Procreate and Photoshop are the best digital painting software. This guide will show both the advantages and disadvantages of these two software.
Terms of Price
A few years back, Photoshop used to be a payment software for around $800 but since the CC version, Adobe decided that it was time to change it into a subscription model. The price of that subscription is around 10 dollars per month. But for a lot of people, who make their living using this software, it didn’t sound quite like a good idea. The reason being, of course, if you subscribe to the software and you plan to use it for your entire life, you will end up paying Adobe way more than the $800. Right on the other side, you can install
Procreate from the App Store for 10 bucks. So, in the price category, Procreate wins.
Usage in the Industry
Photoshop has been the industry standard for years and years, so if you plan to do this thing professionally, you will find that in every scenario, Photoshop is the way to go. It is the standard in the studio and also a standard in the company. That doesn’t mean that the professionals do not use Procreate. It is mostly used for personal needs. In the industry-standard, definitely, Photoshop is the winner.
Versatility
Photoshop has always been meant to be a photography software and of course, you can see it in the name itself ‘Photoshop’. Photoshop has a lot of tools dedicated to artists but still, you can see that you have all the bulk of tools for photography, photo manipulation, animation, and many more.
Procreate on the other side, is a kind of stripped-out version of Photoshop that doesn’t have anything else than the painting tool. So, if we are talking about versatility in Photoshop, you can do a thousand more things than you can do in Procreate. Hence, an extra point goes to Photoshop, even in terms of versatility. You can download Procreate for Windows from here.
Hardware
To be able to use Photoshop, you need a reliable machine. It’s not like you need the latest graphics card or thirty-two gigabytes of RAM. All you need is a decent computer that unfortunately gets you only halfway there. After that you need a graphic tablet that is a Wacom or any of the other brands that are out there, that combo costs a lot more money than you can think.
On the other hand, if you start using Procreate, what you need is an iPad but also, you need an Apple pencil. These two things together will cost you less than what a good computer with a graphic tablet would cost. So, all of this means that if you already have a good computer, it will be better if you invest only in Wacom or another tablet. On the other hand, if you do not have a reliable computer, then it is better to get an iPad with an Apple pencil that is cheaper together. So, in hardware, the decision is yours to be honest because it depends on what you are looking for or the kind of work you are going to do.
Innovation
Adobe is a gigantic company with probably thousands and thousands of employees which means innovations or improvements take a long time to happen. On the other side, the creators of Procreate are a company that consists of only a handful of people that pay attention to everything. The community says and the community asks means that updates happen super-fast and in every single one, you can see massive improvements and sewing innovations. In this case, an extra point goes to Procreate.
Brushes
Photoshop has always set some problems to storing your brushes that is the reason some people use presets instead of brush presets.
Brushes in Procreate, on the other hand, are super nicely organized. The problem is it doesn’t matter which one has the most beautiful display of the brushes. The truth of the matter is that Photoshop has been out for so many years that the number of brush packages and brush possibilities which you have for Photoshop is just infinite. Whereas in Procreate, even though their selection is growing fast, there is still a very limited number of brushes. Another disadvantage of Procreate regarding the brushes is that you cannot import Photoshop brushes into Procreate. So, in brushes, the point again goes to Photoshop.
Productivity
You can use the keyboard in Photoshop and you can use the keyboard also in Procreate but the problem is that you cannot bind the keys. You have to get used to another key binding.
Horsepower
In Procreate, you are limited to the iPad, of course, so that means you have to use iOS. Whereas, if you use Photoshop, you can use a full-fledged Mac, a full-fledged Windows, and that gives a lot more possibilities. Using Procreate, you are limited to a battery-dependent device which means you are going to be stuck to a wall for 16 hours a day drawing something. So, in horsepower, Photoshop wins.
Accessibility
Photoshop is overwhelming with a lot of tools, so much information and so many options that might make you confused initially, so it just does not feel artist-friendly. While Procreate is made to be simple with the super clean and super friendly UI and all the options are hidden beneath other options so that you are not confused and appears to be artist-friendly. In accessibility, Procreate is the winner.
Thus, the comparison gives us three advantages of Procreate and four for Photoshop. Hence, Photoshop is always a better option to use. But if you are a traditional digital artist and art is just your hobby and you want to try digital painting, you must go for Procreate since it’s a cheaper and more accessible option to go for. In a nutshell, usage of Procreate or Photoshop depends on your work and your choice so pick the one that makes your work easier and simpler.