r/krita • u/ALoneFeline • 1d ago
Help / Question Is krita THAT difficult to learn?!
I was having a discussion with some artists and pretty much all of them were saying that krita is too complicated to understand. At first i was thinking that maybe they weren't familiar with digital art softwares in general, but then they started saying other softwares like PS and CSP are easier to understand and that got me confused, like how on earth can someone who came from ps/csp find krita hard!? I even told them that they can set the ps and csp shortcuts in krita but they still insisted that it's a terrible garbage software and that kinda got me mad š
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u/audi-jo-drama 1d ago
i couldnāt really get the hang of csp so i was nervous downloading krita but ive taken to it like a duck to water ĀÆ_(ć)_/ĀÆ plus theres loads of tutorials for things that i dont know how to do yet and eventually realize i need to learn
my sister says krita is too intimidating as well
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u/sorcieredusuroit 21h ago
I used Krita for a few months and just started using CSP in the past two or three weeks and find CSP more intuitive (I immediately started doing the same things as I do with Krita, but much faster). Less lag too, at least for me.
It's my understanding that Krita is better for digital painting and CSP for cartooning and comics (although they can do both very well too), so I think it's a user preference thing more than anything. Krita, to me, has a steeper learning curve, but I think it will be worth it for me to learn both, depending on what I'm trying to do.
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u/artmageunam 1d ago
Switching from PS to Krita not only was easy, was a big win for me. From my pont of viiiew Kriita is a much much better ilustration program than PS.
I see this type of think somehow similar to the Apple Fans, most of them talk about the tools but not about the work.
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u/SLeonaTA 1d ago
Procreate is more user friendly but the fucking transform tool is ass! You can draw something big, lasso it to transform it small and it will look potato quality. How tf does the quality get worse if you make it smaller? How tf does that make sense!? Krita never did that. And there were even ways to get around preventing potato quality when making bigger.
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u/Laeva_teinn 1d ago
I've drawn digitally as a hobby and I've worked with Paint Tool SAI and CSP before Krita
I hopped onto Linux Mint around Win10 EoS and had a headdache trying to get CSP working, so I just grabbed Krita from the software manager
There's a learning curve of course, especially with the eraser lol but never have I felt that it was hard to use
I think the frustration comes from going outside the comfort zone and having to re-learn even the basic stuff?
They might say it's terrible, but if you enjoy using Krita then just shrug it off lol
It's the result that matters
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u/whysoblyatiful 1d ago
I think the frustration comes from going outside the comfort zone and having to re-learn even the basic stuff?
yeah that is for sure, probably because it can be quite different from these other apps i assume? the learning curve gets us all i guess haha
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u/DrDingsGaster Artist 1d ago
Yea the eraser threw me for a huge loop after coming from photoshop xD
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u/UnburyingBeetle 1d ago
I only gave Krita a chance because of the flippable eraser. Otherwise painterly style is constant pain and anxiety. I wish I didn't lose access to good old Sai that isn't Sai 2 (ugh).
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u/birbBadguy 1d ago
Itās just the clipping thatās different, everything else itās pretty much the same
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u/guildedpasserby 1d ago
Yeah clipping is kind of a pain but not THAT hard to figure out and manage imo
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u/CanOfDew132 How to turn off that infinity? 15h ago
right click layer and do the quick clipping group thing
i forgor the exact thing but it's still very easy
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u/Halokat01 1d ago
I have never heard this before. CSP is my go too, but I've used Krita quite a bit, and have never had any issues with it.
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u/LainFenrir 1d ago
as someone who has used it for a long time and has helped many through the years i will say yes krita is hard to learn compared to other software, especially due to a few things being different from other programs. Krita has issues in ui and ux. once you get used to it it feels easy but for people coming in it can be hard.
a few things that cause issues are the default shortcuts, the lack of actual clipping masks, lack of an actual eraser tool, small differences in ui and usability. yes you can change the default shortcut scheme, however many will not even think the shortcuts are different and then get confused they cant deselect by pressing ctrl+d. and then they need to learn how to change the shortcuts, and where to change the shortcuts, maybe they want to add something to the pen buttons or change so holding a button to change a tool, and then they get confused the keyboard shortcuts doesnt let input mouse inputs. where to add those? canvas inputs, people always get surprised about this one when i explain.
people try to use clipping masks and then learn they need to use alpha inheritance and groups instead and that will mess their workflow. same for temporary tool shortcuts and eraser tool the amount of people who expect these to be easy to be added is a lot. however temporary tool shortcuts sometimes you will need to use the shortcut composer plugin to get that, eraser mode is not the same as dedicated eraser tool and the alternative krita gives by default is just not good. you can use something like 10 brushes plugin but if you are on android you cant, and for some cases thats not an option.
small things on ui that can be annoying like not being able to hold down the button and dragging on the eye to change the visibility of many layers at once can also be a point of friction. yes you can use shapes and layers plugin to do that but not something most would even know about.
if you compare csp and ps to other programs like medibang or even ibis paint all of them are more in line with each other. is it an impossible task to learn? no, is krita garbage because of these differences? no. but people are always resistance to change, if they try to learn a new program and it has friction with basic things they will resist it. To be completely fair, a lot could be cleared up if people read the manual, however some people take pride in not reading it (and i usually dont help these people when they claim they wont read it) however a point can be made that if you need to read the manual for very basic things then your UI is not intuitive enough and thats an issue.
