Im in search of good gfx making programs

For Macs. I want to start getting into avatar/sig making but would like to do so on my laptop rather than my slow as hell desktop. Any suggestions/recommendations?

 

I'll always suggest starting with a free program rather than committing to a larger expensive one when you're just starting out just so that you can determine if it's something you really want to stick with. The two top free programs are Gimp and Paint.NET. I know from personal experience that Paint.NET is more like an improved version of Microsoft Paint. There isn't much room to expand it and the userbase isn't very large. Gimp on the other hand is much better. The userbase is enormous, there are so many things you can install to make it even better, and there are only certain things it lacks in comparison to the more popular expensive programs. Some even choose to stick with Photoshop. I'd recommend choosing Gimp, but it's up to you.

Once you learn the interface, get some skills, and start to understand things more, you'll probably want to switch to another program. The two main programs are Photoshop, which is used commercially, so if you're interested in Graphic Design as a career you should learn it. Then there's PaintShop, which I've never used so I can't say much about it, but I've seen gorgeous things made from it. It's cheaper than Photoshop, too. (although if you pirate whatever program you use that doesn't make a difference) Photoshop is probably your best bet because it's the widest used graphics program out there, and is used by most everyone. It's made to work on Macs well.

So, erm, yeah. If you're really serious about things you'll probably end up with Photoshop sooner or later (I'd recommend using anywhere from CS to CS4), and some may argue that it's better to start on it, but I do really think you should start on something small and free, at least until you know if you're interested in it or not.

 

i'm currently favouring a program called twisted brush but it's more for drawing than graphics..

 

Thanks guys !