In time, creatives have been known to be people who practice their craft using paint, paper, pens, brushes, and other manual tools, depending on their area of expertise.
However, with the advent of technology, a tool that has greatly influenced how we go about our tasks, Creatives such as; illustrators, concept artists, and digital painters have enjoyed the most significant advantage. There are various platforms, apps, and devices that help get creative work in whatever form is done faster.
Procreate, and Clip Studio are apps that reflect the ease of technology for artists, illustrators, and painters.
What is Procreate?
Procreate, an app designed exclusively for Ipad and Ios helps artists with sketching and illustration and enables them to work the digital way.
What is Clip Studio Paint?
Clip Studio is a painting and illustration app that is more versatile than Procreate and is compatible with macOS, Windows, Ipad, IOS, and Android devices. Still, for this comparison, we will be considering its iPad version. With the Clip Studio app, artists can create comic illustrations and 2D animation.
Which app is Better Procreate or Clip Studio Paint ?
Procreate and Clip Studio are very similar apps for creating illustrations, paintings, and making comic book covers. I’ve tried using both apps, and they both have their good and bad sides.
Still, after placing them side by side, I would say that Clip Studio, though a subscription-based app, has a lot more features than Procreate, and it’s a better pick anytime any day.
Artists and Illustrators who have decided to explore the world of digital painting have a hard time making the best choice between these tools. This dilemma is quite understandable, seeing that both apps have similar features. Still, there are notable differences that make one more preferable than the other.
Suppose you are experiencing difficulty knowing which of these apps will be more suited and tailored to your needs, and you would like to compare before concluding. In that case, you should read on to get answers to any questions you may have about these apps’ features.
Procreate Pros
1. Work Digitally, experience an Analog feel
This app, which is exclusive to Apple devices, allows you to experience and enjoy the feel of working with analog art tools, pens, pencils, or paint on paper.
The only difference is that this time you’re working digitally with an added benefit of being able to make corrections using the zoom feature without getting your paper or brushes smeared with paint.
2. Smooth Workflow
With Procreate, you’re not only able to make corrections to your artwork, but its functionality and flexibility are also second to none. Its seamless workflow and ability to be easily integrated with existing workflows, allowing you to bounce between various apps as your work dictates, cannot be shoved aside.
The app also saves your work and keeps a record of your time-lapses, allowing you to keep track of your work process and note areas you should improve on.
3. Organize your work better
Procreate allows you to organize your work similarly to the gallery format used in Photoshop. It also allows you to create your drawings, design your illustrations and paintings with record-breaking speed and efficiency.
4. Unlimited Access
Procreate app gives you continued lifetime access to the app; you only have to make a one-time payment or subscription.
5. Wide Range of Brushes.
There is a wide range of unique brushes available on Procreate, and what’s more? The app allows you to use brush sets designed by other users, and if you want, you can even create yours right on your device.
If you take your time to play around with the settings on the app, you will develop unique sets of brushes for yourself and even share the presets with your friends.
If you’re a die-hard photoshop fan, it would please you to know that the app allows you to import your Photoshop brushes using its latest version, 5.0. So, if you have a set of brushes that are super dear to your heart, you don’t have to let go of them here; import!
6. You get to play around with formats.
Procreate works with various formats such as; PSD, TIFF, PNG, PDF, and JPEG, and you can export your work in any of these formats and get back to creating almost immediately.
Its CMYK mode makes printing possible, and if you’re using the updated version 5.0, you will be able to save animations in MP4, giving a breath to your designs or illustrations without going outside of the app.
Procreate’s Cons
1. Adjustment layers
Adjustment layers are a significant con that most users of this app face. You can’t adjust or make changes to a document; you would have to make any adjustments to layers individually.
2. No Demo Ve.
rsion
While Procreate’s one time buy feature is an interesting one, the downside to it is that there is no free version available to help users explore and decide if they would like to buy the app or not.
3. Masks and Vectors
Its 2019 update features clipping masks; however, you can’t create masks by selecting or invert masks; you would have to paint any areas you want to hide.
Photoshop and Illustrator users who have become used to working with vectors will find it difficult to draw smooth lines because there are no vectors available. If you choose to work with Procreate, It just might be time to up your hand drawing game.
4. Difficult to Navigate.
The Procreate app can be challenging to adapt to if you’re new to its interface. However, there are tutorials available to help you get through using it.
Clip Studio Pros
1. Vectors
Unlike the Procreate app, Clip Studio Paint allows you to draw and make illustrations usually like you would in Photoshop and also features outstandingly excellent tools for erasing.
Using vectors helps you achieve smooth lines while drawing due to the vector feature in Clip Studio Paint, and for people accustomed to Photoshop, CSP is a home away from home.
2. Artificial Intelligence
Clip Studio Paint has an in-built artificial intelligence technology that helps you color your paintings and animations, thereby reducing your workload and giving you room to create even more.
3. Brushes and Dark theme
This app features a setting that allows you to adjust its brightness and reduce your eyes’ strain if you have to work for long hours. Clip Studio also features a unique set of brushes that are also customizable.
4. Demo or Free Version Available.
Clip Studio is available in two versions; Free and Paid. If you would like to explore its features before putting in your funds, you can try out the free version, which offers you a 3-month free trial.
5. No Layer Limits
Clip Studio Paint handles layers quite well and has no restrictions, although it is recommended that you use it on higher ended models if you’re working with high-resolution documents.
Clip Studio Cons
1. Subscription-based app.
While procreate allows you lifetime access with a one-time payment, Clip Studio requires you to make payments after exhausting your 3-month free trial. You can choose to do the monthly or annual subscription plan, and if you decide to do a yearly subscription, you get to pay less.
2. Comic features
Clip Studio’s features are more inclined towards creating comic artworks, and unless that’s what you’re interested in doing, you may find it rather messy.
3. Can be challenging to navigate.
Clip Studio Paint can be challenging to navigate, you might have to take some time to figure out its tools, and without tutorials readily available, this might be a bit daunting.
If you still have difficulty picking between these two, I would ask you to opt for Clip Studio Paint. Though it is subscription-based, it offers a wider variety of features. Its app interface is very similar to the desktop version interface, so if you’re familiar with its desktop version, you won’t find it challenging to navigate the app. What’s more, the app is not limited to Ipad or iPhone users alone.
Also, its 3-month free trial gives users ample time to decide if they want to use it; you don’t want to be in a situation where you pay for an app and do not get value for your money. With Clip Studio’s outstanding features, you can be sure to get excellent value for your money.
If you’re a Photoshop user who needs to switch and still enjoy the features of Photoshop but in another app, Clip Studio is the best choice for you.
If you’re new to Clip Studio and have never tried your hands on Photoshop, Clip Studio might be hard to grasp and make use of initially. Still, if you’re patient enough to go through tutorials online, you’ll get the hang of it, and you will enjoy using it for your comic artworks and .animations.
Beyond the pros and cons of these apps, what truly determines which of them is best for you, depends on what your needs are and what features you’re looking out for.
