A question for artists: what digital software should I get?

[Fox12]

So, I've taken an interest in art. Until now I've relied on physical media. However, I'm interested in getting digital software for my Microsoft Surface Pro 3. There are so many options, however, that I'm not sure where to start. I've heard people suggest photoshop,but apparently that program wasn't designed specifically for illustrations. I don't mind buying something somewhat pricey, but I don't want to pay monthly fees. I've also seen suggestions for things like Manga Studio, krita, Sketchable, and about a half dozen others. Are there any users who have good recommendations for a digital art program I can use?

Edit: Surface Pro 3 is a laptop/tablet hybrid. I intend to use it as a tablet with a stylus.

 

[Asita]

Point of clarification: Do you have a tablet or do you need suggestions for those as well?

If you're willing to put the time into learning it, GIMP is supposed to be a pretty decent bit of freeware. I've also known a few artists to use SAI, but I can't say how competitive that is these days.

 

[DefunctTheory]

I'm not an artist... actually, I'm fairly terrible at anything involving a pencil. Or brush. Or pen...

So on.

But I can say that Sketchbook works really well on the Surface platform. From a purely hardware/software synergy standpoint, it's a fine program.

Actual artist will have to tell you whether it's worth anything art wise.

 

[Aerosteam]

GIMP is an okay starting off point if you want to spend no money but I'll tell you now it sucks and I hate using it.

If you're not already doing digital art, don't bother with Photoshop. It can do art, but it's main purpose is image manipulation, so it's not dedicated to what you're looking for. In a Q&A session at Anime Expo, Lab Zero (devs of Skullgirls and Indivisible) they mentioned that everyone in their office only know how to use Photoshop, but wish that wasn't the case. It's not the best, but it gets the job done is what I think they said.

For me, I use Manga Studio. I sorta waited until it was 75% off till I got my copy (me being a student and all). If you have any interest in it, you can look up the company's YouTube channel and see videos of what features it has. Let me be clear that I'm not a very good artist and its helped me quite a bit.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Gimp is free, that's the best thing about it. You can use it but paid software definitely does better.

I personally like Photoshop, works just great for digital illustration, even if that wasn't it's original purpose, newer versions have attempted to accommodate to that better. It is a comfort thing though. I like it because I'm used to working with it, but since you don't want to pay a monthly fee (can't say I blame you), give it a pass.

Heard good things about Manga Studio, the default price of entry isn't very high (about $50) and it regularly goes on sale for $30.

PaintTool SAI is easy to learn and understand, you can do some good work with it and it offers a lot of options for drawing.

Since you're just breaking into things SAI and Manga Studio would be best. If you want to work full time for a company, it's good to know Photoshop, but if you just want to draw to draw, you can't go wrong with the cheaper alternatives.

 

[DementedSheep]

I like Mischief and Manga Studio.
Mischeif is a lightweight and easy to use program. It replicates the feel of paper sketching very well with no fuss and has infinite zoom and canvas so it works great for freeform sketching and concept work. That it's lightweight and easy to use is something I like about it and means it's not intimidating for people starting out but because of that it's not great as your only art program. You'll want something with more features for a complete illustration. Manga studio is solid, it's great for inking and has everything I need for coloring. If you only want one I'd get this one. Both of these programs have free trails.
I could never really get into Krita, I don't like interface and it stutters, though it dose have the benefit of being free and it has a lot of different brushes which is good if you want to get fancy or replicate the look of traditional mediums.

 

[axlryder]

gimp. I've worked professionally just using gimp. It's totally adequate for most things. When you figure out if you want to pursue art further, manga studio is pretty good.

 

[Wintermute_v1legacy]

I think krita is amazing, as far as free alternatives go. Really the first time I used it I thought holy shit it's like photoshop but free (you can pay for it if you want to support the people behind it though, which I did because it's fairly cheap). Whenever I tried gimp, it was always terrible.

Photoshop or Corel Painter both are pretty amazing for digital painting. Last I heard you could still buy corel painter, unlike Photoshop with its monthly rental or whatever, which I think it's fine.

 

[Fox12]

Thanks for the insight everybody, it was really helpful. I feel like I've got more to go on now.

Gimp is free, that's the best thing about it. You can use it but paid software definitely does better.

I personally like Photoshop, works just great for digital illustration, even if that wasn't it's original purpose, newer versions have attempted to accommodate to that better. It is a comfort thing though. I like it because I'm used to working with it, but since you don't want to pay a monthly fee (can't say I blame you), give it a pass.

Heard good things about Manga Studio, the default price of entry isn't very high (about $50) and it regularly goes on sale for $30.

PaintTool SAI is easy to learn and understand, you can do some good work with it and it offers a lot of options for drawing.

Since you're just breaking into things SAI and Manga Studio would be best. If you want to work full time for a company, it's good to know Photoshop, but if you just want to draw to draw, you can't go wrong with the cheaper alternatives.

I've tried out the free trial for manga studio, and I think it's got everything I'm looking for. I'll probably get the normal version, and move on from there if I get comfortable. It's a pretty awesome program, and it works well with my tablet.

 

[Fox12]

Thanks for the insight everybody, it was really helpful. I feel like I've got more to go on now.

Gimp is free, that's the best thing about it. You can use it but paid software definitely does better.

I personally like Photoshop, works just great for digital illustration, even if that wasn't it's original purpose, newer versions have attempted to accommodate to that better. It is a comfort thing though. I like it because I'm used to working with it, but since you don't want to pay a monthly fee (can't say I blame you), give it a pass.

Heard good things about Manga Studio, the default price of entry isn't very high (about $50) and it regularly goes on sale for $30.

PaintTool SAI is easy to learn and understand, you can do some good work with it and it offers a lot of options for drawing.

Since you're just breaking into things SAI and Manga Studio would be best. If you want to work full time for a company, it's good to know Photoshop, but if you just want to draw to draw, you can't go wrong with the cheaper alternatives.

I've tried out the free trial for manga studio, and I think it's got everything I'm looking for. I'll probably get the normal version, and move on from there if I get comfortable. It's a pretty awesome program, and it works well with my tablet.

before you buy Manga Studio, check out Krita [https://krita.org/en/] first. It's probabl;y my favourite free drawing software. Only complaint is that it's a bit of a performance hog, but if you're using it alone and dont go crazy with layers or resolution, it should be fine. Plus it has a full featured animation capabilities as well.

I'll probably try out a few programs before I settle on a final choice. Thanks for the advice!