Without a question, Photoshop can create much more robust designs than Canva or Canva Pro. Photoshop can be used to make everything from custom logos, templates, brochures, 3D projects, patterns, mockups, and much more. And, Photoshop also comes with Lightroom!
For those of you blogging or creating any type of professional content for the Internet, the competition is only getting more fierce. You need a design program that can support your goals…
Most bloggers would recommend upgrading to Canva Pro because it’s an easier program to learn. This is true, but it’s far from the only factor you should be considering.
Canva is a great program, but it’s not the ideal choice for everyone. This blog post digs deep into the pros, cons, benefits, and features of both Canva and Photoshop. If you’re considering upgrading to either Photoshop or Canva Pro, this article will help you make your decision.
Have a specific question? Skip ahead using the links below:
Is Canva free?
If you’re relying on Pinterest as a traffic source, Pinterest is putting more and more emphasis on unique images and fresh content. The last thing you want to do is use the same free Canva stock images and pin templates half of Pinterest is using.
This is a major concern if you’re using free Canva where stock images and designs are frequently shared between pinners.
The main reason to upgrade to Canva Pro is for easy access to more than 2 million photos, videos, and graphic resources.
This helps keep your graphics more fresh and unique than those relying on the free version of the program.
That being said, Photoshop is not the answer for everyone either. It will take several weeks to become comfortable with the software, and a few months to master it. Plus, you’ll need to supply your own images through stock photography or take your own pictures.
But, incorporating photos will take much more effort than the easy drag-and-drop format Canva users are used to.
Canva is definitely the simpler program to pick up and use with no prior design program experience. On the other hand, Photoshop can be overwhelming because of all of the features and tools available.
This is the main selling point for Canva.
However, I found Canva surprisingly clunky when it came to saving custom design templates, and there are minimal options for text effects which results in needing to use tedious workarounds.
You also need the Pro option if you want to auto-resize your canvas/designs.
This is because some designs just can’t be achieved with Canva alone.
Create custom drop shadows
Outline any font
Type-text around a shape
Utilize gradient and color overlays
And, much more…
Canva just isn’t that sophisticated – at least not yet. These features are not available whereas you can learn how to do them in Photoshop within minutes.
Yes, Canva technically has a free version, but if you’re serious about design and branding, the Pro version of Canva is a must.
This allows for easy resizing, but most importantly, many more photos and elements, custom fonts, and the ability to upload your own fonts.
Canva Pro is $12.99/month when billed monthly.
Photoshop is only $9.99/month even when billed monthly and it includes Lightroom.
That’s right. Photoshop is actually cheaper than Canva and it comes with another amazing program (Adobe Lightroom).
Which has Better Value for Your Money
This question really depends on your goals and needs for a design program. If you’re looking for something fast and easy with built-in assets, Canva is the better value. If you want to create professional images, edit out imperfections, or create works of art, Photoshop is probably the better value.
And, Photoshop also comes with Lightroom! (Lightroom is the software most Instagrammers use to make their photos look beautiful.) With Photoshop you can create any graphic you want. And, despite the name, it doesn’t require photos at all.
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I actually made these digital graphics for other projects without using any photos. These were created with shapes and digital brushes.
Canva is the Better Value for Beginning Designers & Some Business Users
With that said, while Photoshop is the more robust program, Canva is really great for making designs faster. I personally subscribe to both Photoshop and Canva Pro and find myself using both equally but for different purposes.
I use Canva Pro primarily when I’m creating social media content or anything that might require stock photos. Back in the days before Canva, you used to have to purchase and download stock photos from third-party websites.
You’d then have to upload that photo to whatever design program you were using to make your design. It was a very tedious and slow process.
The main value you get from upgrading to Canva Pro is a fully-stocked library of stock photos, videos, audio, and graphics that can be added to a design at the click of the mouse.
When upgrading to Canva Pro, Canva offers the following benefits:
Access to additional (+2 million) stock photos, fonts, and elements
Access to basic animation features
Auto-resizing
The main benefit you get from upgrading from Canva Free to Canva Pro is access to a vast library of stock photos, videos, icons, and fonts. This is essential if you’re creating designs for a business. Free stock images tend to be highly saturated and can cheapen your brand if you rely on them too much.
