Krita vs Photoshop: Which Is Better for Creative Art?

By Eva Williams 16 days ago, Software Reviews

I find comparing Krita and Photoshop, in my case as not a beginner illustrator and as a person used to creating images mostly for social media, better off with Photoshop. And it has so many features and AI tools. Of course, it is not free like Krita, but honestly, that is totally fine.

Krita is a user-friendly digital drawing and painting program only. Very simple in use but limited. I like its advanced brush engine, which is useful if somebody wants to add some particularities or do some minor changes to the project. However, I was very disappointed with its inaccurate color representation.

Final Verdict:

Just starting out in the illustration sphere, I want to have reliable tools for handling different tasks like photo manipulation, layering, and typography. Photoshop is unmatched when it comes to such processes. Though some users may scorn the necessity to pay every month to use it, this photo editing software for PC offers so many cool features that you won’t regret.

Head to Head Comparison

krita logo
Krita

photoshop logo
Photoshop

Rating

★★★★☆ 4/5

★★★★☆ 4.5/5

Best For:

Digital painting

Image manipulation

Free Version

✔️

Free trial

Price

Free

$22.99/mo

Ease to Learn

More intuitive interface

Steeper learning curve

Platforms

Windows, Mac, Linux

Windows, Mac, Web

Integration

Limited

Adobe Creative Cloud

Community

Smaller community, but supportive

Large and active community

Performance

Smooth performance, especially for digital painting

Robust performance, but can be resource-intensive

Notable Features

  • 100+ professionally made brushes
  • Brush stabilizers
  • Built-in vector tools
  • Wrap-around mode
  • Text to Image AI feature
  • Generative Expand
  • Contextual Task Bar
  • Live preview and on-canvas controls

What Is Krita

krita interface

Krita is a great program for digital painting and drawing. With this program, I can easily make illustrations for my clients. The UI is understandable and most features are customizable. Thus, it can meet the needs of novices only.

Krita is versatile, supports both raster and vector graphics. It offers multiple brushes and colors, allowing users to unleash their creativity and produce unique artwork. While its text tools may be somewhat limited, Krita remains a go-to choice for digital painting, illustration, and graphic design.

What Is Photoshop

photoshop interface

Using Photoshop, I can manipulate layers to create intricate designs, use different brushes for painting and drawing, and enhance my illustrations with customizable texts. I particularly enjoy working with free Photoshop overlays. Using them, I can improve my photos several times faster.

When comparing Photoshop vs Krita, I was impressed by the smart filters available in the Adobe software. With them, it is possible to complete designs very quickly. Besides, I can apply effects and adjust several layers in a matter of seconds.

Interface

When I decided to buy Photoshop, I was a bit worried about the price. However, upon the first launch, I saw how powerful it was. There are lots of handy features in the program, as well as support for shortcut keys for expedited photo editing. If anything is unclear to you, take advantage of multiple tutorials available online in any language you may need.

To users unfamiliar with Adobe, Krita appears to be a more straightforward program. Its dockers and panels are flexible and can be tailored to fit your unique workflow. I also appreciate the option to create personalized shortcuts for frequently used tools.

Drawing and Painting

krita drawing

While working on a project, I discovered that Krita is particularly good at digital painting due to its impressive brush engine and lifelike media simulation. There are over 100 brushes and brush stabilizers to achieve pro-grade results. For one of my projects, I also created my own shapes and libraries within the software.

photoshop drawing

While working in Photoshop, I relied on the Brush tool to realize most of my ideas. The software provides access to thousands of preset brushes inspired by various mediums such as watercolor and oil. Alternatively, you can design brushes on your own. If you want, you can integrate third-party free Photoshop brushes.

In this program, similar to Krita, you can draw and edit your own shapes, as well as blend colors together like wet paint. I was also impressed by the Paint Bucket tool. With it, I managed to fill parts of my design with a pattern promptly.

Other Types of Art

krita example

In Krita, users can animate created illustrations. I even managed to upload audio and adjust my frames.

photoshop example

Photoshop stands out with its advanced options for image editing and photo manipulation. I was able to perform complex edits on my photos with Generative Fill very swiftly. I also enjoyed using the Sky Replacement tool. It is suitable for replacing the sky photos with preset options.

Price

krita logo
Krita

photoshop logo
Photoshop

Free Version

✔️

Free trial

Paid Plan

Free

$22.99/mo

Best Offer 

Free

Creative Cloud All Apps
$59.99/mo

Integration

Krita has limited integration capabilities, whereas Photoshop can be used with other Adobe programs. Besides, you'll have access to Photoshop Express, which contains all the essential tools for basic photo enhancement. Thanks to such an extensive feature set, I can create illustrations, edit videos, and generate graphics for social media without relying on third-party applications.

Support

krita logo
Krita

photoshop logo
Photoshop

Email

✔️

Live

✔️

Community

✔️

✔️

Phone

✔️

Pros & Cons

Pros Cons

Krita

Easy to learn and use

Jagged brush strokes

Free and open-source

Lag, crashes, unresponsiveness

Variety of brushes

Non-destructive layer management

Convenient for on-the-go creativity

Photoshop

Powerful image editing

Costly subscription model

Has a web version

Slow performance on low-end computers

Ability to work with layers

Color correction options

Time-saving tools

Final Thoughts: Overall Winner

Krita or Photoshop – the choice is completely personal. For me, Photoshop is more feature-rich and powerful than Krita. It is packed with various advanced tools indispensable for intricate photo manipulations.

Krita is more geared towards digital drawing and painting, so it’s smarter for any creative artist to choose Adobe CC. Photoshop, in its turn, is unrivaled in terms of image manipulation and typography. It allows bringing to life different ideas no matter how bold they are.

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