Adobe Photoshop is the best known graphics product on the market.
$20
per month
Pixelied
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Pixelied is presented as a fast and easy to use online design tool from the company of the same name in Walnut, California, that helps users quickly create images and graphics. It has a set of tools that aim to enable the novice and the advanced user to create stunning designs.
I started my design journey by just learning one software, Photoshop. The possibilities of what one can do with this softwares are infinite. I have mainly used Photoshop for image editing, making mockups, and producing quick GIFs. Photoshop has better effects than most softwares and plugins, which helps if one is after a particular style or image treatment. I always struggle with it being slightly not beginner-friendly, as one might find the interface too overwhelming. The other thing is that it is an image-based and not a vector-based software, so one has to move back and forth if someone has to access a file in another software like Illustrator.
Pixelied is an online graphic design suite that makes it easy to create posters, ads, and branded designs for blogs, social media, and other publishing platforms. I am utilizing Pixelied to promote my social media accounts and to get thumbnails created for my YouTube channel. I use the photo filters to adjust the color of my photos, the mockup generator to piece together images with different backdrops, and the stock images and vector elements collection to add more detail and dimension to my designs. The templates allow me to create banners, image posters, and quotes. I found it easy to use because I could edit my own content without having to learn advanced design features. The templates helped me get started quickly and had everything I needed, from fonts down to icons. The photo filters were fun—they gave me an idea of how photos would look with different colors or patterns applied before I actually used them on my final designs. The only thing I didn't like about this tool was that adding images could slow down a layout if there were too many of them at once (like when you're trying to make a collage).
Expensive - It is too expensive to buy Photoshop alone, and hence leading the user to purchase the entire Creative Cloud Package though he/she is not even aware of half of those apps.
High System Spec - Requires high system specifications to run the application smoothly, and to use it at its best.
Process lag - When it comes to large-sized files, the application becomes laggy taking much time even to render a single layer.
Performance can become sluggish, particularly when adding new photos or vector elements to the layout design.
Pixelied can incorporate a broader assortment of creative stock assets, similar to Canva.
The options for modifying the composition's color scheme, adding customized elements, and personalizing the brand can be enhanced.
The basic options for moving, scaling, and rearranging layers and backgrounds should be accessible by right-clicking in the composition itself rather than through tool sets in the upper right sidebar.
We get a lot of use out of this software. It's vital for work with production in our industry and has a lot of cross-functionality - creating social media images, retouching photos, editing photos, creating gradients, and more. It's pretty fuss-free in that we haven't had to reach out to support and the program hasn't crashed on us. We are trained on the software (so again, this isn't for beginners), but for detail-oriented designers and creatives like ourselves - it's a no-brainer.
I've used it for a long time and would consider myself a Pro user at this point. I know where everything I need is, have custom actions set up to make common actions faster, and have my workflows automated so much that everything is easy. Occasionally, a new version of Photoshop will change a common usability feature which will slow things down for a short time before I'm able to adjust, but generally I really like my setup. However, if you're new to Photoshop, it is likely going to take you a while to figure out how you can best use the features.
Adobe Photoshop is very reliable, but is never 100%. There have been times when Adobe Photoshop has had trouble opening, but nothing a little computer restart couldn't fix. I use Adobe Photoshop on a Mac for both work and at home on a daily basis, and I would be lost without it.
Speed can be an issue when you are dealing with large files for large format printing or billboards. When working on web images, speed is not an issue.
While I never contacted Adobe directly, there is so much content out there in the form of YouTube videos, Lynda/LinkedIn learning that almost any issue, including bugs, can be worked around (and this method is generally faster as there's no turnaround time involved).
I took a course so it really helped. I didn’t take the course until much later after beginning to use it, so I wish work would have sent me right off the bat. It would have alleviated a lot of frustratinon
Canva is a great tool for creating infographics and it's free with limited options. Adobe Illustrator CC and Adobe InDesign are much more suited for creating infographics, however, I still selected Adobe PhotoShop primarily because of my familiarity with all of the tools and hotkeys. There are always workarounds from with Adobe PhotoShop, and I just haven't taken the time to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator CC as effectively.
Pixelied offers a more straightforward and brisk workflow for designing and editing images compared to Canva and VistaCreate. This is despite the fact that Pixelied has a somewhat more limited choice of stock photographs and vector elements, in addition to readymade design templates. Additionally, it lacks several fundamental features and functionalities, such as the capability to personalize the different layers and color themes. It also has a restricted number of color themes. Pixelied, in contrast to InVideo and OFFEO, does not yet have any animation or video editing features. However, it does have the capability to design image layouts that can serve as a base for video slideshows and presentations, and it does offer photo mockups. Pixelied is an alternative to 123rf that provides an in-built stock photo and vectors library that is included in the subscription price. Additionally, you do not have to pay an extra fee for each new image that you download. 123rf, on the other hand, is a dedicated website for licensing and downloading stock images; therefore, its collection and diversity are significantly more extensive than those of Pixelied.
Time saving. Many features can be automated, which drastically saves time on projects that need a quick turnaround.
High-quality. The images that can be created in Adobe Photoshop are the best quality and often requested when we send things to print.
Streamlines our process. The ability to batch-edit or batch-export allows us to work on other things while Photoshop processes in the background, which is wonderful.
