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I’m considering moving over to Linux when I upgrade PC in a few weeks time. The one sticking point is a Photoshop replacement. I’m well aware of GIMP and the lesser known GIMPShop (which I’ve installed as a stop-gap a few times), but GIMP just feels clunky. I’m sure that a lot of people have worked really hard to make GIMP a good tool, but the interface really does suck. You certainly can use it, but you don’t want to use it.

Pixel is a beta level drop in replacement for Photoshop, available for every major platform (and some non-major ones). It’s closed source and costs a modest amount ($38 USD) but takes all of its design cues from Photoshop. This seems to have solved my major issue with moving over to Linux. Here’s my sum up of the state of Pixel right now, in terms of the pros and cons:

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• Same design as Photoshop
• HDR and CMYK image support (missing from GIMP!)
• Cross platform

Cons:

• Buggy (beta status, I found a few bugs in the first day of using it)
• Closed source - I’ve got no problem with closed source development - I make my living off of software for the most part, but the fact it’s developed by a single guy is dangerous for the community. Development is fairly slow, and the future is not particularly certain.
• Not as responsive as Photoshop - it uses a custom windowing UI which works well for the most part, but is a little eccentric.
• Poor PSD file compatibility - it’ll load multi-layer PSD files okay but won’t render them correctly in many cases.

Anyhow, for the cost it’s certainly a good substitute and if it matures into a stable product, it may be a complete Photoshop replacement.

I’ll be posting more about my switch to Linux in the coming weeks…