If you are using digital mediums for art, it is essential that you use the right program for your purpose. This short list will show you the pros and cons of each program and give my short opinion on them.

1 | Adobe Photoshop [$239]

Pros: Functionality range, Default for professionals, Supports a wide range of file formats.

Cons: Price, Not beginner friendly (Interface)

This is one of the pricier software programs if you are a professional, want the best quality, and don’t really care about price. It is very responsive and includes a wide range of functionality. For example animations. This can also be a downside, as most uses would probably not utilize all of Adobe’s functionalities. It is better off finding a smaller budget software if you won’t use all the functions.

2 | Krita [Free]

Pros: Free, Easy to use, Amazing brush importing tools, Strong customization.

Cons: None that stand out.

Krita is great if you are starting out and need a free program and don’t want to shell out hundreds of dollars. This is a program that you will probably only use when you are starting out and will leave for a paid one when you get the chance. It has great brush tools and has good layer management features.

3 | Procreate [$10] 

Pros: Cheap, Easy to use, Clean interface, Beginner friendly.

Cons: Confined to Ipad, Apple Pen needed, Layer caps.

Procreate is an iOS art application. It is the best one out there for iPads. It is beginner friendly to an extent, but it takes time to get used to gesture controls and such as it doesn’t have tools on screen. However, one big issue that I have experienced is the layer caps based on the canvas. It is really annoying to discover the layer cap when you are knee deep into painting. If you use a lot of layers, then this is a big problem. However, it can be circumvented by merging layers, but it would have been great if we didn’t have to do that. This layer limit could be due to the fact that its on an iOS device.

4 | Clip Studio Paint [$50 || $219]

Pros: Wide range of functionality, Standard for comics.

Cons: Price.

Clip Studio has two versions, Pro and Ex. The Pro costs $50 and is generally the one you would go if you are only painting. If you want full features like animations, then you have to pay up to $219. I will focus on Pro version, as I have more experience with it. Clip Studio has a lot of features like integrated 3D modeler and poser. It has a lot more features than Krita or Procreate. It does have a basic animation feature for quick animations. This is a standard for all comic makers. The program also has smart tools and experimental features that are pretty futuristic. For example, the program can analyze poses from real life photos which is very helpful if you want to use a reference for your work. I would recommend if you don’t feel like Adobe Photoshop.  This is by far the best one I have used and will use for some time.

This is not a ranked list, but my own opinions on some of the art programs. Hope this helps you decide which art program you should use.