Looking for "bitmap-vector" image editor

Posted by Borek on Super User See other posts from Super User or by Borek
Published on 2010-04-15T15:34:10Z Indexed on 2010/04/15 15:43 UTC
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I used to use PhotoImpact which is no longer developed so I'm looking for a replacement. What made PhotoImpact great to me was the ability to work in both bitmap and vector modes.

What I mean by that: I could have an image or screenshot and easily add arrows, text captions or shapes to it. These shapes were vector objects so I could come back to them later and amend their properties easily.

Software I know of:

  • Paint.NET is purely bitmap so please don't recommend it - layers are not enough for my needs
  • Drawing tools in MS Office work pretty much the way I'd like - you can paste an image and then add vector objects on top of it. It just doesn't feel right to have the full-fidelity original images stored as .docx or .pptx (I don't fully trust Word/Powerpoint that they don't compress the image)
  • I'm not sure about GIMP but if it's just "better Paint.NET" (i.e., layers but no vector objects) I'm not interested
  • Photoshop is out of question purely because of its price tag

Corel killed PhotoImpact because they already had a competing product (Paint Shop Pro) but AFAIK it lacks vector features.

Any tips for PhotoImpact alternatives would be very welcome.

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