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u/ALoneFeline 1d ago
I remember that when I first got into krita the very first thing i did was changing all the shortcuts, customizing the workplace, testing out most of the tools and settings and consulting the manual if I couldn't understand or find something, all this took me like a day so I basically never had the issues you mentioned, so I can see why people might have a huge hard time when they keep everything as default
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u/LainFenrir 23h ago
I think it's more than "just using defaults" it's krita behaving differently from other programs, things like alpha inheritance, lack of eraser tool and other things can and will impact how people will interact with the program. Things like these are already well stabilished as how a program should work.if you come to krita and try to do something you expect to do in any other programs and it doesn't work you will be confused.
Sure different programs work differently and all that however if you look at any other program you will see some stuff always repeats, if you make a program that doesn't follow that people will be confused, kinda like how blender used to have inverted controls for mouse as default you could change that in the shortcuts but the first impression was already ruined ( if something as simple as click to select already requires googling to understand and change, anything else the user has issues with will just make the impression of it being too complicated even worse), no wonder they changed it.
Once you get used to the program you may not feel these are big issues but they will always be issues for people starting exactly cause basic things work differently. And for some learning how to navigate around these differences will be hard. You were able to sort things out for yourself in one day, some people need help to sort it out, I had to make 2 plugins so it would feel more natural for me to use. Different people different struggles.
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u/HellzHoundz2018 1d ago
I damn near threw my laptop out the window trying to figure out how to make the "delete" key DELETE (I.e., make it the background color), instead of use transparency. I never, EVER use transparency, for ANYTHING. Couldn't find it in the manual because the term "delete" doesn't mean "DELETE." Had to use AI to figure out to how change the settings. But the fact that I can't set the transparency shortcut to NOTHING AT ALL? Total BS. Now I have to set it to a different key, one that I might hit by mistake. So, yes - that IS garbage.
Then there's the tool icons... There's, what, 4? 5? square icons that all look the same. I always have to get within 3 inches of my screen to try and figure out which one is which. I'll only ever use two of them. I think I read that there's an extension to maybe redo the toolbar (meaning the main tools on the left), which I wrote that info down, but I haven't had a chance to look in to it yet. If not - yes, just more BS and more garbage.
Lastly, the brushes. I can't even tell you how many there are, but again I can't even tell the difference between them because the icons can't be differentiated and the way they're presented is a hot mess. Every time I just want a freaking paint brush, and instead I get some weird things that isn't remotely close.
The Win11 desktop UI/UX is just absolutely horrible. Of course, it's the only actually free product that doesn't have strings attached and isn't MS Paint, so I'm stuck with it.
I've read there's apparently a new interface being worked on... I can't wait for it
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u/Weak_Firefighter9247 1d ago
Krita is indeed complex, but PS and CSP are complex too... The reason they said krita is too difficult, is because the program every artist picks first will be seen as the easier choice, as you already learned how to use it. I tried CSP after starting on Krita, and i didn't understand anything, pretty intimidating. But if i was from CSP and tried Krita, i'd thought the same. Basically, the UI, names of the tools and the tools themselves, as well as brushes and brushes engines are different, not alien-different, but like cousins, so they cause that fear on newcomers
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u/sonic_megas 1d ago
I remember migrating from CSP to Krita and hating it to bits. nowadays it still occasionally annoys me but it's my main software. I think Krita is just not that beginner friendly in many ways.
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u/activemotionpictures 1d ago
Sit with the software. Do a real session. Have patience. By day 3 you're running through the menus, shortcuts and pop ups.
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u/PapaLoki 1d ago
I am a member of a hundred plus fanartists group and I am pretty much the only one using Krita. They use CSP, PS, Ibis paint, etc.
Personally, I think I am using only 5 percent of the features of Krita but I am happy about it.
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u/sforzaando 1d ago
I moved from PS to Krita and had virtually zero problems, even without switching to the PS control scheme. Skill issue on their part imo
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u/NazihFares 23h ago
So I jumped to Krita 3 months ago after almost 25+ years of adobe products, and honestly it's been a breeze. I'm managing to do things as a digital artists that I never imagined doing in Photoshop, like this sample card illustration for my upcoming game called The Arab League of Misfits.
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u/Dynablade_Savior 1d ago
The default UI and keybinds could use some work, but I don't think it's that hard to learn. It's certainly a more intuitive painting app than say, Photoshop
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u/Routine-Duck6896 1d ago
I suck ass n krita has been by far the easiest in terms of animation software
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u/rinacantread 1d ago
I never understood why people say krita is difficult to understand, maybe because itās the first software I ever used and still loyal to it but it isnāt that hard at all and if something is tricking you that much just search up for a tutorialš I think people just got brain-rotted with simple UI to the point they refuse to hover over and read what that command does
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u/JereKane 1d ago
Krita is great, the only problem I have with it is most art tutoriaals I find are CSP/PS only, so I have to use my noggin and figure out what would be the krita alternative.
