It is very true that there's an awful lot of image editing software available to the artist and photographer these days, and it would be true to say that such programmes often leave the individual confused as to which one to use.
A few days ago I came across 'sumo paint' and I can honestly say that it fits in perfectly with what I've been looking for. I'm happy to admit that I'm no 'tech geek', so whatever programme I use has to have a certain ease of use, and that whatever learning curve there is, it is not too steep.
Having done some research about sumo paint, it seems that many users prefer it to 'Photoshop' and have commented that it's better than this particular programme. I can't say that I know this is correct, as I've never used Photoshop, but I can say that sumo paint does all the things I would expect an image editing programme to do, and more besides.
What makes sumo paint stand out is that within a few hours you will have accomplished a level of understanding which will enable you to successfully begin 'painting' pictures. The interface is uncluttered and whilst there are a lot of advanced features available, each one is fairly easy to understand as regards its use. The 'Help' section is fairly intuitive and goes into as much or little details you need without overwhelming you with technical jargon. I'd say that all the information you get is geared towards the end user, rather than being written for the 'geek'.
Apart from its ease of use, its most compelling feature is the cost; which for the basic package is free. To upgrade to the 'pro' version it cost me €19, which for the extra features and able to use the programme 'offline' is more than reasonable, along with the added '+' that all upgrades, additional software improvements etc are free for the first year of use.
As I also use GIMP 2.6, the latest version, I can say that sumo paint is much the easier to use. GIMP's problem has always been its lack of integrated 'painting' features, although they can be added as a separate 'add on'. However, sumo paint's versatility and use across OS platforms leaves GIMP struggling in its wake. I can use the same sumo paint programme on both my pc and mac, whereas with GIMP I have to download a different version for pc and mac.
In terms of cost GIMP offers a lot more because it comes as a single package and is free. But GIMP is more 'expensive' because of the time needed to get to grips with its steep learning curve. I have nothing but admiration for GIMP, not only is it an advanced image editing programme that continues to evolve, but it is also a comprehensive editing suite and never rests on its laurels.
However, I've noticed that I'm using GIMP less and less, and instead have turned to 'Aperture 3' as my preferred photo editing programme. I can honestly say that, based on actual use, I can do more refined image editing in Aperture than I can in GIMP, although in GIMP I can do more in terms of image manipulation. For example, if I want to work with layers then I use GIMP, but if I want more control over the image itself I use Aperture. There have been numerous photographs that couldn't be 'rescued' in GIMP, yet I managed to considerably improve the quality of the image in Aperture.
As we can see above, sumo paint, GIMP and Aperture 3 all do different things, and that's no bad thing as it gives me a lot of flexibility when working on different projects. Each has a weakness, but understanding what they are means my attention is focused on the work I'm doing and not on the software programme I'm using. The biggest advantage to using sumo paint and Gimp is that they are virtually free and will take care of the majority of the 'artistic' needs encountered by individuals.
As a final word on the subject, whilst I would recommend all three programmes, if I had to choose between them and could only use two, then I'd go with sumo paint and GIMP on the basis of cost. In terms of editing control I'd go with sumo paint and Aperture. If you wanted cross platform use, in its truest meaning of the word, then I'd only go with sumo paint, the reason being because sumo paint is done mostly in the 'cloud', so you are able to access your work regardless of the operating system you are using. Luckily I don't have to worry about which one I use, and so I'm fortunate in being able to use all three depending on the task in hand.
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