Fourteen years of keeping a Windows XP virtualbox installation just so I can fire up Photoshop every now and then, figure I'll see what I can get for free now that PS is finally losing relevance 'cause of the whole subscription thing, and I Get Prepared to go slog through some shite.
See, the last time I fiddled with Not-Photoshop, the best free alternative had a cringe name and a crap interface and if you said "Hey can you change the name and/or interface" the cringiest bunch of weirdos on the planet would spit their dummies out at you and throw a massive embarrassing wobbler. So this time I tried Krita, expecting it to also have a crap interface and be generally a bit wonky, and wow.
WOW.
This doesn't just replace Photoshop; it pisses all over it.
ALL. OVER IT.
Anything Photoshop did, this thing does better, and it does more things too, and it's *free?*
Yeah if you're keeping a Windows box around just for Photoshop, have a fiddle about with Krita. It slaps.