4 reasons why Krita is better than Photoshop

There are many alternatives to Photoshop, and many of them are open source applications. Krita is one such software and, like ours, is constantly growing List of Photoshop alternativesKrita has some fantastic features that make it a better editing application. There has been fierce competition between these two image editing programs for decades. Krita was first released in 1999, while Photoshop was released in the late 1980s and the first version was publicly available in 1990. Let's compare them to identify some of Krita's selling features.

4 Open source with more platform availability

More freedom than Photoshop

As with most open source software, you can download and install Krita on Windows, Apple and Linux operating systems. This offers more flexibility than Photoshop, which is not officially available to Linux users.

Photoshop users who want to use Linux as their operating system must use workarounds and emulators to install it, eliminating aspects of the functionality for which you pay hundreds of dollars to use Photoshop.

While Krita doesn't have iPad support – in contrast using Photoshop or Affinity on the iPad — You can use it on some tablets.

Being open source also means that Krita is freely accessible and the code can also be edited. You can donate, but it is not necessary that you part with any money to even use Krita.

3 Easier animation

Better frame-by-frame options than Photoshop

Although you can animate in Photoshop, it's not the preferred animation option for most people. Photoshop uses its Layers panel to create animations. It's fine for short GIFs, but nothing more. It also doesn't work well for illustrated animations since Photoshop doesn't have much vector support.

On the other hand, Krita has a great tool for frame-by-frame animation. You can add a vector layer to ensure your lines stay smooth and clean, and you can use the four different animation dockers available: Animation Timeline, Onion Skin, Animation Curves, and Storyboard.

As in Photoshop, animations in Krita should generally be limited to short animations, no longer than 3 seconds for the final animation; However, you can also create longer animations if necessary.

2 Doodles and drawings

Krita makes drawing easier

Drawing and doodling is easier in Krita than in Photoshop. Not only is there wider inclusion of tablet platforms with pen usage, but the tools and features also make drawing feel more natural and intuitive.

Krita is primarily a raster tool, similar to Photoshop, but also has vector options. Vector options include calligraphy and text tools, as well as various shape tools that can be edited as needed.

You can open a Krita document in a comic template ready for direct storyboard drawing, as well as other templates to start from scratch with different drawing styles.

The native Krita file format KRA automatically saves as SVG to make vector creation and sharing easier. Krita files are also compatible with Inkscape, another Photoshop alternative that allows you to work with multiple programs and get the benefits of both.

1 Larger brush library

By default, more choices are available

Krita's default brush library is more extensive than Photoshop's, which is a big plus to begin with. In addition to a larger selection of brushes, they are also easy to edit and customize to really get what you need from the brushes.

Like Photoshop, you can install your own downloaded or self-created brushes into your Krita Workshop for further personalization; However, the standard library seems to have more than enough options that you may not feel the need to expand it.

In addition to brushes, Krita also offers more comprehensive emulation of natural media within the brush application. From this you can emulate realistic oil paints, watercolors and other textures that result in traditional artistic effects.

Krita is a great Photoshop alternative

While we've only mentioned a small handful of reasons why Krita beats Photoshop, the open source software offers many more features and tools that will make you wonder whether you should pay your money to the Adobe corporation. Open source software brings a sense of community to the world of digital art and allows you to maintain more integrity when creating digital works. Including Krita's support in Inkscape opens doors that are closed when using Photoshop, and the tablet offerings and support also open further doors for on-the-go creation.