Anything Better Than Photoshop

1. Is There Anything Better Than Photoshop
2. Better Than Photoshop Free
3. Is There Anything Better Than Photoshop
4. What's Better Than Photoshop

Often, photographers refer to the 5% features that Affinity Photo lacks, as a reason for not trying it. But for most photographers, Affinity Photo can do 95% of what they could ever wish for in an advanced photo editor. And on some points even better than Photoshop, and at a fraction of the price. Gimp – Desktop open source alternative to Photoshop. Gimp (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is. Q: Is Adobe Photoshop still the best for editing photos? Short answer, YES! I consider Photoshop to be the Gold Standard. It passed 30 years old in 2018. When layers were introduced in version 3 (1994) there was no looking back. Photoshop Elements 'dumbs down' Adobe Camera Raw-you get ACR, but not ALL of it. If you are a photographer, you are best served by getting Adobe Lightroom and taking a few classes. You'll spend less than Photoshop costs, have a much better tool than Elements, without spending much more.

My subscribers often ask me – is procreate better than Photoshop? Can I replace Photoshop with procreate? Which software is better? Can I replace or switch from one to another? I hope you will get all the answers upon reading my take on it.

This is a Photoshop vs Procreate detailed comparison. Wondering which one is better? The answer is – depends what you are using it for. Each app has its main strengths and weakness. I am giving thorough information on both programs so that you could better understand the differences and choose the one that suits your needs.

Nowadays it's hard to find someone who hasn't heard about Adobe Photoshop, even if he or she doesn't work in any creative sphere. Photoshop has been around from the early 90s and became a professional standard software in almost every company that deals with digital art in any form.

Being a dedicated Adobe user for more than a decade, I honestly think that Photoshop without a doubt is the best desktop software for graphic design and digital art. An interesting note – it was supposed to be released for IPads sometime in 2019, but we are still waiting for the version with full functionality as of the beginning of 2020.

Procreate for iPad is a relative newcomer, it was released in 2014 as an application for professional creatives. Since then many artists have been talking very positively about their experience using the app. And rightfully so. When I first got my hands on Procreate app like a couple of years ago I was wondering if it's gonna replace Photoshop in my daily practice. Or if it's just a nice toy not suitable for professional work.

The short answer is – each can replace the other in a respective field of application. Meaning that Photoshop is better for one set of tasks and Procreative is better for other tasks.

In order to know which one is better for you personally you should know both programs' pros and cons for digital illustrating.

-Industry standard software

Adobe Photoshop has been a proven leader in creating and editing raster imagery for years, so it's no surprise companies and digital studios of all over the world use it as a default software in their offices. If you are a beginner in digital art I would highly recommend you to learn Photoshop first because it will give you points in karma when applying for a job (many companies simply state this as a strict requirement).

-Brushes

Photoshop has been around for a long time so it's no wonder there are already tons of brushes created for it. You can find almost every brush you need in the internet and if you are using Photoshop for some time you may have already collected you own unique set of favorite brushes. To my joy Photoshop brushes can now be transferred to Procreate.

-Versatility

It's not a secret Adobe Photoshop has the whole bunch of different options not only for illustrating but also for photo editing (as it comes from it's name Photoshop was originally created for dealing with photos J ), web design and printing. There are build-in handful filters, camera RAW and retouch tools for your photos, slicing and saving for web for your banners and newsletters, and CMYK profiles to prepare your images for printing which Procreate doesn't have.

-Amount of layers

Different iPads depending on their memory storage allow you to use from 28 up to 90 layers in your Procreate. Photoshop on the contrary allows you to utilize hundreds of layers (which is vital for complex projects and highly detailed drawings). You are indeed free to edit every layer you've created at certain point without a need to merge them every once in a while.

-Adjustment layers

For me personally it's the biggest advantage of Photoshop over Procreate. Using adjustment layers allows you to change colors of your whole artwork, not individual layers. There are plenty of options like photo filters, contrast or brightness you can apply to a bunch of layers at once. This is something that Procreate definitely lacks.

