Thanks Colin, I’ve never heard of either...
It is one piece of software. It started off as a vector drawing package but it gradually got updated over the years to include some simple photo editing features so the name got updated too.
I used to buy an upgrade every few years but then they switched over to a subscription model. I am NOT going to pay a £16.95/month subscription for
ANY software, no matter how good it is! I don't mind paying £50 every few years for an application or putting up with some advertising with free software.
... but what works is good enough isn’t it?
Indeed. The functions I tend to use are crop, rotate, sharpen/blur, colour balance adjustment, shadow detail adjustment, contrast, brightness... There is also a '
heal' function which I use to '
repair' areas of photos. For example, I've had one or two nice pictures spoiled by unavoidable overhead power cables. I usually leave them in to give a true impression of a scene, but if I am looking for '
pretty' rather than '
real' I might use the tool to disguise them. It can sometimes do a very good job, although are often some minor artefacts that show that the picture was doctored.