I personally think a basic logo is the way to go for bloggers. I prefer to download a font (*important* make sure it’s okay for commercial use) from 1001fonts.com and then use Photoshop to incorporate some text effects or shapes into the design.
Transform text into a different shape
Write text along a path
Easily add drop shadows and gradients
Create outline text from any font on your PC
Canva can crop and scale photos and do some basic color editing, but that’s about it. If you want to retouch and repair photos, remove blemishes, color correct, or stylize photos professionally, then Canva is not a good option.
With Photoshop, you can turn a photo into just about anything. And basic edits aren’t nearly as complicated to do as you might think.
For example, look at how easily I was able to remove boats from a photo at Niagara Falls in less than 20 seconds.
I took this photo of Denali mountain while in Alaska, and even with the naked eye, I couldn’t make out much of the mountain’s peak. Photoshop helped me transform the picture into something beautiful.
Video Creation Support
This is great news if you’re on Pinterest. Based on my own statistics, video pins get a higher impression share than my regular photo pins.
Now, you can upload your own videos to Canva designs, and add simple animated graphics to call out important parts of your pin – this can all be done with the free version of Canva.
See below for an example of a video pin I created from scratch simply using the free version of Canva.
If you do choose to upgrade to Canva Pro, there are also some very basic animation capabilities. I imagine this is something Canva will add to over time, but they’re not that great (for now).
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Canva’s loading speed will be dependent on your internet connection since it’s a cloud-based program.
In terms of actually creating images, if you’re sticking with premade templates, Canva is definitely the faster program.
However, once you become proficient with Photoshop, it is just as fast (if not faster) to use when it comes to custom designs. I use my own templates and can create custom pins in about 10 minutes.
This is roughly the same amount of time it would take me on Canva.
Available File Formats
Here are some of the options…
Photoshop (PSD), Photoshop 2.0, Photoshop DCS 1.0 and 2., Photoshop EPS , Photoshop Raw , Digital Negative (DNG), BMP , Cineon , DICOM , GIF, IFF, JPEG , Large Document (PSB), OpenEXR , PDF, PICT File, PICT Resource, Pixar , PNG , Portable Bit Map , Radiance , Scitex CT, TIFF, WBMP , Flash Video (FLV), QuickTime Movie, AVI, MPEG‑4.
As you can see, all your bases are covered with Photoshop. Visit Photoshop’s documentation pages to learn more about image file formats and video file formats.
Canva can save to the following formats (with Pro version): JPG & PNG, PDF, PPT, GIF, MP4
This is because Canva is designed primarily for users creating graphics for social media. If that’s all you’re doing then, no big deal. You probably don’t need the other file formats.
Offline vs Cloud Capability
Canva is cloud-based meaning you can create and access designs from anywhere with an Internet connection. You can either do this by going to Canva’s website, using the mobile apps, or by downloading the Canva desktop app.
Keep in mind, Canva’s desktop app still requires an Internet connection. So, no matter what, when working on a Canva design you will need the Internet.
Photoshop meanwhile is a desktop application you must download and install to get the full-featured program. However, you also get Photoshop Express and Lightroom Cloud which are cloud-based apps.
You also get 20GB of cloud storage for your designs so you can access them through different computers.
Your desire to create more unique and advanced designs
Willingness to learn a new skill
Need easy-access to stock images/video/icons
Price sensitivity
Canva Free Great option for those on a budget
Simple design functionality (similar to Power Point)
Ability to upload your own fonts
Auto-resize
More folders for organization
More difficult to learn, but few limitations
Cheaper than Canva Pro
Does not include free stock images built into program
Bottom line: If your main need from a graphics program is easy to access to a library of cheap stock photo and video resources – Canva Pro is probably your best option. If you’re looking to create more unique, custom images, then Photoshop is the way to go.
And, if you can’t afford to spend at least $10/month on design software, then free Canva is still a good option for beginners.
You can download a free 30-day Photoshop trial by clicking here. I recommend the cheapest option for beginners (the Photography plan).
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Photo: Aa Dil
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