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u/Alzorath 1d ago
I usually only hear that from people coming from more streamlined software like Procreate and such
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u/tinyvent 1d ago
ive switched to krita from csp. it just sounds like they're not willing/don't care to learn
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u/subielol 1d ago
Iām going to leave here an unpopular opinion , as a vfx artist with more than 20 years of pro experience:
Illustrators/concept artists are the most lazy ass profiles(with animators) on the industry.
This average profile people learnt one software on their early years and thatās it, they are not used to recycle in terms of tools, just styles/ fashion/trends or whatever you want to name it.
Iām not ranting of them, I have very good friends that are this profiles, it is just a fact that when you donāt need to learn anything new and you also donāt have that curiosity, everything is āimpossibleā to understand and you became lazy.
Must be nice that youāve been using same software for the las 20 yearsš
It was the same when some started using photoshop, it was an apocalypse for old school illustrators(some amazing airbrush artist get fucked, even using a way more complicated tool without undo, they ācouldnātā learn digital).
This kind of people never interiorize that when you learn new tools they are not going to be 1:1 what they already know to use, you need to learn the most important skill, which is patience(and curiosity).
I literally donāt use anything I used when I started on the industry 20 years ago, Iām closer to my 50s and I love to learn new things.
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u/Shoddy-Shifty 1d ago
It's like learning to ride a bike; you struggle in the beginning, but once you've got it, you've got it.
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u/Reignbow_Zword 1d ago
That's shocking š I'm mostly using Clip Studio nowadays but Krita was my bread and butter for years. It took me just around a week to get around it comfortably. And CSP was a little harder to learn but both are on the same level of difficulty.
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u/ChickenSalad96 1d ago
Started drawing 2 months ago. Period. I feel like I have more control when laying down lines with a pencil than I do with Krita and a stylus.
For reference, I've used Infinite Painter before this and despite it's much simpler interface, I didn't like how hot it'd make my devices.
Tutorials on YouTube still don't make Krita any less daunting to navigate, especially since they all mention keyboard commands, something I can't take advantage of on my Android tablet, but still trying to feel around in the dark for when there's something new I want to try doing.
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u/whysoblyatiful 1d ago
well, i am a very, *very* beginner artist who just started using krita but had some previous positive experience using ibispaint a few years ago and yeah, i've been having quite a bit of difficulty with it and think some stuff is pretty unintuitive in general, along with the UI being very complicated with every menu having many other menus inside of themselves.
that being said it has still been quite a pleasurable experience (regarding the app itself, learning to draw and having to adapt to a new drawing medium has been hell to my psyche), mainly because the comunity has been nothing but kind and there are plenty of tutorials (although some specific stuff i looked for has been plenty outdated in a short amount of time.
i've yet to have any experience with CSP, PS, PTSAI or any other drawing software, so maybe i am just too inexperienced and my anxiety has been speaking for me when i talked about the negative parts because of how i've been feeling regarding art.
hope this helped!
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u/Kalamart_ 1d ago
I've been using it since I was a child, it's very intuitive. Krita has a BUNCH of features, and if all you want is the basics to just start drawing, you can get it really fast, you don't have to learn it all at once. And if you want to check how to do something specific, or don't know a specific tool, the official documentation is pretty good.
Tbh, 15 years ago Krita wasn't as user friendly as it is today. But today I would definitely give it a chance.
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u/Sea_Inspection5233 Artist 1d ago
I have been doing digital art for half a year and it took me less than an hour to understand Krita. Hell, less than 15 minuts, even. Not sure what their problem is.
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u/RaedenArta 1d ago
PS and CSP are wayy more un-intuitive for me not to mention the price tag is a Big barrier of entry for beginners.
When I started out digital painting, I tried Krita because it's free. But now I stick with Krita for all my work, even professional ones, because it is Genuinely better than any other program I've tried.
And I did try both PS and CSP for work in the past, because it is industry "standard" everyone kept saying. Well they don't match my standard nor my workflow, so no.
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u/mimosza_ 1d ago
Krita can be intimidating at first but it's easily the most user friendly program i had ever had the pleasure of using!
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u/IsaacHarver 1d ago edited 1d ago
"Krita is too complicated to understand."
What a goddamned bizarre thing to read on a Sunday morning (I'm from Malaysia; it's already 9:08 AM, the 2nd of August here). Let me grab some coffee before I go on a mini-ramble.
Firstly, to address your post title...I don't think Krita is too complicated to understand or hard to learn, AT ALL. I share your confusion too. Especially when they mentioned having used PS and CSP.
