The alternatives are getting better, but it always seems like there is one action that would be trivial in photoshop that always end up being impossible in the competitors, and it ends up being exactly the thing you need for your project.
Was about to mention photopea as well...I should add that i'm by no means a person who uses this type of software on a regular basis....But whenever i need it i reach for either GIMP or photopea, and last few years, its been photopea far more often.
Honestly, i wish Adobe would still offer the conventional license, but with an additional hosting option that consumer can *choose* to activate and pay more for, or not...so that, basically:
* I pay a one-time license to use photoshop offline - and for however long i wish (understanding that after its end of life i may not eligible for security updates, but that's fair)
* Now, for storing of files, i would need to of course store them locally on my machine.
* But, if i *chose* to pay an ongoing subscription, that is when Adobe would host files for me....so i can still use their product offline, and they only charge me for use of online file storage...and i wouldn't mind if there were a premium on that charge, since i get that i would be paying for an ongoing storage service.
That gives me choice, it gives them money (both for licensing and ongoing hosting subscription), and i would figure everyone would be content....
...but, i guess the current world does not work that way, eh? So, i guess i will continue to avoid their products, heading towards alternatives like photopea, Gimp, etc.
