Hi all,

I'm wanting to design graphics for a couple of websites, I'm a complete n00b when it comes to graphics applications which aren't Illustrator (learnt it at school), and I'm terrible at design in general, tending to overdo things effects etc.

So, I've two questions:
1) What free or cheap applications are good for designing graphics?
2) Any tips for someone who spends most of their time on the command line and would like to have a go at drawing things with that thing next to the keyboard...Kinda look like a rat (:wink: )

Cheers

Ben

Inkscape is good. I think it runs in X11. I use it on OpenSuse for it's autotrace feature.

I've been looking at Inkscape a fair amount over the last few weeks actually, but I hadn't considered it for graphics!

Does anyone know what the effect on the Mac Pro is called, the holes in the metal at the front? Does it have a name?
I want a simple tutorial for Photoshop/GIMP/Illustrator/Inkscape but I can't think of what to search for...

Thanks for any help
Ben

Do you mean perforated metal?

Yup, ta muchly...Now off for a google

It's easy.

It's just colouring in, isn't it Gav? :lol:

I like colouring in. Some people even pay me to do it.

I'm not sure I have a single creative bone in my body So something that is easy to use is important for me, I've been looking at tutorials and following those, but I may give up and ask a friend to create the graphics for me.

Thanks again saspo, not looked yet as I've not had time.

Can you photograph what you want to use? I think that photographed metal, for example, looks far, fare better than any of those you can get from just combining effects and filters in Photoshop. But that’s me.

Remember, when looking at a texture you want to make, you may have to combine techniques from one or more to get the effect you want.

I need to design a banner for a site I'm working on, but I don't have the energy at the moment. Was thinking of photographing something metal like a dustbin, or even a wooden fence post, bump-map the living hell out of it in GIMP to give it a bit more texture and then crop it to the size I need!

Just out of interest Gav, how much 'colouring in' have you done on your Mac since you got it?

Actually very little - colouring in was never really my thing - but I have been getting myself used to iphoto...which is actually surprisingly good. Maybe has the edge on Picasa...
iWeb sucks though!

Yeah I don't like iWeb.

I think it's great for people who litereally know nothing about the internet and making websites. But for people who do, it doesn't give nearly enough control.