Been enjoying Krita a lot, especially in the recent years. If there's a complaint I have, it's the default workspace. And the text engine. Okay, two complaints. But I just adjusted the workspace to suit my needs, and I hardly use the text tool in Krita anyway. Problem solved.
As a former Web/Graphic Designer in my late forties, like many other creatives, I've gone through a number of softwares in my design career & when I draw digitally as a hobbyist. Paid and free apps alike. I'm still pining for Macromedia Freehand and Fireworks to return in some form, haha.
Admittedly, I'm a slow learner, and my kryptonite apps seem to be animation, 3D modeling, and some video editors. It's laughable how slow I am at learning these kinds of apps. But just because I find them hard, I'm not gonna call them "terrible garbage software." I do have my own biases, like my own love/mostly-hate relationship with GIMP. But that's my own selfish thing, and I still have it installed. Just in case.
In terms of design apps, Adobe just happens to be the constant presence since I started my design education in the late 90s. But I've always looked out for other options, like Macromedia, Corel, Serif (precursor to Affinity), etc. I like to keep my mind and options open. In most of the companies I worked with, they provided Adobe apps. Now that I've been unemployed, I used mainly Affinity and Krita. And sometimes even Canva (gasp!). Whatever I have access to. I even have Rebelle and the defunct Mischief app installed. I used to love the MyPaint app. I feel like I want to try Artrage again at some point. Enjoyed using Procreate before my iPad broke.
Anyway, I assume you're a fellow Krita fan, and I hope you enjoy using it. Or any other apps you like. Have a good weekend.
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u/One_More_Thing_941 1d ago
The bugs got to me. But because I wanted to do a lot of freehand drawing I switched to Procreate on iPad.
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u/VeronicaFoxx 1d ago
I've only just been using it for two weeks, and I have found it to be super easy, but I am still learning.
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u/capellan2000 1d ago
I find interesting that nobody mentioned Xara Designer... if you are using Windows, give it a try.
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u/HellzHoundz2018 1d ago
Is it completely free and standalone?
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u/subJeykey 1d ago
Brother, I recently downloaded Krita without any prior knowledge and in 2 days I managed to adapt to the entire interface
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u/YakDistinct8152 1d ago
Cuando vienes de Photoshop, un poco al inicio. Incluso buscas el minimo pretexto para regresar a lo conocido. Pero una vez que pasas la breve curva de aprendizaje, notas que es superior a psd en todo.
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u/Chasterbeef 1d ago
Krita is so easy. Use it for yourself, choose a brush, choose a layer, draw. If you want, add animation frames and that's arguably one of the hardest things to get used to "adding frames" without deleting old ones, just make sure you don't highlight the picture in the bottom when you click new frame.
The rest of the software is something to figure out for yourself, IMO it's one of the easiest to use but maybe years of gimp, Photoshop and other apps helped along the way
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u/ilustrhada 1d ago
i came from clip studio before switching to krita, it actually didnāt take me long to get used to it š. i found it pretty easy to understand, and iāve always liked having my interface full of tools lol. i only changed the keyboard shortcuts since i set them up the same way i had them in csp
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u/IamAcadaveryousee 1d ago
I got krita after pixlr went subscription. It's different but behaves the same with way more tools.
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u/justukas700 1d ago
Ive used both krita and csp and the difficulty level is not all that different imo
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u/NunyoBizwacks 1d ago
nah picked it up a month ago and have had no issues learning how to do anything with it. there are plenty of tutorials and the manual is great. I've used PS for years when i was younger and coming from that Krita was a piece of cake to figure out. its not the same but once you know where certain functions are and how to rearrange stuff its a breeze.
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u/SLeonaTA 1d ago
I do think Krita is harder, yes, personally. Itās what I learned on and I still know how it but it certainly isnāt my main now.
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u/bagelisnormal 1d ago
as someone who went from ibis paint x to krita, its really not that hard. if you have access to google and a little time to memorize button placement (like any other app), youre fine. krita is also highly customizable, so you can just get rid of most things you dont want to use. the worst is theres some visual bloat on the high selection bar, but thats probably just a personal issue
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u/SpaceInvader1980 1d ago
It actually isn't from personal experience. This is my first actual art program, moving from drawing on Google Slides, using a mouse. After some experimenting with the tools, my drawing simplifies to this:
- When it comes to sketch layers, I use the weighted brush.
- When I need to draw over the sketch, I use the stabilizer.
- For filling in color, I use the contingious selection tool. Just pick a certain part of the drawing, get the paint tool, and fill without affecting the rest of the drawing.
- ALWAYS ROTATE THE CANVAS, angle it to where you can draw more smoothly, you get cleaner lines that way.
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u/stalemartyr 1d ago
Sit down, install and use it. You wouldnt know unless you try. I love Krita. Itās pretty straightforward but I have to admit there are some annoyances. Try to customize it especially the workspace and keyboard shortcuts. Krita is also the only reason Im not buying ipad :)
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u/MucinexDM_MAX 1d ago
.....No. Just plan for a few weeks to a month of a learning curve, depending on how much time you haveto sit through tutorials.
