Non-Complaint: I have been buying tons of tutorials over the years, recently many of Dreamlights which were in Quick Grab and Outlet and others in his regular store, and I finally made a push to sit down and do them. Yes some of them are for 3Delight, but I figure concepts for lighting, composition, and other items he mentions on the fly don't change with Iray. I have also upgraded many of my older sets to Iray and .duf and use them for my renders. I am currently wrapping up his Film Noir 3D Style and the other day I found myself smiling as I took the day to just work on my render before I finished his tutorial. I was enjoying myself as I fought with my system flipping me all over the place. But I didn't crash D|S with two G9 and one G8.1 and over 23m vertices on my MacMiniM4. (Lighting and composition has been my biggest problem in D|S.)
Help Requested: While I have been picking up pointers on Photoshop, I have GIMP on my computer and what I really need is a tutorial for absolute beginners on learning the BASICs of the program. I never seem to figure that stuff out. Every tut seems to think you have some understanding of the basics. I am immediately lost from the get go. (It doesn't help that GIMP updates don't match older versions on old tutorials.) Any suggestions?
My other joy is @joanna and her books. I followed one of her links and bought three of her books and just opened the third book of the series. Read the second to the point my eyes went squirrely yesterday. Need to take more breaks. But while I have many ebooks and paper books, I needed something that was doom and gloom. This is my way of coping.
Life: I got my Bi-planer X-Rays last night. My spine has collapsed at even worse than I had thought since 2023's last X-ray. Explains why my pain level has ramped up so much. And why I lost 2 inches in height in the past year.
Mary
Ooh, that sounds nasty. My MIL has osteoporosis, and suffered a bit from a collapsing spine, but had to have two hip replacements. Wouldn't wish that on anyone. Please stay safe and be careful not to do anything that'll make it worse.
As for GIMP tutorials, sorry, I don't know any. It is a program I do use, but really reluctantly because they seem to deliberately use obscure function names and I feel 'Script-Fu' and 'Python-Fu' is plain childish as menu item titles (version 2.10.38). I tend to only use it for functions that are impossible on my preferred 'Paintshop Pro 5', otherwise I leave it completely alone.
Thanks Richard. That is what I mean by the I get lost right away. The current GIMP version I just downloaded again is 3.2.4. You may want to check that one out. It seems to be more 'normal'?
I have an MRI (two hours worth in the tube) later in the month and then I see my spine doctor. After that maybe the outstanding script for physical therapy I have not used will be able to help me deal with my current body and stave off more damage. Getting old is a pain.
I don't think Americans know what America is. There are just too many different cultures, but generally the ones with power get to define what everybody and everything is. I don't like war. I don't like pickup trucks. Apple pie is amazing to me. I can't start a new paragraph because I'm typing this on a phone. One would never be able to understand Americans by watching Americans on TV or news sources. Especially the brown ones. That would be like trying to understand women by looking at the female characters in the DAZ store.
Unfortunately I use GIMP at work, and the version of GIMP I have to use is determined by what has been approved for use by the IT department. And to avoid having a grinding of gears at home, I use the same version there.
Help Requested: While I have been picking up pointers on Photoshop, I have GIMP on my computer and what I really need is a tutorial for absolute beginners on learning the BASICs of the program. I never seem to figure that stuff out. Every tut seems to think you have some understanding of the basics. I am immediately lost from the get go. (It doesn't help that GIMP updates don't match older versions on old tutorials.) Any suggestions?
My other joy is @joanna and her books. I followed one of her links and bought three of her books and just opened the third book of the series. Read the second to the point my eyes went squirrely yesterday. Need to take more breaks. But while I have many ebooks and paper books, I needed something that was not doom and gloom. This is my way of coping.
Life: I got my Bi-planer X-Rays last night. My spine has collapsed at even worse than I had thought since 2023's last X-ray. Explains why my pain level has ramped up so much. And why I lost 2 inches in height in the past year.
On Life: OWIE!! I hope you have a path toward relief...
On GIMP: I've struggled with GIMP for years and am not good at it, and hence have been seriously dragging my feet on learning to do any postwork beyond basic cropping. @joanna has recently turned me on to Affinity (also free) and I can't say I've had much time to play, but overall it seems more intuitive than GIMP (at least to how my brain intuits things). Maybe give it a try?
