If you’re interested in graphic design but aren’t sure which software/graphic design program is right for you, here’s my 2 cents on which programs are best for doing what!
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of these links I’ll receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) in exchange for referring you.
Canva
Canva is a a free online tool that is kind of like a free version of Photoshop. It has similar functionalities but not as many tools and in my opinion, can sometimes be a bit frustrating to use.
Pros of Canva
- Somewhat free. I say somewhat as some of their pre-made templates, stock photos and other design ‘add-on’s’ are free and some are paid. You don’t have to use their templates, you can make something yourself using your own images, graphics etc.
- They have a LOT of images, templates and graphics and even if you didn’t want to pay for one of their pre-made designs, it’s a good starting place for inspiration (or you could always replicate/re-create one of their paid templates yourself if you have the time)
- They have a cool feature where you can create a graphic, then click a button and the software program will automatically resize it to suit the new size. For example, if you created an image that was sized for Pinterest (see this post for a video tutorial), you can click this button and it will automatically adjust/resize it to suit another social media platform such as Instagram (saving a ton of time). This is one feature that Photoshop doesn’t have. However, you do need to be on Canva’s paid program to use this feature.
- Once you’ve created a template, you can make a copy of and make minor changes. So if you were making something and wanted to create the same thing in different colors, or make a ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ version of something or a different color for each of your kids you can easily do this.
- You can create a template/new file using their already pre-sized templates – they have templates already optimially sized for Pinterest, Intsgram, Facebook etc.
- You can also create a new file at any size you like. If you want to try this, I previously shared How to make a monogram desktop wallpaper
- They have a regularly updated Design School blog which not only has tutorials on how to make things using Canva, but also how to promote your blog or business using social media etc.
Cons of Canva
- Requires an internet connection to use – this can be both a good and a bad thing. A good thing in the sense that you can quickly open a new tab in your internet browser and make something fast without having to wait for Photoshop to load (which can take a minute or 2 when you have a lot of files on your computer!), but bad because if you don’t have access to the internet you can’t use the program :/
- It has many limitations – it’s ok if you want to create something that’s simple and quick but if you want to make something advanced, it’s not the right tool for the job. Unlike Photoshop, Canva doesn’t have a layers menu so if you have a lot of shapes, graphics, text etc. and only want to move a certain graphic, you may accidentally click and move another shape/graphic/text that you didn’t want to
- When adding graphics, photos, images etc. to Canva they can take a long time to upload if you’re internet connection is slow
- When you upload images the newest/most recently uploaded images are on top. So if you want to use an image you uploaded a while ago, you might be scrolling for a while
- Some font styles aren’t available so if you want to create a design that uses your brands font and this isn’t a ‘standard’/common font, then you’ll need to upgrade to their paid plan
What Canva is best for:
- Designing something simple
- When you need something created quickly
- If you’ve never used Photoshop before, Canva is a good place to start
- If you need some inspiration they have a ton of free design templates you can quickly and easily customise to suit your business, branding or just your own personal taste
- Adding text to images e.g. before you upload to Instagram or if you want to add the date or a caption to your personal photos
What Canva is not best for:
- You cannot make complex designs (or they take a long time to create)
- You cannot make repeating patterns
- The design tools are a bit basic
- You cannot draw illustrations – it’s basically an image editor program only
If you want to try Canva, I did a tutorial for making a weekly planner here
PicMonkey
Very similar to Canva with some pre-made planner templates. PicMonkey also has photo editing tools.
If you’d like to try PicMonkey, click here
Pros of PicMonkey:
- You can do photo retouching and editing – I personally don’t have a need for these feature so can’t say if they’re good or bad!
- Collage maker – like Canva, PicMonkey has a bunch of pre-made collage templates you can just drag and drop your photos into
- It’s free although they do have the option of a paid pricing plan. In the paid pricing plan is the ability to use any font installed on your computer. So if you want to create brand images using your business’ font and this is not a standard free font like Times New Roman, then you would need to get the paid plan
- If you’ve never used a graphic design software before, then Picmonkey is very easy to use, Photoshop can be intimidating the first time you use it
Related post: How to add text to editable binder covers using Picmonkey
Cons of PicMonkey:
- I personally don’t think their paid pricing plan is value for money. It’s about 2/3 the cost of a monthly subscription to Photoshop which will give you access to far more powerful features
- Like Canva, it requires an internet connection, it’s not a downloadable software that you install on your computer
- Make sure you download an image you create at ‘King-kong’ size, otherwise the image quality will be reduced
What PicMonkey is best for:
- Making something simple and quick
- Photoshop can have a bit of a learning curve, if editing images or designing a one-off creation is all you need to do, then Picmonkey or Canva would probably be most suitable to you
- Resizing using their smart resize tool (part of the pro plan)
What PicMonkey is not best for:
My list is the same as the things Canva is not best for:
- You cannot make complex designs (or they take a long time to create)
- You cannot make repeating patterns
- The design tools are a bit basic
- You cannot draw illustrations – it’s basically an image editor program only
- You cannot do mulit-page designs in the same document
Read more: How to make a printable with PicMonkey (step by step video tutorial)
Gimp
Gimp is like a free version of Photoshop. It’s not internet based, you need to download and install it to your computer. It’s very similar to Photoshop but, like Canva, doesn’t have as many tools or design options. I started out using Gimp when I was too stingy to pay for Photoshop.
Pros of Gimp:
- It’s free!