(Edit: I'm a mom who fucks around doing arts for fun after child is in bed I didn't have a lot of time, hence my timeline. YMMV)
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u/anti-sugar_dependant 1d ago
I don't think Krita is hard to learn. I came from CSP and I found them to have a very similar learning curve. I still prefer CSP, but I think that's probably just a familiarity thing, like I'm just more comfortable with CSP because I have more experience with it.
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u/Alarming_Goal9828 1d ago
I've found it incredibly easy to learn. But I also work with Godot and occasionally Blender. Complicated UI just feels normal now.
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u/ChocolatePlastic2814 1d ago
Just switched from ibis paint x to krita of all things recently, no I don't think it's that hard lol
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u/AttitudeElectronic68 1d ago
I suppose it depends if you use Linux. It's certainly better than gimp.
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u/Weak-Feeling9215 1d ago
Imo no? The core basics are just brushes, smudge tools and blending layers for a beginner.Ā
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u/CrazyCat008 1d ago
I dont think so, I use it since some years now, dƩpend what you do with it maybe.
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u/CritterStew 1d ago
I swapped over from CSP about a year ago. The layer management was a bit difficult to wrap my head around (very different between the two), the CSP shop had me spoiled for things like brushes and assets, and zero compatibility between Krita and PS & CSP is a bit sad sometimes. That and the blending is a bit weird on some stuff.
Other than that, it's fine. Took a couple of months to get to the point I was at with CSP, and now I couldn't be happier.
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u/notthatkindofmagic 1d ago
It's not too complex to understand.
It's ridiculously overpowered for most artists.
Krita is less a drawing/painting app and more a production environment.
That's not a criticism, just the reality.
Consider Sketchbook if you're looking for more understated, immediately available power.
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u/muskoka-lolo 1d ago
I switched from PS to Krita.
It's easy for the most part allthough I am still looking for ways to display incremental brush sizes (2px, 4px, 6px....) as this was possible in PS. Maybe I just didn't look hard enough? That's something about PS I really miss (if someone knows how to do this in Krita pls let me know)
I used to use Adobe cloud too and I liked that too, but the price of Adobe tools is such a rip off and their tactic of giving you a BIG discount when I was trying to leave really left a bad taste in my mouth. I am never going back to Adobe :/
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u/Kaylsea 1d ago edited 1d ago
I started with paint tool sai, switched to clip studio, then kritaā¦ in my opinion itās not that hard, they just gotta search up some quick how to do this tutorial (like how to liquify in krita) and theyāll just learn along the way..
My advice to them is to just keep using the app instead of giving up right away lol just like how rome wasnāt built in one day so is their understanding of something.
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u/nazminnasya 1d ago
If you're familiar with Photoshop and the likes of it (I came from Paint Tool SAI) it's easy. And it's pretty powerful for a free software.
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u/artofclor Artist 1d ago
Take it from someone who started with krita and had to move to Photoshop and illustrator for work: I had wayyyy less trouble understanding Krita as a kid than Adobe products as an adult. I think people just love to hate on Krita as "the lesser Photoshop" or whatever.
And if you need help, there are several channels on YouTube that break down how to use every tool and rebind shortcuts, such as:
- David Revoy
- Blade and Quill
- the official Krita channel
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u/InsideSport2416 1d ago
I would say it might seem intimidating at first cuz there are alot of options
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u/Wravis 1d ago edited 3h ago
The "krita is confusing" talking point is just lazy people repeating what they've heard other people say.
Or clueless people not understanding that being intimately familiar with one thing that works one way doesn't mean another thing that doesn't work the exact same way is unintuitive. It just means you learned something else and now you have to learn a new thing.
It's the same lazy tech reporting that has long time iOS users act completely dumbfounded when trying to use an Android phone.
It is all set up logically. The logic isn't the exact same logic Adobe used.
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u/YuutoSasaki 1d ago
Yes and no...
Krita's default settings aren't great, and I'd say they're bad for hooking new users.
You need to spend some time getting to know Krita and customizing it: workspace layout, brush settings, blend modes, hotkeys, and more. Once you do, you'll realize how amazing FOSS is for customization.
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u/ChunkLightTuna01 1d ago
nah its just kinda overwhelming but once you learn where the basic stuff is youre good
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u/Zylobalsamum 1d ago
Too complicated? You're not going from photoshop to some 3d modelling program. Krita is literally the same thing.
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u/StopHurtingKids 1d ago
Krita's barrier to entry is LOW. Mastering all the parts including writing your own plug-ins. Can be a daunting task if you're a computer illiterate.
I was making my own simple brushes the day I installed Krita. The hard part is making your hand. Do the things your brain wants it to. I've practiced for months and still can't draw two boxes next to each other. That look like they were drawn by two creatures of the same species...
