Adobe CS4

anyone have ANY CLUE how to use this thing???
I have it, and I thought the actual photoshop program in it would be soooo much better than GIMP.

But I guess I don't know how to do CRAP in it because it's not appearing better than gimp to me.

I'll be damned if I know what percentage things need to be sharpened at.
I CANNOT figure out the clone tool to save my life.

I should have just gotten elements.

Since you started with GIMP, Photoshop is going to seem like a migraine. I've been using Photoshop for years and years and still don't have a firm grasp of half the features. It's a learning curve, but definitely worth it in my opinion. I tried GIMP for a couple months and was in the exact same boat you're in now.

i use CS4 and know how to use much of it. If you have any specific questions fire away!

No, no you wouldn't have. I have the new Elements 8. I can't for the life of my figure out how to work it.

Ditto skki - I've always used Photoshop and I tried using GIMP and was like "WTF???" They are totally different and neither is really intuitive.

I only have Photoshop CS2 but this is probably the same... to use the clone tool, you need to alt+click your source (where you want to clone from) and then you can click where you want to clone over. Adjust your brush size to suit the job at hand. I prefer to pick my source, then create a new layer and clone onto the new layer.

I <3 photoshop. I can't figure out GIMP to save my life.

I have CS3

I love my Photoshop...when my computer died, I lost Photoshop, so went to GIMP. I have never known such sadness

See, I <3 GIMP. The only real reason I got CS4 was because I can use certain programs in it for filters.
Like, Nik Color efex.
To me, that's the ONLY thing that makes photoshop better than GIMP.
Other than that, GIMP is way easier to figure out than photoshop in my opinion.
And, I used photoshop long before I used GIMP.

Photoshop elements was nice when I had it because it was the same learning curve as GIMP.
But then my windows computer died, and I couldn't use it anymore.
Then once I was able to use it again, I decided to upgrade to CS4.
I might just go back to photoshop elements if I cannot figure out CS4.

If you just using it for filters and photo touch up I would recommend Adobe lightroom. Its VERY easy to use, fast and perfect for minor photo issues. Photoshop is for more heavy duty photo manipulation. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

I <3 <3 photoshop but have been using it since its 2nd incarnation well over a decade ago.

Well, I can crop, sharpen, clone, heal, mess with curves, correct color balance, and work with lots of things in GIMP.
But I cannot run filter programs like Nik Color Efex.
So, maybe I should just do what I need to do to my pictures in GIMP, and then if I want to use a filter on them, I can use the filter in CS4?

cloning sharpening etc is really easy in PS. I have never used gimp. What is it you are having issues with?

How about you post a pic and say what you would like done to it and one of us CS4 users can explain how we would do it.