Adobe photoshop cs6 download with crack. -Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts allow you to fasten your workflow significantly. There are a lot of premade shortcuts that you can use or create your own by going to Edit > Keyboard shortcuts (or Alt+Shift+Ctrl (Command for iOS) +K). Yes, you can assign some functions to certain gestures in Procreate but they are limited in comparison.

-Vectors

There are no vectors in Procreate. You can neither create a precise vector mask for your layers nor draw a neat vector shape. On the other hand, Photoshop has you covered on this.

-Productivity

It's a matter of discussion which program provides a faster workflow though for me personally Photoshop is more time saving when working with complex imagery.

-Monitor size

Working with Photoshop you can choose whatever monitor size you want (i.e. a regular laptop or wide or even super wide screen). So far the biggest iPad screen that allows to work in Procreate is 12.9 inches. And it's usually way smaller than your monitor screen.

-No dependency on battery

Working on your desktop allows you not to worry about your computer's battery running out of charge in the most inappropriate moment. Meanwhile Procreate is going to last as long as your iPad's charge.

-Easy sketching

It's really, REALLY comfortable for sketching and feels much like drawing on a real sheet of paper. You can easily rotate and zoom the canvas in Procreate and the workflow is incredibly smooth.

-Brushes

There is around 130 built-in default brushes and the majority of them are really awesome. Procreate also allows you to play with the settings of your brushes (which are much broader that in Photoshop) and easily create your own brushes from the existing ones or from scratch.

Great news from the recent 5.0 Procreate update – now you can import your brushes (.abr) from Photoshop. No need to change your working routines.

I personally love how the brushes are organized in Procreate – you can have separate folders for different ones (like Charcoal or Pencil or Geometric neatly gathered in different folders that you can rename or change the order from top to bottom of the menu).

-Color palettes

It's a great feature that allows you to create different color palettes for different needs, save them, assign as default and easily change the colors with tap of your finger. I've got like 5 favorite pallets and switch between them for different kinds of work.

-Simplicity and artist friendliness

When you first open Procreate, the amount of menus, dropdowns and filters in the interface does not overwhelm you. Procreate provides very simple and friendly menu that allows you to create a drawing even if you are not yet familiar with shortcuts and built-in features of the app. In my opinion, it's easier for beginners and allows artists of different skill level to use Procreate from the first day of purchase.

-Portability

Procreate is an app for tablets (and its Pocket version works even on iPhone). And the main idea of tablet is its portability. That means you can draw basically everywhere – outdoors, in transport, on vacation. There are no limits except you battery charge 🙂

-Lettering

While I'm not a lettering artist myself many of my fellow artists say it's really convenient to use Procreate for lettering because of the brush settings which you can adjust to mimic the lettering tools but with way more control over your workflow.

-Time-lapse recording

Yes, with Procreate you don't need to learn how to use any recording programs, as time-lapse is a built-in feature in Procreate. You can even see how much time you've spent on a particular piece of art and share your speed paint video instantly in social networks.

-Price

And finally the price. Procreate costs $9.99 and once you pay – it is yours forever. In case of Photoshop, it will cost you around $239 a year and is subscription based. Unless you have free subscription provided by the company you work for (like in my case).

Photoshop and Procreate are both great tools and I can't say one can replace another in a long run. They are rather supplementary and can provide great experience when used together. You can start your work on the tablet in Procreate and add final touches on your desktop easily. Or create your artwork in Procreate and prepare it for print using Photoshop afterwards.

• If you are a beginner and have a limited budget – Procreate is definitely worth getting.
• If you are already an experienced artist Photoshop can remain your basic desktop software no matter what. Procreate will simply give you more options.
• The most important thing is that you can create amazing art on both apps. It comes down to your personal preferences, tasks and what you enjoy more.

• Artist's Review
• photoshop, Procreate, procreate vs photoshop

Hi! I'm Anniko, creative illustrator & designer. Welcome to my blog. I'm happy to share my experience and skills with everyone interested in art. More about me here

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Photoshop is so expensive! Do you really need this behemoth of a program to carry out your daily photo editing tasks, your social media graphics or your wacky picture manipulations? Thankfully the answer is 'NO'. Here are 9 of the best alternatives to Photoshop that are both FREE and cheap!