I have been summoned twice to this thread! (I try to keep up with it, mostly lurking, but it moves so fast, I often fall behind, sorry!)
memcneil70 I'm glad my books bring you joy! I try to write stories that are hopeful and positive, even if they deal with serious stuff and mature problems. I hope book three won't disappoint! (It has its darker moments, but happy endings and banter are there too.)
Also, since SilverGirl mentioned me, I recommend Affinity Studio as well. If you're somewhat familiar with Photoshop, you'll likely have an easier transition, and it's free. The only caveat is that, since Affinity Studio is technically three softwares in one (equivalents of Photoshop, Illustrator, and inDesign), once you load it, you have to switch it from "Vector" to "Pixel" in the top left corner to feel more on the familiar grounds.
And I'm not an expert, but I've been using Affinity extensively for the last 6 or 7 years, but if you have any questions, my DMs are open.
Unfortunately I use GIMP at work, and the version of GIMP I have to use is determined by what has been approved for use by the IT department. And to avoid having a grinding of gears at home, I use the same version there.
Regards,
Richard
I tried GIMP and couldn't get on with it, every action is so over-complicated to carry out. So I'm sticking with paint.net for now. With all the plugins I have for it, it does what I need it to do.
@memcneil70 spinal issues are awful! Hope the doctors can do something to help you! Re:Gimp: the important tools are there, but they've always been different than in PS. Then again, I'm so done with Adobe. I haven't used anything of theirs in years now. I've got a fair number of not-Adobe programs to meet my needs.
@richardandtracy - I understand that need to stick with the office. In the 80s when the Air Force decided to test microcomputers in offices, I was one of the testers. We were issues Zenith Z-120s and Wordstar and other packages to learn. I bought a Z-120 and the software along with user written software for teachers and created a game for my son to learn California history. Best grade he got all year. But me, I had to work totally on my own time to learn at the office, my section supervisor thought it was a waste of our time.
@SilverGirl and @joanna - thank you for the Affinity suggestion. I downloaded it onto my MacMini and I will practice with both programs. I just watched the intro tutorial, not sure my very tired eyes tracked the fast moves. Watching hours of Dreamlight do postwork has given me more ideas on what I need/can to do. But what flumoxed me was when I tried to do something I 'thought' I understood in GIMP, it failed. Like changing colors. I also found I have Corel's PaintShop Pro on my Windows 11 laptop! And Ron's brushes were downloaded to it. I don't remember doing that. It's been a busy year.
@garrett_3d - thank you. I know that feeling, tried many times since 2016. I keep trying. I'm stubborn that way. But I noticed that GIMP has improved over the years.
@Torquinox - I hear you on Adobe. I had a program from them for my old iMac and it had a bad crash that required the Apple store to recover the hard drive for me. I was never able to get the backup program to work successfully, so no copies of my system. I tried every which way to get help from Adobe to reinstall a purchased product (not rented) and they blew me off completely. I won't go near them now. I think most of my issues are how I learn and my eyesight. And also how much time I have to focus on a train of thought, process, and doing before interrupted. And yeah, severe pain derails everything. My flatmate and I discussed the last three years and my increasing pain, inability to, clean, shop, or just do normal things without breaks to rest my back. And Simon, my 3-paw, likes my spot on the bed. So we have to negotiate who gets it during the daytime! He wins a lot. (Razor claws are very persuasive.)
Non-complaint: Yay, new money in the bank. So, tomorrow will be an out of the house mini-adventure day, at least for the morning. 8:00 bus into the city for breakfast at the hole-in-the-wall beanery in the decrepit mini-mall. Mmmm..., they serve a great Western Omelet, or I might get their Biscuit & Gravy. In addition I usually get a few strips of bacon on the side just because it's forbidden fruit and I live dangerously. But since the Chinese take-out nearby has changed their hours and don't open until 11 instead of 10:00AM I'll either just go grocery shopping and then home, or I'll splurge and take an Uber to the mall on the other side of the city, waste some time in the mall area then return to the Chinese take-out later in the day. I've been trying to get to the mall for the last 6 months. I want to get to J.C. Penney's for some proper clothes shopping where I can try things on. I can skip grocery shopping, there's nothing I need that can't be gotten at my local mart.
