This is a guest post by Amanda over at Laptop Lifestyle Mom
As a blogger and/or online business owner you’ll probably find yourself creating a lot graphics and other images for your website, blog, and social media platforms. Seriously…it never ends! Occasionally you may also need to create graphics for printed materials such as business cards, flyers, and printables (PDFs).
Hiring a designer can get CRAZY-expensive. But at the same time if you drop the ball on feeding your audience engaging visual content it won’t be long before your competition snatches them up. So if you’re in it for the long run it’s definitely in your best interest to learn at least a little bit about the basics of graphic design.
It can be a little overwhelming trying to figure out what image editing program is best for what, so in today’s post I’m going to compare three of the most popular programs–PicMonkey, Canva, and Photoshop.
What Do You Need to Create?
Before we look at each program it’s good to know all the different types of visuals you might need to create for your business. Each business is a little different and this is by no means an exhaustive list. But here are some of the most common types of visual content and graphics you’ll need as an online solopreneur:
- logo and/or watermark
- blog post images
- website elements, backgrounds, buttons, etc.
- social media graphics and headers (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube etc.)
- ads and banners
- ebook covers
- PDF freebies, giveaways, printables
- product mockups
- webinar slides
NOTE: Both PicMonkey and Canva have free versions but in this comparison we’ll be looking at the paid options. However, in the outline below I’ve put in italics those features that are only available in the paid version, just in case that makes a difference to you.
PicMonkey Royale Plan $4.95/month or $33/year
- web-based (need an internet connection)
- preloaded custom photo effects and filters (yes)
- saving images (low, medium, high quality) (PNG or JPG)
- supports transparency (yes)
- good for printing (yes as long as you start off with 300dpi resolution)
- stock photos (no)
- pre-made design elements, shapes, templates, frames, etc. (yes)
- custom fonts (yes)
- syncs images to cloud to work on multiple devices (no)
- automatic resizing of images for multiple platforms (no)
- easy access to branded elements (fonts only)
TIP: If you want to print your creation use this handy chart to figure out what dimensions you need: https://www.picmonkey.com/help/articles/633730-standard-photo-print-sizes
BONUS TIP: The same dimensions can be used for Picmonkey and Photoshop too.
Strengths:
- Lots of choices when it comes to photo-editing and applying filters.
- Works great when you need to do something quick and easy like resize or crop an image, apply a photo filter, or add a watermark.
Weaknesses:
- Once you create an image and save it you can’t go back and make edits later. DOH!
- When you start adding different elements (fonts, overlays, shapes, etc.) on top of each other it can be nearly impossible to select each one separately to make adjustments. This can be a huge time waster.
- It’s difficult if not impossible to make simple variations of the same image without starting over from scratch.
Canva For Work $12.95/month or $119.40/year
- web-based (need an internet connection)
- not a lot of control over how the image is saved
- saving images (no quality settings, PNG, JPG, PDF)
- transparency (no)
- good for printing (it depends, PDFs will probably be OK but photos not so much)
- stock photos (yes $1 each)
- syncs images to cloud to work on multiple devices (no)
- pre-made design elements, shapes, templates, frames, etc. (yes, and way more than PicMonkey)
- custom fonts (yes)
- edit and share images with a team (yes)
- automatic resizing of images for multiple platforms (yes, Magic Resize)
- easy access to branded elements (yes)
Strengths:
- PDFs, freebies, checklists, and other printables.
- The Magic Resize is great for creating large batches of images at once.
- Lots of built-in elements, designs, and dimensions for the most commonly used projects to give your design a head start.
Weaknesses:
- Limited photo editing capabilities BUT unlike PicMonkey you can save customized filters as presets which is super cool!
- It can be difficult and time consuming to sort through all the shapes, frames, icons, and other elements that Canva has to offer. However if you have Canva for Work you can save your most commonly used elements in folders for quick access.
- Canva doesn’t give you a lot of control over how your images are saved and it doesn’t support transparency.
- Costs more than Photoshop.
Amanda has a sweet freebie below. Checklist and planner for 3 months of graphics!
Photoshop CC 2015 $9.99/month
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html
Note: Your Creative Cloud monthly subscription also includes access to Lightroom and Bridge which can be handy if you take a lot of photographs.