In the 10+ year history of RobCubbon.com has only had four guest posts. Why? Because the guest posts I get are usually crap. But this one isn't. Far from it. Here is Piccia Neri who I met in a WordPress meetup in back in 2013 in London. Piccia runs her own business from Valencia in Spain doing graphic and web design for clients, she's also an avid photographer and teaches Photoshop at a prestigious photography school in London.

Here are 9 tried and tested alternatives to Photoshop that you can use on your mobile, tablet or desktop.

Gimp – Desktop open source alternative to Photoshop

Gimp (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is the granddaddy of all open-source photo editing programs. It was originally conceived for the GNU operating system, a project based on the concept that software should be free and not be tied to a proprietary platform, the way Photoshop is.

Much like WordPress, the core of Gimp is created, maintained and updated by a community of developers using a variety of open-source coding languages. For this reason only, it is a beautiful thing! But more importantly: does it work?

Well, yes of course: the community guarantees that it does. It's a tool that can be used for high quality image manipulation: retouching, restoring, compositing. It's also an artist's tool, with an array of brushes and other tools. The interface, if you are used to a Mac, is charmingly old-fashioned, but it all works. If you have used Photoshop before, it will take you a short while to navigate the tools, but you'll get familiar with it quickly.

Some everyday tasks that you take for granted in Photoshop, such as Save for Web, require a plugin.

• GOOD FOR: More complex photo manipulations jobs. It's basically a pro or semi-pro tool. There is a learning curve.
• NOT SO GOOD FOR: If what you are after is a quick and dirty image helper then Gimp is not the ideal tool for you.
• WORKS ON: Windows, OS X and Linux
• ONLINE OR OFFLINE? Offline. You will need to download a copy from the main Gimp home. In the case of large images, offline is better.
• PRICE: Free.

Pixlr – Suite of image editing apps for mobile, web and desktop

Pixlr is a whole suite of different apps for mobile, web and desktop that are available for download as well as online use. To be honest, this can make things a bit confusing, also because each app is a bit different from its sister app that does more or less the same thing. I have used the desktop browser app, which is called Pixlr Editor, and the desktop download, Autodesk Pixlr.

The interface of the in-browser app Pixlr Editor looks like Photoshop. But it isn't: so instead of thinking, ah, this is so simple, how refreshing!, I immediately go looking for my favourite Photoshop features, one of which are the layer blending modes, which aren't there.

The desktop app, Autodesk Pixlr, is much better, it does not try to ape Photoshop. It's a quick and dirty, unpretentious image editor with lots of nice filters, stickers, effects, borders, type and overlays that would make a professional photographer run away in horror but that are perfect for the everyday user. Some more advanced features need the paid version ($1.99/month or $14.99/year in Jan 2017).

Note that there is a resize option, but no image optimisation feature to make your image lighter and faster for the web. If you are posting to your own site make sure you run your image through TinyPNG or similar.

• GOOD FOR: Pixlr Editor is a basic Photoshop. Autodesk Pixlr is to get creative with images.
• NOT SO GOOD FOR: The fact that there are so many different app options can be confusing. It certainly confused me.
• WORKS ON: Browsers, Mac, Windows, iOSX, Android.
• ONLINE OR OFFLINE? Both.
• PRICE: Free, with upgrades: $1.99/month or $14.99/year.

Affinity photo – Desktop alternative to Photoshop for Mac and Windows (beta)

Out of all the tools in this list, Affinity Photo is the closest to Photoshop. The interface is slick, just like the Adobe one, although the type and icon sizes are a bit too small even with the largest settings selected.

Is There Anything Better Than Photoshop

The important thing, however, is that Affinity truly is Photoshop without the bloat: it supports all the best Photoshop features, such as tons of layer features, blending modes and adjustment layers, channels for retouching and masking, pro cut-out techniques, vector works and working with the RAW format.

This means that Affinity is a pro tool, just like Photoshop, minus the features that most of us – even photo pros – don't need, such as 3D.

Affinity, unlike Photoshop, is a one-off payment. And at the current $39 offer, quite a steal at that. Best notes app for ipad mini.

There's a great Vimeo channel with tons of very well-made Affinity tutorials.

