She says gimp doesn't even compare to photo shop CS 5.5 or 6...thats the real problem. She says the current gimp is like using a photoshop from 12 years ago.
We do appreciate the suggestions guys,thanks.
That, unfortunately, is going to be the theme. The free software is adequate to most tasks, but if there are specialized filters or extensions she uses and *has* to have them for professional work, then CS is going to be a requirement I'm afraid.
There's also a methodology and learning curve to overcome. I'm going to guess that your wife hasn't yet explored all the functionality of Gimp or its own extensions. Avid users are capable of doing some very impressive things with the software, but it most certainly doesn't operate the way PS does. Key bindings are different, tools are in different places, some tools have less functionality and some have more, the scripting system is different, and even the workflow operates under different assumptions. If you go into Gimp assuming you're getting, well, a "gimped" photoshop, you're under a misguided assumption. They're two different tools with two different philosophies under-girding each. It's actually kind of a cliche that Gimp users get really annoyed at PS users demanding that Gimp work like Photoshop.
I'm saying all that not to dissuade you or her from using Gimp, but to get across that it really is a different beast that's powerful in different ways than you might be used to.
