How to replace Photoshop using vim

When Arch removed Python 2 from the repos, the chain of dependencies for my Wine prefix running Photoshop CS2 finally collapsed, so I could no longer edit memes on Visual Studio Code users. I had to find another solution. This is when I discovered the superiority of vim over any other graphical editing tool. I want to explain to you the strengths of this approach and its methodology. Not only can you escape proprietary scamware and formats but also edit your footage privately even while people watch your screen.

The ultimate advantage of using vim as a graphical editor is that you can edit your photos on any machine. It doesn’t matter if you are on your local Proxmox instance that runs on your Raspberry Pi home server or you are on a micro OS Kubernetes control node. Your graphics editor is preinstalled. No other software offers such availability. Also, you never need to leave home — neither your house nor the terminal.

The approach is also simpler than you may think. Simply export a photo or graphic you want to edit as an SVG. PNGs are for those without imagination. SVG files come to life if you open them in vim. Edit them from there, sync the changes to the photo with your locally hosted git server. To overcome PDF export the svg to ZPL so you can print them on your local label printer via curl command.

My upcoming tech tips will be on how to replace PowerPoint and cut videos using vim.