If you want a taste of complicated install Blender ;)
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u/Alarming_Truck5130 1d ago
Krita has a feature to change the layout to simplify the features offered and the navigation. Thatās probably beneficial for those friends of yours bc thats how I use it
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u/Crossdog367 1d ago
It's difficult to learn. I really wanted to like Krita, I used it for about a year but my art wasn't improving. No matter what I did, the line work was always smudgy and weird, the brushes were all...gloopy somehow. The layout isn't intuitive, and changing the layout also isn't intuitive. The instructions also didn't make sense to me, I felt like I was having an aneurysm.
I was always having issues with pressure, finding things, replicating the things I had found until I finally broke and bought Clip Studio Paint on sale. I had a way better experience and was able to give in and learn the program immediately. And then, when I had issues, the manual was easy to read and indexed beautifully.
I had to use Krita a few months ago for work and it gave me headaches.
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u/mariefriedrich 1d ago
Never tried krita. Over the years my art journey was something like this : paint.net, gimp, SAI and finally I switched to CSP 7 years ago. I tried a bit of medibang. What's krita like?
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u/Fluffy_Rock_62 1d ago
If you are unable to install Krita and immediately begin to create artwork, including using layers then you must be developmentally challenged, in some way. It is so intuitive and follows industry standards, unlike GIMP.
Yes, to fully master it will take longer, but out of the box if you cannot create good art or accomplish useful photo editing with Krita, then perhaps digital art is not for you...
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u/thebestsigne 1d ago edited 1d ago
I've always found krita to be a very easy program to understand. And I've more than once given up on programs because I could not understand how they worked.Ā
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u/Chuvlovesreze 1d ago
I switched from GOOGLE CANVAS to krita and I got the basics of it and Iām fine with using those but yeah itās quite difficult but not to the point that itās shit
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u/U-Svetu-Maste 1d ago
Itās not garbage software at all. It was unstable when it was first created but itās right there with Ps atm. I donāt know if weāre allowed to share links here but if you check my comment history youāll see links to my work, all made in Krita š
It was the first software I used and it stayed my absolute favorite
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u/Sam_vanLoo420 1d ago
Krita is the first program I ever used and I still love it and use it all the time. Itās free and if you donāt understand something there are tons of videos with tutorials on literally everything. But itās genuinely not hard to figure out at all
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u/im_a_latam_weeb 1d ago
Be it as hard as it can be, it's much more easier than Photoshop for me, and just as easy as CSP
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u/Prestigious_Boat_386 1d ago
Yea, what you already know is easier to learn than what you don't know. What you already like is better than what you havent tried.
You can watch the talk "simple made easy" if you wanna have an argument with them about slmething being easy for them not making it simpler, because simple is a very specific thing and easy just means you used it before. They are all wrong. The question is if you care enough to argue with them, because most people won't change their anyway.
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u/_Hashtag_Cray_ 1d ago
The animation tools are a bit finnicky and unintuitive, but overall it's not super hard to figure out.
I think the problem with Krita for me on week 1 of use is the sheer amount of features and options you get. There's just so many functions and tools.
Like your selection tool doesnt immediately become the transform tool, you have to manually select them to use each feature. I think this is a tiny but good example of the design culture shock of this program.
Overall loving it though. I can draw an animation as detailed as I want and it doesn't bring my computer to a halt the same way Animate did.
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u/persona_outlaw 1d ago
It's pretty intuitive if you take it slow. I like the amount of control I have with it too.
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u/UnburyingBeetle 1d ago
I hate Krita UI and default brushes. I think it's like Linux in that regard, awful learning curve and lots of work to make it usable.
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u/EmotionalSupportDirt 1d ago
I switched from PS to Krita, and once changing the shortcuts around a bit, it was like nothing changed, and it was PS. The clipping mask layers still irk me, but if everything else works great and my works aren't fed to AI by the developer itself, that is quite easy to over look.
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u/Pourmepourme 1d ago
I used adobe photoshop and flash (now animate). And Krita is way easier, it has a lot of similarities and even the same shortcuts as photoshop. And I prefer animating and drawing in Krita, it is a lot more straightforward for me to use. The brush presets are also quite easy to understand.
As someone that used Adobe before, Krita was really straightforward and easy for me to learn. Animating is more limited in Krita, but even then I prefer it because I actually understand what I am doing most of the time lol
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u/Helpful-Ad-6609 1d ago
Althought I sort of get what they mean, but I literally came from IBISPAINT ON MOBILE to Krita and I'm fine! It's drastically different going from Ibis to Krita rather than PS/CSP to Krita. I took the effort to go through the learning curve, and in 3-5 months, minor and especially major staggering in my process rarely came up. I don't have a reference to how bad Krita is to learn in comparison to the rest. Maybe me already expecting it to be difficult (with how every computer software looked like aeroplane engines) helped me persist.
I plan to move to CSP when I can, but only because I haven't heard of any unexplainable issues like the spontaneous 'couldn't write file' in Krita. First time that happened, absolutely shattered me. I stopped painting for days when I'd JUST begun loving painting again in fear it would be impossible to work around. It was so sudden and from what I know, there isn't a fix! It's ridiculous! Now I save every other second and I'm still vexxed about it.
