What art program do you use?

[DoctorDizzy]

Hi! :chill: I am thinking of moving away from Clip Studio Paint, and was wondering what other art programs there are that I could use :omg:k:

So... What programs to you use? Like... FireAlpaca, Krita, Photoshop, some mysterious fourth thing?? I'm interested in hearing about what you guys enjoy using :chill:

[Memory]

I have tried a lot of different programs and Photoshop is easily the best. It really does everything.

Other programs that focus on doing one thing well, like painting or vector art, are great for that niche. I actually prefer Clip Studio Paint for drawing line art with the vector brush, and it's great for comic layouts. For quick sketches I like having Autodesk Sketchbook on my phone or tablet. Krita was really nice for painting.

But when I want to draw, paint, animate, make pixel art or do web design, Photoshop does all of that with a great interface and nice AI tools.

Gimp tries to compete in the same space, and does do a lot of things Photoshop does, but it doesn't do any of them as well. If cost is important, Gimp is fine for a free tool. But if you have the money, Photoshop is really worth it.

[DeltaFrost]

I have been using FireAlpaca just because it's faster and for short animation, but for a long time I used Medibang Paint Pro which I believe is made by the same people. It's basically a more 'heavy' FireAlpaca that has more Photoshop-esque features. I only do digital art though and not much photo editing.

I believe in terms of digital art it doesn't really matter what program you use as long as it's comfortable. Of course it can be hard to create your best art in something like Microsoft Paint, but it's not impossible. I think the purpose of art programs in terms of digital art is just to speed up the process of drawing. For example, being able to ctrl+t to transform something instead of having to redraw it, it just speeds it up. So I believe the best art program is really whatever makes the process of drawing the fastest for you.

[graveyardsoup]

I don't know that it's really a replacement for anything so much as fun software to use on the side but HEAVYPAINT is a neat program. It doesn't have any fine detail brushes (like the name suggests) so that you're meant to focus more on color and shape over line when you're using it. It's nice for planning paintings or doing plein air stuff. Nice bonus is that it's available on Windows, Mac and Linux and then there's app versions for iOS and Android.

[TheFrugalGamer]

I've been really enjoying different online programs, since I'm not usually offline. My favorite is www.photopea.com, but there's also fun stuff like https://jspaint.app/ and https://www.piskelapp.com/. On my main desktop I also have Rebelle, which usually goes on sale via Humble Bundle every now and then, and ArtRage on Android. They're both "paint simulators," so they serve a different need, but I do love both of them.

[prwlnglthr]

I started really being invested in making digital art long before there were any real competitors to Photoshop and Paint Tool Sai (both of which I used) bc GIMP was never really a competitor so much as a second-place alternative, so I've been using PS since back way back when CS4 was new. I refuse to play the subscription game so I'm just sitting cozy on a copy of CS6 and honestly? I can't fathom ever fully leaving. I just feel v comfortable with all the tools and features at this point, tbh, and it would take a lot to convince me to relearn it.

That said, CSP is a fantastic program (their... forays into subscription-type stuff and the godforsaken AI shit they pulled these last few days aside); I honestly originally bought it solely for its posing tools and things like perspective rulers, symmetry, etc that fill in gaps that PS can't cover. I regularly use it as part of my workflow nowadays. Can't see it replacing PS for me any time soon but it's a great tool to have in your arsenal! Any reason why you're thinking of moving away from CSP?

[DoctorDizzy]

Honestly, their recent business decisions are the main reason why I want to move away I know that I can (and probably should) just ignore them, but I don't know... It just feels kinda gross, I guess, to continue using it?? Like, I'd rather use an application that doesn't pull that garbage :-P

[Memory]

That said, CSP is a fantastic program (their... forays into subscription-type stuff and the godforsaken AI shit they pulled these last few days aside); I honestly originally bought it solely for its posing tools and things like perspective rulers, symmetry, etc that fill in gaps that PS can't cover. I regularly use it as part of my workflow nowadays. Can't see it replacing PS for me any time soon but it's a great tool to have in your arsenal! Any reason why you're thinking of moving away from CSP?

Honestly, their recent business decisions are the main reason why I want to move away I know that I can (and probably should) just ignore them, but I don't know... It just feels kinda gross, I guess, to continue using it?? Like, I'd rather use an application that doesn't pull that garbage :-P

I had to look up what's going on because I'm out of the loop. Sounds like they're pulling exactly what Adobe did with the Creative Cloud subscription.

I hung onto my copy of Photoshop CS6 for almost a decade before eventually caving in and buying the subscription. I have a really high resolution desktop monitor and CS6's UI doesn't scale, so that was part of my decision; but it was actually the AI features that convinced me to upgrade. I understand the controversy around Stable Diffusion and Dall-e generating entire images after being trained on other artists' work without their permission. That's pretty shitty, especially if those images then get used commercially. But I like Photoshop CC's Neural Filters that let you easily modify an existing image rather than generate an entirely new one. Being able to swap backgrounds, reposition lighting and even adjust facial expressions is pretty cool.

I also use Photoshop for work, and am employed full time, so the cost isn't too bad and easily justifiable. But all of these subscription models really aren't friendly to any lower-income creators or especially students. And being able to use the software for cheap (or free, considering how easy it was to pirate Photoshop 5 when I was in high school) is a great way to train and hook in the next generation of people who will be using it professionally. I probably wouldn't be so high on Photoshop's fumes if I hadn't spent all of high school playing around and learning how to use it.

