Stop stealing, downloading, finding, borrowing, burning Adobe Photoshop. Either pony up and by Photoshop (“Elements“) for only $149 or do what I do and use the FREE stuff like Artweaver or GIMP. The learning curve to GIMP may be a little high, but it will get the job done. The better and closest alternative is Artweaver.

Sorry MAC nerds… Windows only: Free application Artweaver isn’t just a Photoshop alternative like GIMP, but a fair clone of Photoshop itself. While Artweaver lacks the polish and advanced feature sets of Photoshop, the menus are laid out like they are in Photoshop and the tools function close enough that use is intuitive.

The programs are so similar, in fact, that seasoned Photoshop users will find themselves wondering why a feature is suddenly missing from the menu. While it isn’t a true replacement for Photoshop, Artweaver’s feature set is robust; it includes layer management, image cloning, a history function, transparency, pen tablet support, and a host of the common filters in Photoshop. Artweaver is available as a full install or in a portable version. Artweaver is a free download for Windows only.