'Nother Non-complaint: Saturday is a big birthday-do for my nephew turning 50. Wheee... party at the firehall in this little town.
Complaint: Next Tuesday is a long delayed Cardiologist appointment. I have much to report. But hopefully, my BFF from high school, who is in town this week from NYC, will still be here and can drive me to our bi-annual lunch and drop me off at the medical center afterwards.
...been using GIMP ever since I became involved with 3D as I couldn't afford the 699 USD price tag for Photoshop back then,
Yes it was a bit tricky to learn at first (though not as daunting as Blender was back then before they improved the UI) but after years working with GIMP I became quite comfortable with it . I also have a recent version of Paint Shop Pro (the last release that works in Win7) and Painter. which I got bundled for a very good price.
...been using GIMP ever since I became involved with 3D as I couldn't afford the 699 USD price tag for Photoshop back then,
Yes it was a bit tricky to learn at first (though not as daunting as Blender was back then before they improved the UI) but after years working with GIMP I became quite comfortable with it . I also have a recent version of Paint Shop Pro (the last release that works in Win7) and Painter. which I got bundled for a very good price.
Yeah, Blender, I have downloaded it many times and tried. Even did a tutorial for it. Like learning D|S and other software since I moved in with others, my time is not my own. But I have proved to myself I CAN get through tutorials if I turn off distractions. I just need to work through the list. Hopefully before my eyes give out.
Comments
Ooh, that sounds nasty. My MIL has osteoporosis, and suffered a bit from a collapsing spine, but had to have two hip replacements. Wouldn't wish that on anyone. Please stay safe and be careful not to do anything that'll make it worse.
As for GIMP tutorials, sorry, I don't know any. It is a program I do use, but really reluctantly because they seem to deliberately use obscure function names and I feel 'Script-Fu' and 'Python-Fu' is plain childish as menu item titles (version 2.10.38). I tend to only use it for functions that are impossible on my preferred 'Paintshop Pro 5', otherwise I leave it completely alone.
Regards,
Richard
Thanks Richard. That is what I mean by the I get lost right away. The current GIMP version I just downloaded again is 3.2.4. You may want to check that one out. It seems to be more 'normal'?
I have an MRI (two hours worth in the tube) later in the month and then I see my spine doctor. After that maybe the outstanding script for physical therapy I have not used will be able to help me deal with my current body and stave off more damage. Getting old is a pain.
Mary,
Unfortunately I use GIMP at work, and the version of GIMP I have to use is determined by what has been approved for use by the IT department. And to avoid having a grinding of gears at home, I use the same version there.
Regards,
Richard
On Life: OWIE!! I hope you have a path toward relief...
On GIMP: I've struggled with GIMP for years and am not good at it, and hence have been seriously dragging my feet on learning to do any postwork beyond basic cropping. @joanna has recently turned me on to Affinity (also free) and I can't say I've had much time to play, but overall it seems more intuitive than GIMP (at least to how my brain intuits things). Maybe give it a try?
YAY!!! I'm so glad!! I've been thinking about you all and hoping he was on the mend.
I have been summoned twice to this thread! (I try to keep up with it, mostly lurking, but it moves so fast, I often fall behind, sorry!)
memcneil70 I'm glad my books bring you joy! I try to write stories that are hopeful and positive, even if they deal with serious stuff and mature problems. I hope book three won't disappoint! (It has its darker moments, but happy endings and banter are there too.)
Also, since SilverGirl mentioned me, I recommend Affinity Studio as well. If you're somewhat familiar with Photoshop, you'll likely have an easier transition, and it's free. The only caveat is that, since Affinity Studio is technically three softwares in one (equivalents of Photoshop, Illustrator, and inDesign), once you load it, you have to switch it from "Vector" to "Pixel" in the top left corner to feel more on the familiar grounds.
And I'm not an expert, but I've been using Affinity extensively for the last 6 or 7 years, but if you have any questions, my DMs are open.
I tried GIMP and couldn't get on with it, every action is so over-complicated to carry out. So I'm sticking with paint.net for now. With all the plugins I have for it, it does what I need it to do.
