Have you tried krita? That and gimp just recently (for the first time in 7 years) released a new stable version. It uses single window mode by default, and I’m pretty sure there is a settings file out there somewhere you can drop in your settings folder to get all the same photoshop shortcuts.
Atm krita has more features, but gimp still has a broader list of filters to choose from. Both support g’mic, which has over 400 filter options to chose from.
Krita’s okay, but it strikes me more a painting program with some PS like features than a true PS/AP alternative. Great for what it is, but not quite what I’m looking for.
And of course there’s GIMP, but…yeah. I don’t wanna talk about GIMP.
You should go easy on the gimp team. There are only six part time developers working on it, and they still need to port a lot of filters to the new GEGL framework they’ve been migrating to for close to a decade.
Its not really that bad if you ask me. Personally I still use that more than krita even though krita has more features and sees faster development. That is probably more out of habit though.
I’m not gonna badmouth the GIMP team. But, talented though they may be, their lack of numbers contributes directly to the one biggest problem they have: their inability to update in a timely manner. GIMP is so far behind their competitors in features, it feels like I’m taking a massive step back whenever I fire it up.
Last time I used it, which I’ll admit has been a minute, it lacked adjustment layers, and was absent any support for a non-destructive workflow. Couple those rather glaring downsides with an interface that just has a weird feel to it despite being superficially similar to most other image editors, and, yeah, I just couldn’t take to it.
Yeah, that is part of why they’ve been trying to fully switch over to GEGL. Its a graphics framework developed by the guys who forked gimp into cinepaint. It will allow for non-destructive workflows, but they have to do a mountain of work before everything is ported to it.
I think they expect to have adjustment layers by release 3.0. Atm, it does support previewing the effect a filter will have in the canvas without applying the filter, just make sure the filter you use has a G in front of it. They replaced the iwarp filter for a dedicated tool, and have a new unified transform tool for scale, rotate, and sheer.
GIMP development has been picking up speed recently (after many years of little news). They even now have the single window by default.
Hopefully, this means FOSS image editing rising out of the mud and actually becoming something (even though GIMP has a long road ahead of it before it’s their market’s equivalent of Blender).
Ah, no, Gimp 3.0 will be the GTK3 port; adjustment layers are planned for 3.2. See https://wiki.gimp.org/wiki/Roadmap#GIMP_3.2
Aw dang, that is further away than I remembered. Hopefully the new updates will attract some new developers or bring in more donations.
Try PhotoLine as well: much more non-destructive workflow compared to Affinity Photo, or even Photoshop. PL supports smart objects (“placeholder layers”) and does things no other layer-based image editor is capable of.
For example, layer opacity ranges from -200 up to +200 (instead of the standard 0-100) and layers may be virtually instanced (cloned) which update in real-time when the source layer (group) is updated. Even adjustment layers and layer mask (groups) can be instanced - I probably don’t have to explain the tremendous benefits.
Each layer in the layer stack can have independent bit depth, image mode, and dimensions. It is a pretty liberating concept.
And PhotoLine is also a vector editor, with support for features that have been requested for a LONG time now by Affinity Designer users (arrow heads, bitmap–>vector tracing, non-destructive blend/morph object, true vector-based patterns, to mention only a couple).
The developers of PhotoLine actively support Wine under Linux, and when PL is run in a Wine environment it automatically switches to LittleCMS for colour management. I run it on LInux Mint, and have no issues whatsoever.
The latest betas introduced scripting support. Find it in the betatesters part of the forum.
www,pl32.com
I can recommend PhotoLine as well. I switched from Photoshop a two or so years ago and am happy with it.
Its UI is similar albeit parhaps a bit less smooth in some areas.
In the rare cases where I absolutely need Photoshop because some customer sends me PS files I just rent it for a month which costs 30€.
yep, i can recommed photoline to. Its the best ps alternative imo.
and very cheap. Only 60,-
i think you can try it non commercial for free as long as you like
The Huber Brothers are doing a great job
Second this. Affinity Photo and Designer are amazing.
Affinity Photo kills Photoshop
and with Affinity Designer and soon Publisher one can say bye bye to Adobe bloat ware
cool thing Affinity is Mac/Win
While I hate the fact that also Affinity like Adobe forces you to use a DTP app (InDesign - Publisher) and keep their illustration app crippled for DTP unlike Macromedia Freehand which could do both but Affinity vs Adobe costs a fraction so it is easier to stomach
I’ve installed the PhotoLine demo version and used it for a while. Although it’s a solid image editor, to me it feels a bit dated in terms of functionality and UI, like GraphicConverter or an old version of GIMP. I’ll stick to Affinity Photo for image editing, and Affinity Designer for vector work.
Additionally I can heartily recommend the free image editor PhotoScape X. It’s available for Windows and MacOS, and I’ve purchased the Pro version for only € 40 ($ 47). It’s well worth it.
Sorry for the off-topic image editor discussion by the way, @claus. 
Thanks for the info - always look out for more affordable and suitable software for my students compared to the Adobe Bla Bla Bla.
No worries as long as it’s civil. I like the topic too.
Hey folks… I split this discussion off from the macOS is deprecating OpenGL thread since it’s very much a different topic.
Affinity seems like a good alternative for PS.
PhotoLine, I don’t know much about it but it’s UI looks too old… Is it usable?
And, is there any good PS alternative available in Linux? (except GIMP)