Looking for "bitmap-vector" image editor
- by Borek
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.