This time we will cover our good old friend SOFTWARE PIRACY.
Many of us have software piracy to thank for our entry into the digital art world. I myself got started with a copy of Photoshop 6.0 a friend had given me. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that one of the reasons programs such as Photoshop and Flash are so popular in the first place is because of piracy, and I’m certainly not the only one who thinks so. As amateurs, it’s much harder for us to legitimately get our hands on professional software for obvious reasons, mostly financial ones, but that does not mean that you have the right to pirate the software. Legal ramifications, taking money from the poor giant corporations, etc. etc. Basically, it’s just wrong. You know it’s wrong, I don’t have to tell you it’s wrong, but I’m gonna do it anyway. It’s wrong.
But then what can you do? What kind of alternatives do you have?
First off, you can pay for the software. Although I’m sure most of you are as broke as I am, I know that there are some of you out there who could actually afford the software package of your choice. This can work as a motivating factor for you, because now you have the ‘option’ of working so hard you can make some money off your work and at least compensate a bit for the price of the software, or even save up to buy another package if you want. For those of you who can’t afford some of the more expensive packages, I would suggest looking for good deals, seeing if you can get a student license, or maybe finding some cheaper alternatives.
You know what’s better than cheap software? Free software! Well, not always. Free does not necessarily mean good, but luckily for us creative types, there is plenty of quality free software out there that do a surprisingly good job of replacing the professional packages. From GIMP to Blender to many many more, some of these alternatives will astound you. Yes, astound. Especially because they’re free. These programs are not always perfect, but in many cases they are at least worth not taking the risk of downloading software you have not paid for, and at most fantastic and allow you to make anything you could with the pro software. Also, by downloading, using, and perhaps being part of the community of certain free software packages, you promote the development of that particular program, and secure it’s improvement for yourself and others. And let’s not forget the influence you can have by recommending your favorite free digital art software packages to others. And the better the free software gets, the greater your advantage and the worse your excuses for pirating software will get.
So I ask of you, my fellow amateurs, to show some professionalism (yes, I dare) and only use software you pay for, or get somebody else to pay for, or otherwise legitimately get your hands on, or use free alternatives.
I will list your free and cheaper software alternatives extensively in future posts.
