Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> Well, given that I can't actually draw, I guess I don't spend a huge 
> amount of time with drawing packages. (Which arguably Photoshop is and 
> the GIMP isn't - depending on your definitions.)

  Photoshop is not a "drawing package". AFAIK it doesn't have vector
graphics support, for instance.

> And it's not like the GIMP comes with a manual.

  Where did you get that notion? The gimp has a complete help file system,
and the same documentation is available online as well:

http://docs.gimp.org/en/

> - Tim manages to draw, UNdraw and then redraw lines multiple times. 
> Usually in a bitmap editor, all drawing operations are final and cannot 
> be undone like that.

  Ever heard of the concept of layers? If you haven't, you should really
learn to use them. They help you making new additions without changing
anything of the existing image. Your additions are overlayed over the
rest. Layers are also the thing which help you move individual elements
of the image around without moving the entire image.

> (That's what's so great about vector images - you 
> can edit *everything* and nothing is ever "final".)

  He is not using vector images.

> - He scales objects. This generally isn't possible in bitmap editors 
> without absurd levels of highly-visible distortion.

  Of course it's possible. You simply need a very large resolution for
the image in order to avoid pixelation.

> (Tim even scales 
> individual *parts* of objects - something I've never seen any bitmap 
> editor allow.)

  Read my lips: Layers.

> - Tim is able to move objects around, place one in front of another, and 
> draw stuff behind objects. It's standard in a vector editor, but I've 
> never seen it in a bitmap editor.

  Read my lips: Layers.

  It's a very common technique in bitmap editors.

> - I guess the floor fills kind of give it away that this *must* be a 
> bitmap. But how does he manage to fill in all that counter-shading and 
> never accidentally draw over the outlining? Is he just extremely 
> skillful, or is the software assisting him somehow?

  Layers and layer masks.

> - How the heck does he do that thing with the floorboards? And the 
> shading for the shadow in the doorway? I've never seen anything so 
> advanced, ever!

  Layers, transparency.

  Being a POV-Ray user you should know what alpha transparency means.

> - How on earth does he do the text like that?

  Photoshop has quite advanced text manipulation capabilities. It handles
them as vector graphics (probably one of the few true vector drawing
features in the program) until they are "burnt" into the final bitmap
layer.

  With Photoshop you can distort the text in many ways, add outlines,
shadows, colorations, etc. The gimp has many such features as well
(although it's not as advanced in this respect).

> When *I* want to outline 
> something, I have to sit there for hours drawing the outlines in by 
> hand.

  If you are talking about the text, he doesn't need to outline anything.

  As for outlining elements in a bitmap image, Photoshop has quite
advanced selection tools which make the task much easier.

> And not to mention all the squishing and bending of the text, and the 
> multiple levels of gradients and...

  The text is handled as vectors until burnt into the final image.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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