If you’re a Mac user (like many designers) Pixelmator is an excellent alternative to PS, it’s lacking in some of the smart object/layer stuff I used to lean on heavily in adobe world (illustrator smart layers in ps used to be clutch in the old skewomorphic days).

@LegoBrickOnFire @plateee For raster layers, yes (at the moment). You can do non-destructive transforms on vector layers and link layers (so you could add an external PNG/JPEG/SVG/etc to a composition as a layer and then non-destructively transform it).

Transforms are really a filter under the hood, so we have the infrastructure to make them all non-destructive. Just need to work on the UI elements. :)

I hoped someone would correct me and tell me I am stupid and that of course GIMP has nondestructive transforms and then procede to explain how. I guess that trick doesn't always work :p

Nowadays you can do per-layer post-processing filters without baking

And pixel management.

But Krita somehow fulfills that, configured correctly.

There are also the high seas for those who want to sail! Old shops are very good, no ai stuff.