[mdlug] Windows is free (Now Photography Junk)

[Robert Adkins]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: mdlug-bounces at mdlug.org 
> [mailto:mdlug-bounces at mdlug.org] On Behalf Of M. D. Krauss
> Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2007 12:48 AM
> To: mdlug at mdlug.org
> Subject: Re: [mdlug] Windows is free (Now Photography Junk)
> 
> On Fri, 17 Aug 2007 08:41:41 -0400
> "Robert Adkins" <radkins at impelind.com> wrote:
> 
> /snip
> 
> >   I used to think it was "Good Enough". Now that I am seriously 
> > getting into photography and have done a few paying jobs, GIMP is 
> > simply gimping my productivity.
> 
> Interesting.  I think a lot of the issues you mention 
> probably go back to the fact that GIMP was originally 
> designed for web image creation more than for photo 
> manipulation.  I've heard others complain about the handling 
> of very large images, although I believe that it has improved 
> a lot.  You might want to give it another try if you haven't 
> in a while.
> 

  I still use GIMP on the office PC practically every other day and I do
update it semi-regularly. Currently, I am using 2.2.8, which is the latest
version available for Windows, which I must use due to CAD/CAM and other
necessary software packages being unavailable on other operating systems.

  While GIMP may have originally been developed for web images, it has been
compared to and has been aiming to be a replacement for Photoshop for a
significant amount of time. Just because a software project started with one
goal and now has a different goal is no reason to discount the shortcomings
it has for the new goal it is reaching for. 

>
> The bulk handling you are looking for is another matter.  I'm 
> pretty confident intuitively that GIMP probably can do that 
> better than Photoshop - with it's script-ability, this is the 
> kind of thing at which GIMP generally can excel.  I would ask 
> on a GIMP mailing list.
> It's possible that you would have to write a script, but more 
> probable that someone already has :)
> 

  It does have bulk handling, even that is a time consuming mess to deal
with.

  I have to first make a folder for JUST the images I need to bulk process
in the same fashion. Then figure out which actions to take, manually. Then
figure out the GIMP commands that call each of those actions AND the syntax
to include the variables that I used. Then I have write out a script to call
all of those particular variables to run on those images.

  That is far to time consuming.

  I don't mind writing up scripts for backups and a number of other tasks on
the servers, but fiddling constantly with scripts to bulk-process images
when I can open a GUI, select a series of actions and then apply those to a
selectable series of images, writing those scripts makes little sense,
timewise. 

  It would be like deciding to build a house without a single power tool.
Sure, it can be done and certainly would be a noble decision. It will just
take considerably longer than it would to use power tools. If one values
their time then the most time efficient tool is the one that should be used.