I spent two weeks comparing Procreate and Photoshop for digital painting, and the winner surprised me

I've been doing digital art as a side gig for about 3 years now, mostly character designs and portraits. Last month I decided to really put Procreate and Photoshop head to head for my workflow. I timed myself doing the same piece in both programs - a fantasy elf portrait with lots of blending and texture work. Procreate finished in about 4 hours while Photoshop took close to 7 because I kept getting bogged down in settings and layers. The brush feel in Procreate just clicked with my hand better, no lag at all on my iPad. Has anyone else switched programs and noticed a huge time difference like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

miller.rowan1mo ago

Did your friend try switching from a mouse to a tablet?

torres.thea1mo ago

lol "bogged down in settings and layers" is the most accurate description of Photoshop I've ever heard. @miller.rowan your friend switching tablets is cute but they should try switching programs first. I spent a full afternoon once just trying to find where Adobe hid the smudge tool after an update. Procreate just works, no hunting around. Also that time difference you saw is wild but honestly I believe it. Photoshop makes you feel busy while Procreate lets you actually paint.

corablack1mo ago

I used to swear by Photoshop for years until I tried Procreate last spring. The brush engine in Procreate is just smoother for painting, especially with the Apple Pencil. But I have to gently push back on something - that 4 hour vs 7 hour comparison might not be totally fair. A lot depends on how well you know the program. I know people who can fly through Photoshop in half that time because they have all the shortcuts memorized and their custom brushes dialed in. When I first switched to Procreate it took me a while to learn where everything lived. So the time difference is real but it's also about how comfortable you already are with the tools.