What do you guys use and recommend?

Hello there!

I’m the kind of guy who likes to work on or get involved in different kinds of projects. I mostly work with web development, but recently I accepted a project to manage a bar and restaurant’s social media.

The first task is to create a flyer, a very basic thing. However, it’s been a long time since I last used graphic design tools like Canva or similar ones. I remember that in my teenage years I was very good at Photoshop. Back then, I did a lot of work with it for different clients, but it was just for fun and I never took it seriously.

Now I’m being paid for it as a freelance job, and I need to deliver high-quality work. I also remember that during my development course I had to create some presentations using Canva, and I never liked it. It feels too basic to me (kind of like when a developer has to work with low-code tools, it feels fake and boring).

I don’t like the idea or the concept of it. I prefer using Photoshop and creating things my own way.

What do you guys use and recommend?

Comments

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Evening_Hawk_7470•2 months ago•1

If you are already comfortable in Photoshop, switching to Canva for the sake of convenience is just handicapping your own creative ceiling for a workflow you don't even enjoy.

ABDULKALAM_497•2 months ago•1

Figma hits the sweet spot powerful like Photoshop but faster for flyers. Free tier is plenty.

Albasydney•2 months ago•1

If you’re confident with Adobe Photoshop, use it—better control and more professional results. Canva is faster for simple jobs, but Adobe Photoshop wins for custom, high-quality work.

SundayRed•2 months ago•1

Photoshop is by far a superior platform, but it also depends on the skills of the user. My team designs in Photoshop, then we convert to Canva so the producers and/or clients can easily manage the updates themselves without needing to be fluent in PSD.

Any_Wrongdoer_2174•2 months ago•1

I totally get the "low-code feels fake" vibe I’m a developer too and using those basic drag-and-drop tools feels like trying to code with oven mitts on. If you already have the Photoshop muscle memory, honestly just stick with it for the heavy lifting. If you want something that feels more "modern" for social layouts specifically, check out Figma. It’s technically for UI/UX but it’s basically the "pro" version of those other web builders. It gives you the control you actually want over layers, auto-layout, and components without the clunky feeling of a template-driven tool.

Ordinary_Breath_8732•2 months ago•1

If u already know Photoshop just go back to it honestly the muscle memory comes back fast. For the social media side specifically I’ve been running flyers and carousels through Runable when I need something out quick without opening PS for every single post. Good middle ground for the repetitive content stuff while keeping PS for anything that actually needs that level of control. Bar and restaurant social content is mostly pretty templated anyway so having both options saves a lot of time

Shoddy_Piece_5931•2 months ago•1

If you already know Photoshop, I’d use that. Honestly for paid custom work I’d trust Adobe Photoshop over Canva too. Canva is fine for speed, but it can feel template-y.

You might also like Figma surprisingly good for social stuff.

If Photoshop feels natural to you, I’d lean into that.

Tanjiro_kamado1234zz•2 months ago•1

If u already know Photoshop stick with it - the muscle memory is worth more than learning a new tool for something this specific. For the social media side of the job tho where ur pumping out multiple posts nd stories consistently, doing everything in Photoshop gets tedious fast. i use Photoshop for anything that needs real creative control nd Runable for the recurring content like carousels nd promotional posts where the structure is standard nd speed matters more than pixel level control. That combo covers pretty much everything a bar nd restaurant account needs without feeling like ur doing fake low-code work

Anglebuilder•2 months ago•1

As a dev, I totally get the 'low-code' frustration. Canva feels like a toy because it robs you of granular control. It’s the same struggle we see in infrastructure: most marketers choose the 'easy' SaaS route and end up with zero ownership and high taxes. Stick to Photoshop for the craft, but apply that same logic to your tech stack. If you value control in design, you’ll value Sovereign Infrastructure in delivery. Owning the full stack—from the creative to the hosting node—is the only way to ensure 'High Quality' isn't just a claim, but a technical reality.

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