Digital art programs

I'm so frustrated. I've been away from EV (and therefore digital art) for about 2 to 3 years now. The only art program I've ever used is GIMP. When I returned to EV, I saw that my version of GIMP had expired and I needed to update. No problem! But after the update, the current version of GIMP (in my humble opinion) is incredibly confusing and actually not as efficient as the former. Tasks I used to be able to do without batting an eye, are now incredibly challenging with this new version.

This is saddening, as I truly love digital art and it used to be a relaxing, stress-free reliever for me.

All you digital artists out there, do you have any suggestions on art programs that are friendly to use? Have any of you used the former "older" version of GIMP, and graduated to newer programs and found they did well by you? Would love input. 

Thank you!!!

Last edited on 2024-01-07 at 20:50:51 by Frosted Mint

I use Krita, it's pretty simple once you get the hang of it, everything makes sense, and I'm someone who likes the bare minimum- keep it simple, y'know? From what I've seen, it's pretty similar in layout to Photoshop, so if you learn Krita then switch to PS down the road, you won't be totally lost lol. 
Now, I don't personally have PS, so all similarities I've seen are from screenshots from people who do horse photo manipulations, so they may have changed it^^

Last edited on 2024-01-07 at 21:31:29 by 𝙺ᵃˡⁱ 𝙿ⁱᶜᵏˡᵉ'ˢ 𝙷ᵒʳˢᵉˢ

You should be able to download older versions of GIMP. I’m not sure as to how old but I remember always downloading the same exact version I always used.

Procreate is great. It's easy to use, and everything is organized making it easier to find the tools you need

I don’t think I’m of any help since I use photoshop cs6 and paint tool SAI XD but I hear krita, procreate and firealpaca are free and similar to using photoshop

I have GIMP 2.10.22 (not the newest version), but it might be newer than the version you were using. I upgraded it from GIMP 2.8 and there was a learning curve such as the newer icons and how to switch between tools on the tool bar where they are grouped. I'd be happy to help you if that's something you're struggling with. 

The only other art programs I use at the moment are on the iPad, and I'm not sure if they're available on desktop. I have heard positive things about FireAlpaca and Krita as alternatives to GIMP. I've actually considered switching to one of them as they seem like they have more options without being overwhelming or confusing. And my version of GIMP has had a few moments here lately where it has frozen when trying to use a blur feature or other filters even on a smaller resolution image. 

For a paid option, I'll eventually be going with Procreate since you can do a bit of everything on there including animation and 3D work. But, I'd say it would take more learning for someone used to GIMP as their primary program and it is an iPad/Apple only program. So, you might want to start with Krita or FireAlpaca. 

Procreate isn't free, but when I purchased it last year I think it was like $12? I can't remember but it was something like that. Pretty sure they just released something new that's animation only as well

MINTYYYYY ♥

I second Krita, I use it on my Samsung tablet and it has a lot of the same functions as gimp/photoshop.

Firealpaca's interface is a little more similar to gimp, but I'm not sure on the functions

I know some people have also used medibang but I haven't personally.

If you use an Ipad I know a lot of people love Procreate, you do have to pay for it but it's inexpensive compared to most programs.

I still prefer photoshop, myself. The current program uses a subscription and I think it's like $20 a month, but you have to sign up for x amount of time which is a pain.

Glad to see you back!

Oh, I totally thought procreate was a free program XD Must be a different program I'm thinking of.. hmm