• GOOD FOR: Great for semi-pro image editing and seriously creative image manipulation tasks. Get this, if what you want is a proper Photoshop substitute that's 100 times faster.
• NOT SO GOOD FOR: if what you're after is a simple image editor that allows you to put text on your Instagram images, then you should look at other tools on this list.
• WORKS ON: Mac and Windows (in beta).
• ONLINE OR OFFLINE? Offline.
• PRICE: €39.99 one-off payment. There is no trial version.

Lunapic – Free online photo editing app

Lunapic is great. No, seriously. Lunapic is a brilliant online tool that tries to make it as easy as possible for you to get things done even when you don't know what you are doing.

Better Than Photoshop Free

It's the first of the tools I've reviewed to have an obvious, and quick to find, way to save an image to a smaller, web-friendly size. It comes with the main adjustments and editing tools that you would need for some basic manipulation or photo enhancements. Want to quickly flip a photo? Lunapic will do that for you in seconds.

Plus, for those of you who have fun salvaging photos, you get all sorts of ‘creative' tools: drawing tools, borders of all types, filters, effects and even add animations. I don't recommend the latter (they are annoying at best) but should you want to animate, well, you can.

Is There Anything Better Than Photoshop

• GOOD FOR: Performing basic tasks such as cropping, resizing or saving for web. Having fun adding all sorts of unnecessary effects, filters, borders and other sorceries to your photos.
• NOT SO GOOD FOR: There are quicker tools if all you need is a snappy way of adding text or effects to your social media pics.
• WORKS ON: Desktop browsers.
• ONLINE OR OFFLINE? Online.
• PRICE: Free, with ads.

Fotor – Online photo editing app

I'm pleased to report that Fotor is yet another great tool that you can use instead of Photoshop. The splash page promises 'Simple yet powerful', and after a quick play-around, I confirm that Fotor delivers the promise.

There are 3 main sections (top left nav) after you've opened an image: Edit, which contains all essential image editing tools such as simple edits, the inevitable crazy filters and effects, beauty fixes, and finally frames and text overlays. For the last two you'll need to upgrade, but at $3.33 (with an annual payment of $39) it's not going to break the bank.

Then you also get the collage section, which does what it says on the tin: a very simple and easy way to create a collage with pre-set layouts.

The new design section is also great value: it comes with heaps of pre-set designs for all social media platforms and more, including banner ads, with image backgrounds and text overlays that you can edit at your leisure. I really like this tool: it comes with many handy options and the interface is very intuitive. A bit like Canva, but without the bloat. Thumbs up for Fotor.

• GOOD FOR: Basic photo-editing tasks as well as filters, borders, stickers and text (at a price); for collages and social media graphics. Great, easy to use interface.
• NOT SO GOOD FOR: This is not a semi-pro alternative to Photoshop; rather, a quick, easy and cheap all-rounder.
• WORKS ON: Desktop browsers.
• ONLINE OR OFFLINE? Online.
• PRICE: Free, with ads. Certain features need the upgrade: $39/year or $8.99/month.

Jpeg-Optimizer – Free online image resizing and compressing tool

If all you are after is a very simple resize-and-compress for your images, perhaps after downloading them from your phone or from a stock photo agency, then Jpeg-Optimizer is a no-frills, quick and easy option that will get it done for you in a split sec. You have the chance to resize as well as compress.

So this comes in handy for the other, fancier alternatives we have seen so far, which don't actually offer a blazing-fast optimisation option. Start editing with one of the fancy tools and then head over to Jpeg-Optimizer to quickly re-size and optimize it for web.

• GOOD FOR: Resizing and compressing images
• NOT SO GOOD FOR: Anything else.
• WORKS ON: Desktop browsers.
• ONLINE OR OFFLINE? Online.
• PRICE: Free, with ads.

ipiccy – online, free alternative to Photoshop

Wo-hoo! Look at all the lovely image editing tools in ipiccy! Ah, how great. Another brilliant and FREE online tool that substitutes Photoshop!

I am truly impressed by the choice of editing tools in ipiccy. In the picture mode, the left-hand side toolbar comes with the basic editing suite – resize, crop, rotate, flip, exposure, colour, hue & saturation – as well as more advanced tools such as cloning, curves, background erase and more. And look! It's got blending modes! As well as layers. I am happy.