- Doesn’t require an internet connection – you can use it wherever, from whenever
Cons of Gimp:
- Depending on what you want to create, there are limited tutorials, resources, blogs etc. sharing ‘how-to’s for using Gimp
- While it’s free there are limitations on what you can create and it doesn’t have as many tools, textures, menus etc. as Photoshop
Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is the main software I use. I use it to make party printables, seamless repeating patterns, printables you can find in my shop and labels/stickers to name a few!
If you don’t have Photoshop, you can purchase and download it here (my affiliate link).
Pros of Photoshop
- The main component of Photoshop is the layers menu – you can organize all of the graphics, text, photos/images, clipart, patterns etc. into folders making it easy to navigate
- Clipping masks – one of my favorite tools. If you ever wondered how people make a square image appear as an oval shape e.g. on a party invitation, all they do is create an oval using the shape tool (the ellipse tool to be precise!) then import the photo into Photoshop, postition it above the oval shape layer, right click and create a clipping mask. I shared a tutorial on how to use clipping masks in this blog post, and the shapes tool in this blog post. I also use clipping masks to ‘stack’ different colors and patterns one above each other so I can easily compare how they look (especially handy if I’m tossing up between different shades of the same color). I shared a tutorial on how to use Photoshops color tools in this post.
- You can also duplicate layers and transfer to another template (handy if you want to re-create a template or make slight tweaks without having to re-create the entire design)
- Can use Photoshop for so much more then creating images for social media. I use it to make seamless repeating pattern, printables for my shop, party printables, labels, promotional images etc.
- Photoshop’s extensive textures, tools, brushes etc. give you full control over your design
- The shape tool in Photoshop is one of the main reasons I prefer it to other graphic design software (especially free software). Not only the option to create any shape you want, but also their custom shapes tool, the ability to quickly and easily change the fill color
- Photoshop has a swatches menu – this menu stores all of your favorite colors and you can quickly color match anything in Photoshop using the eye dropper tool. Canva doesn’t have anything like this so you need to know the RGB or 6 digit HEX code in order to color match something. Photoshop also has pre-made color swatches which are great when you need some inspiration for a new color scheme or aren’t sure which colors look good together. I recorded an entire video tutorial on using the color tools in photoshop which you can read in this blog post.
- You can download templates for so many things. A good place to find these are Etsy and Creative Market – there is a template for just about anything from party printables, to planner printables etc.
Cons of Photoshop
- Photoshop is an image editing program. Using the text tool can be annoying if you’re writing a lot of text as it won’t automatically create a new line (the text will just continue off the edge of your template), unless you press enter when you want a new line to start, or you create a text box
- It’s a downloadable software which can take up space on your hard-drive. If you have a lower-end model laptop or computer (i.e. without a lot of RAM or not a lot of hard-drive space) it may slow down your computer
- Photoshop files (.PSD format) are large files and can take up a bit of space on your hard-drive and slow your computer down when you have a few hundred (or a few thousand!) of them
- Photoshop is a paid program. Back when I first purchased it in 2013, it was software that cost a couple of hundred dollars to buy outright but once purchased it was yours to keep forever. Photoshop has since switched to a subscription based model where you need to pay a monthly fee. This fee is actually really low (only $10/month!). If you think about how many things you can make in Photoshop – see this blog post if you need some inspiration – then you easily make back your money. Don’t forget that it’s also a tax deductible business expense
- If you increase the size of an image it can become blurry (Photoshop is raster based)
What is Photoshop Best For?
More complex designs created using Photoshop tools such as textures, brushes, overlays and filters – you won’t find these tools using free software such as Canva or Gimp.
I have a few tutorials on how to use Photoshop on this blog including:
- How to create a new file in Photoshop and how to resize (without distorting!)
- How to use the color tools in Photoshop
- How to change the colors of a pattern overlay in Photoshop
- How to make a stripe pattern in Photoshop (video tutorial)
- How to make a checkerboard pattern in Photoshop (video tutorial)
- How to use clipping masks in Photoshop
- How to use shapes in Photoshop
Illustrator
Illustrator is another of Adobe’s tools. Illustrator is moreso for creating graphics. All that cute clipart you see on Etsy and other marketplaces are people’s hand-drawn illustrations which they convert to digital format using Illustrator (and the help of a Wacom tablet).
Pros of Illustrator:
- It’s vector based (not raster based like Photoshop) meaning you can scale an image, pattern etc. up or down as many times as you like without the image quality being reduce
- You can have multiple artboards in the one file but you can only have one in Photoshop.
What is Illustrator best for?
- Illustrator is preferred by some for making repeating patterns but I personally prefer to use Photoshop for the following reasons:
- I find Photoshop in general much easier to use than Illustrator – I find the overall layout and menus of Photoshop easier to navigate
- Illustrator is more of a drawing program (it’s the software people use to translate their hand sketches into clipart and graphics). I can’t draw a stick figure to save my life so Illustrator has a bunch of tools I don’t need
Which software do I use and recommend?
Photoshop. No question about it. It’s a very powerful tool that’s actually super easy to use once you get the hang of it!
The main reason I don’t use Illustrator is that I can’t draw a stick figure to save my life so I don’t need to use those extra features that Illustrator has as it’s designed for that purpose.
You can do many of the same thingsin Photoshop as you can in Illustrator. For example, I created this product catalogue template in Adobe Photoshop, but I could have also created the same thing in Adobe Illustrator.
It really depends what you want to create as to what software is right for you. If you’re not sure, start with Canva or Gimp, then try Photoshop and for the most advanced option, go with Illustrator. If you’re not sure how to download Photoshop or what paid plan you need, see this blog post.
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