- preloaded custom photo effects and filters (no, you’ll need to create your own photo filters or install pre-made filters you find online)
- saving images (full control over image optimization, PNG, GIF, JPG)
- stock photos (yes price varies depending on membership level)
- syncs images to cloud to work on multiple devices (yes, CreativeSync)
- desktop application (internet connection only needed during the installation process and once monthly to ensure membership is still up to date. You can install PS on your primary computer and one backup computer, as long as they are not running at the same time. You also have access to both the Mac and Windows versions. So if you have a PC now but plan on purchasing a Mac later you won’t have to purchase different software.
- edit and share images with a team (yes, via Bridge)
- automatic resizing of images (kinda sorta, not as intuitive as Canva’s Magic Resizing feature but still doable)
- easy access to branded elements (yes)
- transparency (yes)
- good for printing (yes…set resolution of new image to 300 dpi)
- pre-made design elements, shapes, templates, frames, etc. (limited shapes only)
Strengths:
- Each element of your image has it’s own layer so you can easily make changes on the fly.
- Photoshop has a feature called actions which allows you to record or save a certain series of edits that are applied to an image. So if you create multiple variations of the same image (blog or social media posts for example) you can open a new image, apply the action, and have your finished product done in less than a couple minutes. It’s a huge time-saver!
- Photoshop gives you a lot more control over your fonts–spacing, alignment, etc.
- Guides and rulers take the guesswork out of making sure all the elements in your image are lined up properly.
- Seriously…I could go on for days. There really isn’t anything that Photoshop can’t do!
Weaknesses:
- Photoshop has a relatively steep learning curve compared to Canva and Picmonkey. If you jump right in without knowing where to start or what tools are best for creating web graphics it can be pretty overwhelming.
- A blank canvas can be intimidating. Unlike Canva there are no pre-made templates or designs to get your creative juices flowing.
- It only comes with a handful of pre-made patterns, shapes, filters, etc. You’ll need to install those separately. However, you can find an endless supply for free or relatively cheap online at places like CreativeMarket or the Adobe Add-ons website. And in a way this can be a GOOD thing because you don’t end up wasting time sorting through a bunch of stuff each time you create a new image trying to find what you need.
https://creative.adobe.com/addons?pp=PHSP
So which program is the BEST?!?
It’s important to note that all of these programs offer a free 30-day trial. So go ahead and test them out and try all the different features to see what works best for you and your business. If Photoshop seems intimidating you can find an online course and then as soon as you start the course sign-up for the free trial. That way you get the most out of your 30 days before deciding if it’s something you want to keep using long-term.
You’ll probably hear a lot of people voice their opinion and state which image editing program is their absolute favorite. But you have to keep in mind that each business is unique and what works best for one person may not be the best fit for you. I practically live in Photoshop and it’s always open on my computer so that’s what I end up using the majority of the time. But I do like using Photoshop in combo with Canva to make PDFs and I’ll use PicMonkey for simple-quick stuff when I don’t have Photoshop open and I really like some of their photo filters.
But hey…good news! No matter what you decide, it’s reassuring to know that you’ll never need to pick just ONE. You can use them ALL! Don’t be afraid to go back and forth between two different programs with the same image to get the result you need. With a little time and practice you’ll learn how to make them all work great together to create amazing graphics and catapult your online presence into the stratosphere!
Additional Resources
All the PicMonkey Tutorials
- http://www.picmonkey.com/blog/picmonkey-tutorials/
- Use PicMonkey and Canva TOGETHER to Make Amazing Graphics
- 10 Design Tips About PicMonkey You May Not Know Yet
Canva Design School
Photoshop Course {COMING SOON!}
Amanda teaches mompreneurs how to DIY their web graphics so they can still look uber-professional online without the high-costs associated with hiring a designer. Check out her web graphics batching tool-kit and learn how to create 3-months of visual content for your business in two hours or less at Laptop Lifestyle Mom. http://www.laptoplifestylemom.com
Laura Roberts says
Thanks for this handy comparison! I just discovered that Canva (free version) only saved at 96 dpi, and was trying to find out whether or not you could fiddle around and get images up to 300 dpi for print in Canva For Work, but there wasn’t any info on their website. Looks like it’s back to Photoshop for my print design needs, for now. Cheers!
Lakshu says
Hi Juli,
Very useful comparison of these 3 creative software.
I really like the way you express your opinion, I mean the language.
Would like to follow your updates.
Thanks and best regards,
Lakshu
Erin Mitchell says
Exactly what I needed, thanks Julie!