So much agreement to this. It aint the dog in the fight, it's the fight in the dog. What you use to make your artwork should not be the deciding factor in your talent. An artist should use what resonates with them. Some prefer certain benefits over others and they shouldn't get (nor give) hate over that. I remember I used to like GIMP over PS because PS always crashed and slowed down my wimpy computer. Not to mention it confused me.

Now I use SAI and got a nice big old PC that gets the job done precisely how I want it. I couldn't be happier. So on another note, I think it's healthy to explore your options before you make a choice and settle as well. Don't shut out this or that just because the majority talks crap about it or something. See for yourself before you pass judgment.

Agreed. I usually use my Macbook that my lovely school issues us, but my personal laptop is an Intel computer and although coloring is more fun on a Mac I still know how to make decent art on anything under the Microsoft name.

I personally am a PC guy, but that's just me. I do agree though that people shouldn't hate on others simply because they are on something different, it's all about personal preference. If anything, a computer is a computer. :)

People still think Mac/Adobe is required to do professional art? Oh well.. I thought we're over this one.

Everybody just use what they like most. Everyone is drawing a little differently. So of course not every artist is happiest with the same tool. Many even switch, doing outlines in one, painting it in another.

I've used PS by myself for a long time, till I switched from Mac to Windows and I don't have the money to buy it, nor the balls to get it for free.

Curious if you've tried Manga Studio 5 - i believe it's available for Mac, at least the older versions were AFAIK. Supposedly it combines the best of SAI and Photoshop into a glorious god-program or something.

It's nice to see other people who think the who Mac vs. PC thing is crap! I personally prefer working on a PC, but I understand the smooth glory that is Mac!

I wish Photoshop or another art program had two things that I really like and need. The first is the stabilizer, I really need that one because my hands shake a lot (it results in many battle wounds while sewing, believe me) and a water tool. Coral has the water tool, and I love the brushes, but I haven't found a stabilizer in it either. Lately I've been using SAI to outline and Coral to color when I'm not feeling lazy, which isn't often. I feel lazy about doing drawn art lately because I'm a plush maker now, so I spend most my time on that, but I like to draw every now and then.

Thanks!

oh man, holo stickers

I definitely agree with this! I have a friend that has to lay a verbal smackdown on Apple at least once a day or else he like, ceases to function, and I personally don't understand it. My history with PCs is not the greatest, so I choose Mac because that is what has worked for me and that is what I have. I'm happy to support PC users in using what they like, and hell, I'll probably build my own PC someday, but I can't afford to right now, so... I like A, you like B, the world keeps on spinnin, yeaaahhhh!

And I have the same issue with Sai. Man, I'd love to even just give it a shot, but I have an ancient MBP that doesn't have the capacity to run boot camp, so... nope! Somedayyyy~ I'm a Photoshop person too. c:

Do you draw with your arm or your wrist? :O

There's a related theme here that I think might be helpful to address the issue, personally, and that comes from an amusing blip in logic that comes from my career choice: college degrees.

In the Information Security industry-- colloquially known as "professional hacking"-- you might be surprised to discover that having a college degree, in most cases, becomes a deterrent for a series of career choices. This is due to the majority of people in the Information Security industry with college-level degrees, frankly, not knowing their head from their ass. It happens all the time. It would appear, to them, the goal to get into this "fancy" industry of ours is to get a degree so that you simply look "good enough" to get your foot in the door. For those who care about quality, though, this degree doesn't do what they feel it does-- it instead acts as a low-pass filter to indicate their ironic incompetency.

Similar to how many artists will go to art school, get their art degree, learn the basics of perspective and the how's and why's, when they do eventually manage to get themselves to some places requiring artists, many of them will look at their accolades, be completely stunned by their alleged accomplishments in their education, then look at their content... and not know what to look for. So, based solely on this accreditation and not the actual content, many folks will be hired to be "professional" artists, regardless of their substance. Part of this requires this infamous combination you mention: a Mac and Photoshop.

Most shops use this as a de-facto standard. So, yes, if you'd like to make it so that you are absolutely, positively difficult to turn-down for a good majority of the industry, make those your primary tools. But is it what you want? Is it something that you, personally, as an artist, feel like is a fitting development environment? Comparatively, the Photoshop brush system in comparison with GIMP's brush system pales. But does this mean that GIMP is the tool for you? Most artists find GIMP to be completely miserable as far as the interface goes. But I love it. I feel like I can completely and totally express myself in it. I feel like the malleability of my creativity just pops from it.

Many people get so caught up in the "industry" side of things, and-- like you say-- hope senpai (i.e., design companies) notices them. This involves attempting to acquire the necessary patterns for said senpai to take notice. That involves learning Macs. That involves learning Photoshop. But if all you want is for senpai to notice you, then you're going to sacrifice your own desires for their desires.

One thing many people can learn from the Information Security industry is how easy it is to actually sit down and say "fuck what the Industry thinks it wants." Most folks may not believe this. Most folks feel that they need to apply to a certain set of patterns in order to accomplish what they want. They feel like they need to jump through a series of arbitrary hoops just for the sake of senpai's attention. And that's complete malarkey.

You want to work professionally at what you do? Find your passions and amplify them to eleven. From these passions, you will be able to accomplish whatever you desire. You will be able to learn everything you need. You will gain confidence. You will gain a sense of inner-strength. You will eventually learn that it's not you who is unworthy of this professional senpai, but that it is senpai you is unworthy of you. You will choose where to apply, and a result, you will choose whether or not their response was adequate. If they reject you, your laurels-- regardless of your selection of tools-- will remind you of how unworthy they are of your time and your style.

When you recognize just how worthy you are as talent, then focus that talent into hard work and a passionate desire for what you do, folks will fight over you. "Real recognize real" isn't just a throw-away hip-hop phrase: it's a way of life. Learn to be amazing, and amazing will find you.

Love this!

For anyone reading comments for more tips/info: if you are just delivering the final art piece to a studio/company then they could care less what insanity you used to make it as long as you can control DPI and RGB/CMYK.

but if you work in an office or studio where files get passed around and you need to provide layered or complex files with layer adjustments... Photoshop is pretty much necessary. (my job)