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Subject:Re: What graphics tasks do you perform? From:Laura Lemay <lemay -at- lauralemay -dot- com> To:Nancy Allison <maker -at- verizon -dot- net> Date:Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:51:13 -0800
In both Photoshop and GIMP I have drawn callouts or annotations on screen shots using layers -- one background layer for the screen shot, and one for the callouts. The layers enable me to go back and change the callouts, or even redo the underlying screenshot without having to redraw everything.
Theoretically you could also deliver a layered image to a translation service so they could translate the callouts, although I've never had to do that.
Laura
On Feb 19, 2013, at 1:13 PM, Nancy Allison wrote:
> Tony's hit on an important theme when he said:
>
> "But as for general purpose software, GIMP is great for bitmaps, and
> Inkscape is my go to vector tool."
>
> I'm reviewing a book about GIMP, but I realize it's not the go-to tool
> for everything. I won't try to review it for every purpose we have. I'm
> assuming that tech writers use tools in roughly this way, if they have
> the budget and the freedom to do what they want:
>
> 1. For photos: PhotoShop, Corel (PaintShopPro), GIMP (which is FREE!!)
>
> 2. For screenshots: SnagIt and similar utilities, or alt-Prt Scr with a
> tool of choice such as Paint, PaintShopPro, etc.
>
> 3. Line drawings: Adobe Illustrator and similar programs
>
> 4. Flow charts: Visio if at all possible
>
> I assume I should focus on the chief use of GIMP, which would be
> handling photos. I assume it's huge overkill for editing a line
> drawing, for example, which you could manage pretty well in Paint.
>
> Please let me know which tools you use for which purposes. If you've
> struggled with PhotoShop, what effects were you trying to achieve? I'll
> find out how to replicate them in GIMP.
>
> --Nancy
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