Will you prefer Photoshop’s powerful photo editing tools or Magma’s collaborative drawing experience? In this article, we’ll explore the key benefits and differences between these two platforms, helping you choose the right tool for your next project.

Price

Magma

Free to use most features, $9.99 for optional premium subscription

Photoshop

Standalone app is $22.99 per month, Photography Plan at $19.99/month

Collaboration

Magma

Allowing up to 50 artists to work together live on one canvas, Magma wins hands down when it comes to collaboration. Artists can communicate directly from the canvas, using built-in text chats, audio, and video calls to make their drawing sessions a fun, social experience. This social element makes Magma beloved among fandoms, art teams, online communities, and anyone looking to connect and draw with other artists. 

Photoshop

In contrast, Photoshop is made to be single player. Files must be saved as cloud documents before others can be invited to edit them, and while up to 1,000 people can access the same file, only one collaborator can work on it at a time. Collaborators also cannot communicate inside the platform, though they can still leave comments on the canvas with feedback. For these reasons, Photoshop is best suited for an individual rather than a team workflow.

Simplicity

Magma

Accessible to artists at any level, Magma’s customizable UI emphasizes simplicity. Different modes tailor the drawing experience to users of different levels of experience with digital art. Simple mode, for example, pares down the interface by keeping only essential properties like layers in the right-hand panel. In contrast, Full Mode displays advanced brush settings like spread and color jitter, letting experienced artists instantly access the settings that apply to their workflow. Artists can also customize their keyboard shortcuts to access their favorite tools more quickly.

Photoshop

Meanwhile, Photoshop is designed for a more advanced user, and its powerful features come with a learning curve. As the platform serves disciplines including photography, graphic design, and digital art, it can take time for a new user to figure out which features are relevant to their workflow and where inside the UI those features are located. To tailor Photoshop's layout to their needs, artists can customize their workspaces by dragging around or collapsing different panels.

Feature Selection 

Magma

Magma has everything a digital artist needs to create and collaborate, though certain advanced features such as a blend tool are still in progress. To transfer their ideas onto the canvas, creatives can use ultra-customizable brushes, motion blur, perspective grids, and more. A unique favorite is the lasso fill tool, which allows users to lasso select part of the canvas and instantly fill it in with color. Note: Because Magma is designed for digital artists, it isn’t specifically suited for photographers or web designers.

Photoshop

Made for a range of creative disciplines, Photoshop has plenty of impressive features to choose from. Some especially popular tools include the magic wand tool, which instantly detects and selects an object on the canvas, and the clone stamp, which lets artists make patterns and retouch images by duplicating parts of the canvas. A suite of image editing and post-production tools, including the healing brush and liquify filter, makes Photoshop a cult favorite among photographers. However, those focused on digital art can find most of Photoshop’s drawing features available elsewhere for free or for a reduced price.

Flexibility

Magma

Magma is browser-based, which means that it can be used on any device with an Internet connection (The site doesn’t work offline.) Since there is no software download required to use the platform, any artist can start drawing simply by opening a link and collaborators can quickly access each others' work. As Magma is web-based and synced to the cloud, in-progress work is saved even if an artist’s laptop or connection crashes.

Photoshop

In contrast, Photoshop requires users to download its software, or use a web version with limited features. This is great for artists who want to work offline and have more powerful devices on hand (Photoshop can’t be downloaded onto Chromebooks.) However, users should note that Photoshop Web doesn't work on mobile devices or older browsers.

We hope this comparative guide has helped you understand the benefits of each of these creative platforms. Now that you're done reading, we encourage you to give Magma a try and see what collaborative drawing looks like for you!