiltre:

http://photofiltre.free.fr/frames_en.htm

Ah! Good catch! Thanks! I hate screwing up. In public no less.
Let me look. Oh. Actually, it's there. And I've even used it recently.

It's just that I didn't have photo filter in that specific log file!
<https://i.postimg.cc/2yf9Hf9v/photofiltre.jpg>

Although I actually forget what specialty edit I needed that I used it for.

This post of mine will only be useful to the small number of people who
don't use these editors all that often, where I use only some often.
<https://i.postimg.cc/sDWhsB18/editor-pic.jpg> my photo editor archive
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From Newsgroup: rec.photo.digital

On 03/09/2025 18:40, Marion wrote:

On Wed, 3 Sep 2025 14:47:41 +0200, Fokke Nauta wrote :

I have Photoshop CS6 installed on my pc. It has a license. I bought it
years ago. Unfortunately it didn't work well and had a problem, so I
decided to install it again. I did, but the licence was revoked. I can't
use it now.
For a new version of Photoshop I'll have to pay a monthly amount, which
will continue for all the years I will use it. This will cost me far too
much. Is there any acceptable replacement for Photoshop?
I'm curious.
Thanks for your answers.
With best regards,
Fokke Nauta

If the OPs main objection to PhotoShop is the monthly subscription cost,
then why not consider finding a copy of PhotoShop Elements ?

Its probably more than adequate for the majority of users, and I assume
would have the easiest learning curve ?

You could probably snag something usable on eBay for less than -u50


also .... if you just stopped at "I find the Apple owners more snobbish
..." then I think you would be correct more often than not.
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From Newsgroup: rec.photo.digital

On Thu, 4 Sep 2025 04:47:57 -0700, John C. wrote :

Each of those "specialty" editors does "something" that neither Irfanview
nor Paint.NET did that I had needed in the past year or so for images.

By having a large selection of freeware in my toolbox, I find that I
lack for nothing when it comes to editing images. However, over the
years I got legitimate copies of Photoshop Elements 2.0 on CDs that came
with various hardware I purchased. Between that program and PhotoFiltre,
it's not very often that I need to use something else. However,
Photoshop Elements 2.0 isn't freeware so O.T. for this group. If I
didn't have that program, every feature I use in it is also in one
freeware program or another.

Thanks for bringing up that information, and particularly for reminding me
that I forgot about PhotoFiltre (which apparently you've helped translate).

I was a bit confused by what PhotoFiltre did that I had needed but when I
went back to the developer's web site today, I became even more confused.

I can't figure out if it's shareware, trialware, or freeware for home
users, where, I think, maybe, perhaps, the license depends on the version?

For example, for PhotoFiltre 6.5.3:
<http://photofiltre.free.fr/frames_en.htm>
<http://photofiltre.free.fr/download_en.htm>
<http://photofiltre.free.fr/utils/PhotoFiltre-en-653.zip>
Name: PhotoFiltre-en-653.zip
Size: 1970704 bytes (1924 KiB)
SHA256: 1962098ABCFC484A883A55DE33F37AC3A38E257B6272BBCBB2E301BC9A49546E

For another example, for PhotoFiltre 7.2.1:
<https://photofiltre-studio.com/pf7-en.htm>
<https://photofiltre-studio.com/utils/pf7-en-7.2.1.zip>
Name: pf7-en-7.2.1.zip
Size: 5332573 bytes (5207 KiB)
SHA256: DEE1337ABBDE74ED8F908AD405DDB8F0EE5FA801DC323CA38039A860CCED6356

For yet another example, for PhotoFiltre Studio X 10.14.1:
<https://www.fosshub.com/PhotoFiltre.html>
<https://www.fosshub.com/PhotoFiltre.html?dwl=pfsx-setup-en-10.14.1.exe>
Name: pfsx-en-10.14.1.zip
Size: 11565458 bytes (11 MiB)
SHA256: 8CBE112C5F89D3B5463ECB10CC0E821AA7C432B9F2E965307628B76196B75387

I'm confused about the licensing, but I don't remember why I originally downloaded it so it must have done something the other editors didn't do.
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