[prwlnglthr]

Honestly, their recent business decisions are the main reason why I want to move away I know that I can (and probably should) just ignore them, but I don't know... It just feels kinda gross, I guess, to continue using it?? Like, I'd rather use an application that doesn't pull that garbage :-P

honestly? I wouldn't be too worried just yet. I really don't think they'll actually go ahead with it based on the fact that I have yet to see anyone actually defend the decision; I think it'll be like discord wanting to pander to cryptobros and NFTs and then getting bullied into rolling that back. can def see why you'd rather use smth else, ofc, but just in terms of feasible alternatives, there's not too much out there that is as powerful as CSP or PS unfortunately.

you can always just stop supporting them/give them no more money/etc from when they implement smth grody, too! that's what I've done with the copy of CS6 I scavenged maaaany years ago now from a friend bc I'd sooner wade through rattlesnakes than throw even $5 to adobe... >_>

[prwlnglthr]

I had to look up what's going on because I'm out of the loop. Sounds like they're pulling exactly what Adobe did with the Creative Cloud subscription.

I hung onto my copy of Photoshop CS6 for almost a decade before eventually caving in and buying the subscription. I have a really high resolution desktop monitor and CS6's UI doesn't scale, so that was part of my decision; but it was actually the AI features that convinced me to upgrade. I understand the controversy around Stable Diffusion and Dall-e generating entire images after being trained on other artist's work without their permission. That's pretty shitty, especially if those images then get used commercially. But I like Photoshop CC's Neural Filters that let you easily modify an existing image rather than generate an entirely new one. Being able to swap backgrounds, reposition lighting and even adjust facial expressions is pretty cool.

I also use Photoshop for work, and am employed full time, so the cost isn't too bad and easily justifiable. But all of these subscription models really aren't friendly to any lower-income creators or especially students. And being able to use the software for cheap (or free, considering how easy it was to pirate Photoshop 5 when I was in high school) is a great way to train and hook in the next generation of people who will be using it professional. I probably wouldn't be so high on Photoshop's fumes if I hadn't spent all of high school playing around and learning how to use it.

man, I'm so damn reluctant to engage with modern tech "upgrades" (things that don't offer any obvious improvements) as long as possible that I'm still sitting here using win 7 even as more and more programs put up a fuss about compatibility. why blow cash on 10 when I can just find a version of python 3 that somebody rebuilt to be installable long after support for 7 ended ehehehe

I can't blame you for actually moving to CC for the AI features bc I absolutely think stuff like AI helping to correct or allow modification of your own files is super fucken cool! can be a total lifesaver when you bungle smth (content aware scaling, for all it's been meme'd to hell and back, helps a lot with nudging a few things late into the painting stage without making me want to rip my hair out). I wish that's the kind of AI usage companies like Adobe, CelSys, etc were more interested in bc it can be a wonderful tool but that's all it should be: a tool.

[Melooon]

Just a quick mention of the Affinity Suite as an Adobe alternative; its a once off purchase; I recently got a full copy because my mum started using it to replace CS3 on her new computer; it looked good, plus it means I know what Im talking about if she emails asking how to do something :omg:k:

I have not had much time with the drawing functionality in AF Photo, but I know its there and its apparently good (they keep emailing me free brushes?). Iv been using the vector art features and its been a super solid experience (Expect WAY more vectors in my sites from now on!!). It might not be as advanced as Adobes latest stuff, but if your coming from an older Adobe its prob got 99% of the features most people want; plus its cross platform (Mac, Windows iPad) so Iv been drawing pixel art on iPad and then moving it over to my computer to fine tune it, its a fun workflow. (Does this sound like an advert? )

On the point of adobe bashing! Ugh; I had "student" creative cloud a few years ago and tried to cancel after 6 months and they would not let me cancel unless I payed the difference of non student costs?? E.g in order to cancel I ether had to stay as a student subscriber for a year, or pay for 6 months retrospectively as a full subscriber. That was super trashy; I just deleted my credit card details and blocked adobes emails and I never heard from them again

[Icey!]

I use pencil and paper, pretty good alternative with a low learning curve!

(For an actual alternative I recommend Krita, it's free and open source.)

[prwlnglthr]

honestly? I wouldn't be too worried just yet. I really don't think they'll actually go ahead with it based on the fact that I have yet to see anyone actually defend the decision; I think it'll be like discord wanting to pander to cryptobros and NFTs and then getting bullied into rolling that back. can def see why you'd rather use smth else, ofc, but just in terms of feasible alternatives, there's not too much out there that is as powerful as CSP or PS unfortunately.

you can always just stop supporting them/give them no more money/etc from when they implement smth grody, too! that's what I've done with the copy of CS6 I scavenged maaaany years ago now from a friend bc I'd sooner wade through rattlesnakes than throw even $5 to adobe... >_>

heyyy I was right, thank god! they released an apology and rolled it back today. obvs, can't trust any company, but their apology was pretty good actually; they listed, point by point, what people said and acknowledged them as valid concerns. they've got a tweet up about it!

[DoctorDizzy]

I just noticed that! That's great news!!

Thank you, everyone, for your great responses. It was really cool seeing what programs everyone used :chill:
I think that I'll stick with CSP, even if their subscription service is a biiiiit... not great lol. :omg:k: I'll definitely try some other programs in the future, though, if only for variety :omg:k: Like, I still want to get used to Krita, for example!!

[lime360]

i formerly used paint.net, now i use krita and original ms paint