Forum - Anyone know any art programs besides PS?

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Forums Off-Topic Discussion Anyone know any art programs besides PS?

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11 days ago

Wolfe

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Anyone know any art programs besides PS?

I have been wanting to get back into digital art now that I have a bit more free time. I used to use PS. While I was going to college I ended up getting it for free while I was enrolled. Now that I'm not I don't feel like shelling out that kind of money every month or year for a sub. I have tried things like GIMP, and more recently Krita, but they just aren't clicking. PS has unfornutately spoiled me. I don't mind even paying for something that is a one time purchase as long as there is a trial version I can test out first. I work off of my laptop and my Wacom Cintiq Pro tablet. I even just upgraded my SDD card recently so I don't think I'll have issues running most things. So to all you digital artists out there, what would you recommend?

Also, maybe if someone uses Krita some pointers could be helpful? I got the basics down. I have the most trouble with things like the stabilizer tool. It's something I use when doing linework as my hands shake a lot and it gives me smoother lines. Just with Krita there seems to be a delay that is either too much or too little, nothing I have found that's a good in between for me to properly do my lines like I would like.

I was thinking of giving PaintTool Sai a go. I've heard good things about it. I just have been getting a bit bummed out with trying to figure out Krita that I just think my brain is refusing to want to try and learn something else. xD

(Edited)

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11 days ago

Derantez

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I use an app called Affinity Photo 2! Theres a couple other apps that cost their own thing, but Photo is the drawing one and best for DA! I’m not sure if it has a free trial or not, but I’m sure they’d have it somewhere on their page! Hope this helps! ^^

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11 days ago

Wolfe

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@Derantez

I don't think I've ever heard of that one before. I'll definitely give it a look and see if there's a free trial or not. Thanks for sharing! :D

Edit: There is a free 7-day trial! I think I will give it a go and see if it has everything I'm looking for. The price tag for Windows is a bit hefty, but a one-time purchase is a lot better than a monthly or yearly sub. Thanks again for sharing this.

(Edited)

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11 days ago

Derantez

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Yea ofc! Another note is they often try to sell the bundle of the three apps which is more than just Photo ^^ just thought I’d point that out just in case lol

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11 days ago

Vissyn

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I've heard good things about Sai. Can also try fire Alpaca.

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10 days ago

Wolfe

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@Vissyn

I've heard good things about Sai too. It's on my list to try if I don't like Affinity. I will also look into FireAlpaca. Thanks for the suggestion. :D

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10 days ago

Snail

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If you used to use photoshop you might like photopea, its a website but its free.

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10 days ago

Wolfe

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@Snail

Oh, interesting! Looking at it now and it bears a striking resemblance to PS. I'll add this to my list of must tries as well. Thank you!

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10 days ago

Fangs

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Firealpaca for sure! But if it's not your preference, I used to used G imp too. They're pretty similar, but Firealpaca works better if you have a tablet.

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10 days ago

Wolfe

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@Fangs

GIMP used to be my go to program before I ever had PS. And before I had a tablet too, now that I think about it. I used to draw everything with my mouse. Don't see how I did that now after having a tablet. xD So, I will keep that in mind with FireAlpaca. Thanks for more info about it. Incredibly helpful!

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10 days ago

FourLeaf

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Since it doesn't seem like anyone mentioned it yet, Medibang Paint. I've been using it since... around 2015 or so? It's free to use, on both mobile and pc - though there are some pay-to-use texture/pattern brushes, and you have to pay to remove ads on the mobile version (or only use the app while offline). Not sure if there's a premium version of it, I never needed any of the premium things myself so I never looked into it.

I've never used Photoshop, so I can't really say how similar they are or not. In terms of free features though, Medibang seems to have most/all of the general stuff, as well as letting you make your own brushes (though I've not done it often so not exactly sure what the limits are on that), and it has a built-in recording feature, so you can record as you draw if you're interested in that (I believe it only records when you're actively drawing on the canvas too, which is nice). It has tools for both regular art and pixel art as well. And if you make an account on the app (which I believe it's still free to sign up for that), it also has a cloud feature which allows you to save/transfer psd files between devices as long as you have the app installed on those devices, though I think you do still have to open/save it in Medibang first.

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