The icons at the top allow you to switch from Picture mode into another wide array of editing tools (including skin corrections) effects, frames, filters, bells and whistles. File transfer pro app. You can save the final result to your computer, or enable your own personal online storage.

One caveat: it doesn't work so well on Chrome for Mac, the tooltip disappears. Totally fine on FireFox. It's a Flash-based program, so it won't work on your iOS device.

• GOOD FOR: Some serious photo editing as well as messing around with your photos, on a clean and very intuitive interface. A few cool, Photoshop-like features such as blending modes.
• NOT SO GOOD FOR: Social media graphics are probably quicker to create in another program.
• WORKS ON: Desktop browsers.
• ONLINE OR OFFLINE? Online.
• PRICE: Free, with ads.

SumoPaint – Desktop and online photo editing alternative to Photoshop

You're going to start thinking that I like everything, because I'm about to say that SumoPaint is another excellent online application that will make you forget Photoshop exists. It's not my fault: SumoPaint is just great and I won't pretend otherwise.

The project dates back to 2008 and now has 20 million unique users worldwide! I guess they're doing ok with the ads, then. It's also a serious educational tool, used in schools' clouds and by Google Edu, as well as having a whole community of SumoPaint artists around it.

The interface is extremely similar to Photoshop: in fact, it reminds me of the golden days of Photoshop 5.5, when the Adobe program was still (relatively) un-bloated and a breeze to use. You get all the basic editing tools that you would expect of a serious image editor, as well as the wackier features that no online photo manipulation tool can do without. What's not to like?

You can upgrade to the paid version to get rid of the ads and unlock a host of other features, such as high-res cloud storage, dedicated help desk, unreleased Sumo apps, and more. At $40 annually, it's a bargain.

• GOOD FOR: Proper photo editing as well as whacky features. Cloud storage for your images.
• NOT SO GOOD FOR: Social media graphics are probably quicker to create in another program.
• WORKS ON: Desktop browsers and desktops.
• ONLINE OR OFFLINE? Both.
• PRICE: Free, with ads. Upgrade for no ads and a host of features: $4 monthly, $11.50 quarterly, $22 semi-annually, $40 annually.

PicMonkey and old favorite alternative to PS

PicMonkey, another old favourite: it's much simpler than most of the apps we've seen so far, and, refreshingly, much less like Photoshop. It's a great app to use on the move when you need to send out a quick social media message from a photo you've just taken.

There is the usual arsenal of basic photo retouching and editing tools that we are now used to expect. Plus, the indispensable set of overlays, frames, textures and themes that make the happiness and delight of serial social media posters.
Unlike the other tools we've seen, PicMonkey is better on phone or tablet than on desktop.

PicMonkey can be for free; however, as is often the case with this type of app, certain features need the upgrade to a paid plan. It's cheap, anyway, with prices starting at €5.50 a month.

• GOOD FOR: Posting to Instagram and other social media platforms on the move.
• NOT SO GOOD FOR: We've got spoilt by now! So, don't expect too much from PicMonkey. Stick to social posting from your phone, and use one of the other tools we've mentioned when you need to carry out more ‘professional' photo editing or design task.
• WORKS ON: Desktop browsers; Android, iOS.
• ONLINE OR OFFLINE?: Online.
• PRICE: Free, with upgrades starting from $5 a month.

You can do it

You don't need to run a costly subscription to Adobe Photoshop to be able to carry out a wide variety of photo work.

What's Better Than Photoshop

Photoshop is a huge program with an extremely steep learning curve. It also handles animation and 3D rendering, which means it occupies up a lot of room on the hard drive, as well as taking a huge toll on RAM. It's not that intuitive and Adobe developers seem to relish getting rid of beloved features or changing the behaviour of tools at each new release.

It's great to think that the days of Adobe's domination in the digital world of image manipulation are finally over. Unless you need to create an extremely complex image composite or any other hi-end professional image, you do not have to use Photoshop in 2017.

But, it would be great to hear what you think? What is your favorite alternative to Photoshop. Let us know in the comments. And, be sociable, and share this post with your friends.