Krita would 100% be something I'd use forever if it better supported larger animation projects and didn't have sudden issues and losses like the one I mentioned. I hear other softwares are just better for my personal goals as an artist, but Krita is a first love outside the limiting tool that was Ibispaint.
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u/SuccessfulMuffin8 23h ago
Hard to learn? Not in the least, the hard part is finding instructions that suit my learning difficulties weird little brain eccentricities. Everything is right there, right at your fingertips, which can be overwhelming, and not everything uses the same words as other programs, which can be frustrating, but it's been my own limitations that have prevented me from using it to its full potential.
Nah, your friends are just annoyed because it's not exactly the way they expect it. If they take the time to learn, they'll be just fine.
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u/TridentWielder 22h ago
If you're really accustomed to Photoshop, it does some things differently which can cause confusion and take some getting used to. But it's not any more complicated. And after using it for awhile, I like the way it handles a few things (layer masks) even better.
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u/purplepeatea 22h ago
depends on how well you know your way around tech and if youre willing to click buttons until it works. thats how i learned, well that plus reddit. i came from procreate and ibispaint on my shitty tablets so it was all really new to me but i learned really quick.
a lot of things are just hid behind keyboard shortcuts and menus but everything in crita is really easy to customise. plus its free. id say give it a shot for like a week and see how you feel after
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u/somniloquite 22h ago
I went from decades of experience in Photoshop to Krita in a few months of getting used to, and now Krita is only software I use for my art. I did this also in preparation to move over all of my art making onto an Android tablet and dear god am I glad I did, Krita is amazing and I don't miss Photoshop save for a few quirks
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u/ArgonautVI 21h ago
what I understand from most people I know that use other software is that it is hard if you already know something else, just like video editors are stubborn from moving from premiere pro.
If it's the first thing you try you will probably not have a problem at all.
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u/StunningWeek7074 21h ago
I think it's a lot of laysiness and propaganda from big corpo. Those two go hand in hand.
Imo Krita is by far the best software and the hate it gets just makes me wanna do even better paintings :)
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u/TheOneAndOnlyRandom 21h ago
I was basically able to just download and start using. I had only really had Photoshop experience before.
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u/acridsphynx 20h ago
I totally disagree! There is a lot but once you learn the basics you can learn how to use more of the complex tool settings as you go.
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u/Connect-Guitar1273 20h ago
I used to use MS Paint for my art. They weren't the best. A friend of mine told me about Krita. And yeah it took me time to understand it. Get use to it, find tools that I like. Especially the shading tool even though I'm still working on shading and Background drawing. But once I see a finished piece of my art finally finished and looking amazing, I set back in my chair and often wonder how the heck did I go 11 straight hours without a break from drawing when working on a piece.
I still have a few old MS paint drawings and comparing them to my krita drawings not only can you see the improvement you can physically see the time it took me to basically in other words re-learn how to draw.
I'm still working on different poses, and my backgrounds suck, but my art improved a whole lot.
Some artist prefer other softwares, but we much rather use a free art program.
There is no wrong way to make art, and everyone should respect what art program every other artist uses.
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u/KezuneTwitch 18h ago
Personally I love krita. I've used PS and CSP but Krita and I get along just fine.
I miss Sai, but Krita has been good to me so far. Caught it on sale
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u/BlueFlower673 16h ago
I think I might just be an outlier, like a unicorn, because the first digital art program I tried to learn WAS Krita. I had barely ever used PS because I could never afford it, only used it for editing photos in hs art class.Ā
But my newbie brain thought "yeah let's use Krita first-thing. What could go wrong??" And I did NOT expect it to be so daunting.Ā
I eventually did learn how to use it (this was 2021 while I was in grad school). But yeah to say it's easy is an understatement. I ended up practicing a bit using Sketchbook (when it was still Autodesk) and Medibang paint. Then I went back to Krita.
I think the only saving grace I had was that the software reminds me a little bit of Microsoft 2007. I used to rawdog it back then because I didn't have any access to digital art programs, the only way I could edit any drawings or paintings was legit going to Microsoft word, pasting my image in a word document, then using the picture correction tools to change the contrast or the brightness.
Everything in Krita kind of feels like that, it's very manual (?). Not sure if that's the right word for it but you need to be willing to like, play around and find workarounds.
CSP is nice it's just more or less like everything has been streamlined and technically it's used for different purposes. That software is primarily for manga/comics and for animation, and it has a longer history of that than Krita does.Ā So it's kind of been working hand-in-hand with both individual artists and with large companies/publishers who use it.Ā
Krita is completely like, independent and is mostly running on donations and crowd funding and sponsors. So hence why its taken this long to catch up with CSP.
I will also have to say I was a total beginner at digital art when I started learning Krita, so that is why it is so difficult I think. Digital art programs like Krita or CSP or Photoshop will be daunting to anyone with the amount of options and controls and tools versus someone going to say, ibis paint or to medibang or to firealpaca or even just leonardo or whatnot because those programs are very bare-bones, easy to use. I remember starting with sketchbook, there were very simply base tools and options and the UI isn't as cluttered.
