Hey Expert Web Creators....help a newbie. I want to get a program like Photoshop, but I hate paying a monthly subscription man. I dont mind paying for something up front once....anyways...pet peeve. Any alternatives to Photoshop that you guys recommend? I found this list but am not sure. Thx! alternatives
Depends what you need it for. I do pay for Creative Cloud, since I need it and its features. But if it's just occasional, non-professional use, then I suggest you get a cracked CS version, or pay for it in full, since it's not subscription based. As far as alternatives go, GIMP, Pixelmator (not too expensive), seem to be good enough, but in my opinion, don't stray away from Photoshop, since it's industry standard and the more you get used to the alternatives, the more uncomfortable you'll be with Photoshop in the future, when all professional work environments will require as minimum that you're an expert at Adobe's software. And to enclose the above, the subscription is not very expensive, for the features it has. Just get Photoshop +Lightroom if that's all you need, and with your plan a ProSite will be included, as well as everything else the other plans have to offer in extras (cloud storage, fonts, etc)
Like Hollow Mentioned above...I do probably go with GIMP...if it wasn't for photoshop....you can pay it upfront also.
Use GIMP if you are not interested in Photoshop. Just make sure that you go through some tutorials before making a decision on it.
GIMP is a good option, although that aren't as many resources and tutorials available. You could get a free trial of Photoshop? There are also dedicated button and web graphic design software out there which might be worth looking into.