@richardandtracy cheers to Toby healing from injury!
@memcneil70 spinal issues are awful! Hope the doctors can do something to help you! Re:Gimp: the important tools are there, but they've always been different than in PS. Then again, I'm so done with Adobe. I haven't used anything of theirs in years now. I've got a fair number of not-Adobe programs to meet my needs.
@richardandtracy - I understand that need to stick with the office. In the 80s when the Air Force decided to test microcomputers in offices, I was one of the testers. We were issues Zenith Z-120s and Wordstar and other packages to learn. I bought a Z-120 and the software along with user written software for teachers and created a game for my son to learn California history. Best grade he got all year. But me, I had to work totally on my own time to learn at the office, my section supervisor thought it was a waste of our time.
@SilverGirl and @joanna - thank you for the Affinity suggestion. I downloaded it onto my MacMini and I will practice with both programs. I just watched the intro tutorial, not sure my very tired eyes tracked the fast moves. Watching hours of Dreamlight do postwork has given me more ideas on what I need/can to do. But what flumoxed me was when I tried to do something I 'thought' I understood in GIMP, it failed. Like changing colors. I also found I have Corel's PaintShop Pro on my Windows 11 laptop! And Ron's brushes were downloaded to it. I don't remember doing that. It's been a busy year.
@garrett_3d - thank you. I know that feeling, tried many times since 2016. I keep trying. I'm stubborn that way. But I noticed that GIMP has improved over the years.
@Torquinox - I hear you on Adobe. I had a program from them for my old iMac and it had a bad crash that required the Apple store to recover the hard drive for me. I was never able to get the backup program to work successfully, so no copies of my system. I tried every which way to get help from Adobe to reinstall a purchased product (not rented) and they blew me off completely. I won't go near them now. I think most of my issues are how I learn and my eyesight. And also how much time I have to focus on a train of thought, process, and doing before interrupted. And yeah, severe pain derails everything. My flatmate and I discussed the last three years and my increasing pain, inability to, clean, shop, or just do normal things without breaks to rest my back. And Simon, my 3-paw, likes my spot on the bed. So we have to negotiate who gets it during the daytime! He wins a lot. (Razor claws are very persuasive.)
Mary
Non-complaint: Yay, new money in the bank. So, tomorrow will be an out of the house mini-adventure day, at least for the morning. 8:00 bus into the city for breakfast at the hole-in-the-wall beanery in the decrepit mini-mall.
Mmmm..., they serve a great Western Omelet, or I might get their Biscuit & Gravy. In addition I usually get a few strips of bacon on the side just because it's forbidden fruit and I live dangerously.
But since the Chinese take-out nearby has changed their hours and don't open until 11 instead of 10:00AM I'll either just go grocery shopping and then home, or I'll splurge and take an Uber to the mall on the other side of the city, waste some time in the mall area then return to the Chinese take-out later in the day. I've been trying to get to the mall for the last 6 months.
I want to get to J.C. Penney's for some proper clothes shopping where I can try things on. I can skip grocery shopping, there's nothing I need that can't be gotten at my local mart.
'Nother Non-complaint: Saturday is a big birthday-do for my nephew turning 50. Wheee... party at the firehall in this little town.
Complaint: Next Tuesday is a long delayed Cardiologist appointment. I have much to report.
But hopefully, my BFF from high school, who is in town this week from NYC, will still be here and can drive me to our bi-annual lunch and drop me off at the medical center afterwards.
It's after midnight, I guess I'll let it all hang down.
...been using GIMP ever since I became involved with 3D as I couldn't afford the 699 USD price tag for Photoshop back then,
Yes it was a bit tricky to learn at first (though not as daunting as Blender was back then before they improved the UI) but after years working with GIMP I became quite comfortable with it . I also have a recent version of Paint Shop Pro (the last release that works in Win7) and Painter. which I got bundled for a very good price.
Yeah, Blender, I have downloaded it many times and tried. Even did a tutorial for it. Like learning D|S and other software since I moved in with others, my time is not my own. But I have proved to myself I CAN get through tutorials if I turn off distractions. I just need to work through the list. Hopefully before my eyes give out.