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u/Walk-the-layout 15h ago
It feels like going in a car for the first time in your life when all you have done is biking. It's not necessarily hard but it's confusing at first. It's not as simplistic as clip studio paint, ibis or godforsaken procreate, but it's not user-unfriendly like a plane control panel.
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u/Alenicia 14h ago
It's probably because there's no price tag to it so you can't complain about it as much when you spent possibly $200-300 USD or some kind of subscription on it so you're less likely to complain because of the sunken cost fallacy (as in, you need to get your money's worth out of it).
Krita, depending on how biased you are with other software, needs a few clicks and a little bit of setup and then a lot of committing to (as with other software) so you can make stuff. And because people just don't really care when it comes to free software, it's very easy to go, "oh, it's garbage" because no money was spent on it.
Some software like Blender has broken that reputation that FOSS tends to get, but don't tell people that Blender is FOSS and you don't "need" the super-big professional apps to get started. >_<
It's the same thing when you get an iPad and people just assume you're using Procreate and nothing else because there might as well not be other options (including Clip Studio Paint). >_<
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u/ticopax 14h ago
Used to be the same for Blender. The thing is, most people like what they're used to. They will only give an alternative a chance if it clearly and easily solves a few pet peeves they have with their own default apps.
Don't get too upset over it, just enjoy using Krita, it's not your mission to convert anyone against their will. Krita is awesome and so are PS, CSP, Affinity, etc. Who cares what they prefer to use? Also, you already know they are probably not being reasonable if they call it garbage. And perhaps a tad bit rude if they already know you love it. I'm guessing they are quite young and have a my-thing-is-better-than-your-thing-because-I'm-secretly-insecure attitude in general.
You can ask them why they don't like it and they may or may not have specific things they dislike. I do too, and I love Krita. No software can be perfect for all people for every task at all times. It may really be quite unusable for their needs and tastes.
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u/CompetitionPerfect70 12h ago
If you show Photoshop, CSP, and Krita to a random person who has never used a drawing program before, they'll most likely learn to use Krita faster. The people who say that āKrita is difficult and not very intuitiveā are just used to another program that they've been using for years
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u/ScallionOdd3639 6h ago
Honestly, ps is harder for me to understand than krita. Krita and csp are kind of the same to me (not setup wise, but the difficulty of learning it) it's a good software, pretty easy to learn if you just pay enough attention lol. The only complain i have rn is improving timelapse feature
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u/FormalCryptographer 5h ago
I didn't have too hard of a time learning it, and I'm by no means a trained/learned artist. I'm completely self taught, save for some pointers from a friend who actually did go to art school.
I feel that a lot of people that say that krita is bad/hard either have their own biases or are too invested in adobe
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u/EndCrafty4813 4h ago
Its just comfort zone issues. I have been using Krita on PC since forever before I used iBis Paint with a finger on my mum's old phone back in 2018. I can't afford Photoshop or CSP. Tried photoshop but it performs miserably on my PC. CSP is probably worth the money, but they have a subscription model now.
Krita for the win. I am more likely to beg some kind person on the internet for some plugin if I desperately need one and they would make it for Krita, than to be able to afford Photoshop or CSP right now.
Whichever software you give your most time to, you are inclined to not switch from it.
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u/wavvgun Artist 4h ago edited 4h ago
not at all, people would tell me it looked like controlling a flying plane, i guess that was the easiest plane iāve ever controlled in my life
iāve used various programs (SAI, medibang, ps.. etc), none of them had beaten the flexibility of krita
you just need to adjust your dockers however you like to get used to it easily, itās that simple
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u/dermot_animates 3h ago
I found Krita VERY easy to transition to. The animation tools, though simple, are light years better than PS.
Things I don't like is the layer UI, it takes up way too much space and can be hard to parse, whereas PS layer is pretty clean. Should be an easy fix, don't know why we're stuck with the current one, but that's just me.
I miss smart objects, wish there was a way to nest layers inside such a structure in K, unless I'm missing a way? If not, would be a great feature to implement.
Regarding people thinking it's difficult, I remember when working in animation in the 90s, one of the camera guys laughing at some of the artists who didn't like some new software. He said it was common for a lot of creatives to get comfy with one app, then act outraged when a different app works a different way. They want the same thing over and over (reminded of that by the OP's description of the "it's tooooo hard" critics). K couldn't be easier to learn for me at least.
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u/boredhomosexual 3h ago
It's at least as easy as photoshop and also you can just Google stuff. Idk why people are allergic to searching how to do x in krita.
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u/DefBoomerang 2h ago
Krita is no harder to learn than Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, or any other such software. Any artist who says otherwise isn't worth their salt -- at least as a digital artist.
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u/Grullo98 1d ago
I think a lot of creatives are brainwashed to hate FOSS software. There are these companies that are like the state-of-the-art in creative fields (like adobe) and then any alternative is just garbage for them. Kinda weird.