Adobe Express vs. Clip Studio Paint

I actively teach colleagues to use Adobe Express to create their handouts, videos, presentations, and event announcements. We also teach Adobe Express to students through campus workshops and collaborations. Lastly, we work with our eLearning department, Marketing department, and our Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning to teach Adobe Express to our faculty and staff

Incentivized

I cannot really imagine a situation other than creating custom 3D models in which Clip Studio Paint would ever be inappropriate; it offers tools for art such as: 2D, pixel/voxel work, vectors, painting/drawing, comics, animations and more. The only place that Clip Studio Paint does not shine is in the creation of 3D models, but I think that that is fair given that it's competitor, Photoshop, also cannot do this; this was never a tool meant for 3D model design or creation, but the fact that you can import models and that there is a library of free and paid posable models native to the app is rather impressive.

• Brand Kit: provides quick access to approved fonts, logos, colors, and other assets
• Libraries: syncs will with other Adobe Tools
• Animation: provides a decent collection of modifiable motions for objects in the design
• Social Media-ready Layouts: being able to design graphics of multiple sizes/Layouts within the same document is a GOD-SEND

Incentivized

• Handles huge files with grace, and auto-saves back-ups while you draw.
• Can export into any other image file format, making for easy program transfers.
• Offers animation abilities, posable 3D models as references, mange/comic tools, and so many other options.

• It could have a search bar which searches through other Adobe products (esp for Stock images, videos, audio) from within Adobe Express.
• It could make it so switching between Adobe products from within Adobe Express almost like a tab function is smooth.
• It could partner with other companies to allow for company specific events in exchange for valuable products or programs.

Incentivized

• The UI is absolutely not user friendly out of the box, and there are an overwhelming number of keybinds and options.
• Some huge files, while saveable, take about 3 minutes.
• Limited cloud space even though you pay for a license.

I give it a 10 because Adobe Express has become an essential part of our daily workflow. It allows us to design faster, stay on brand, and produce high-quality content without needing multiple tools. The AI features, templates, and easy collaboration make it a platform we rely on for client work, training, and internal operations.

Incentivized

The user interface is pretty straightforward to use. It has easy to navigate navigations, and the canvas UX is also pretty good. One thing i would like to add it to use shortcuts to add elements on canvas. Like if I am on canvas and I press 'T' on my keyboard the text box should be added automatically

Incentivized

I think that once one gets the hang of how to navigate and use Clip Studio Paint, they will find that it has so much more to offer than one might expect when looking at it for the first time. There are hidden gems all throughout this program, and they are all there to make your creative experience all the more streamlined and natural.

Overall, the Adobe Creative Cloud Express is worth a try and may be a good fit for many organizations and businesses. At a monthly rate, the cost is not prohibitive, but the tools are somewhat limited and not necessarily worthwhile when compared to standard applications and software that are often available free or through a package of services commonly found on workplace computers.

Incentivized

I think Express is a great tool for quick edits or creation. As someone who works in the more robust platforms, I do not always enjoy going into Express because of the more limited features.

Incentivized

I have used a handful of other free art programs, including MediBang Paint, and while they are all good, and I'm sure perfect in the hands of the right artist, I feel as though they simply do not offer the number of options necessary for my needs. They feel very limited and stale; customization is limited and their UI's are outdated. Clip Studio Paint is modern and sleek, highly customizable, and offers far more tools than the other options around it.

Adobe Creative Cloud Express is included with an Adobe Creative Cloud account. Our company has a corporate team membership so it is nice to have a professional and powerful tool that anyone on our team can use for free. The pricing structure of giving the tool away for free will be fundamental to users utilizing the tool. Similar tools, such as Canva, cost significantly more but do not offer the same features

Incentivized

The professional services for Adobe Creative Cloud Express is top notch and should be highly commended. I am thoroughly impressed with how far Adobe has come. In the past, I had several issues with how something were handled, but in the past few years things have been better than ever and they get no complaints from me

Incentivized

• Positive: Time and working for a nonprofit with minimal staff this is essential.
• Negative: There are certain features that I need to find in other Adobe products like layer masking.
• Positive: It makes content creation less intimidating for our newer staff.

Incentivized

• I think that the initial price was incredibly steep, but I managed to get it on discount. As a starting artist, this was a hard blow to take at the start, especially before these subscription options existed.
• After years of use I have more than paid off the cost I sunk into Clip Studio Paint EX.
• I see myself making marked profits by continuing to use the program, even with the new subscription service rather than a perpetual lisence.