"Simple graphics software" Topic

I woud like a nice simple (not too expensive either)graphics package. I would need it for designing flags, drawing diagrams ad pictures, scribbling on top of imported photos etc. The software can be either mac or PC. Thought this might be a topic of interest to many?
Maybe there could also be comments on graphics tablets too?
Can it be used for battle maps?

thank you

martin

MS paint should do fine. Free. MAC must have something similar. Gimp would require some learning but if I picked up the basics anyone can.

If you are looking for map-making, Hexographer is an inexpensive ($32) program that allows quick terrain to be dragged and dropped on hexes (you can then turn off the hexlines). The terrain is rather basic, sort of 1980s-ish, but it works well and there are more elaborate icons to drag and drop.

I believe they have a free web-based version you can try.

I'd go for GIMP, although as Dynaman8789 suggested, the interface and some of the controls can be a bit odd to learn. but once you learn it, you can use it for all sorts of things. You can play with PDFs for example.

Possibly LibreOffice Draw? Nowhere near as powerful, but perhaps easier to learn.

Both are open source, so cost nothing. Just like Chrome or Firefox. And, like all open source programs, Google is your friend to find tutorials and answers.

link
gimp.org

MS Paint is simple, flexable, free (with windows) easy to learn, but somewhat limited. Four out of five aint bad. I've used it for many simple projects.

There are some web based apps, too:
sumopaint.com
You can try it in your browser, and download it if you like it.
It was free the last time I checked.

Maybe there could also be comments on graphics tablets too?

Pretty much all of the good graphics tablets are made by Wacom. There's a Chinese company that makes them cheaper, but you're getting what you pay for.

Depending on how much money you want to drop on them, you can get integrated display/tablets (the Cintiq line) which is indispensable for the professional.

Of note: Wacom and Adobe both make pressure-sensitive styli for the iPad, so if you've already got a late-model iPad, it's much cheaper than a Cintiq. Wacom's is the more app-agnostic choice.

Inkscape [ inkscape.org/en ]

free vector graphic software.

I am in debt gentlemen! The information given is valuable and appreciated!
thank you

martin

Paint.NET is another freebie with numerous tutorials.

getpaint.net/index.html

(If it's not too out of date. There are a lot of ancient dates on stuff, for computer software.)

Thanks Chris!