It’s time for me to get a new MacBook after 6 years, and so far, 8 GB of ram seems sufficient. However, I don’t know if 8GB will hold up for Krita.
I don’t have a lot of programs I run (mainly Safari, Firefox, and Discord) and I don’t believe I’ve ever make an image in Krita with more than 10 layers at once. I do run said programs concurrently.
So, would 8GB or 16GB be better?
I can’t speak for MacBooks although the newest ones are looking impressive but on PC the only time with similar use I ran into RAM issues with Krita was when working on 5K or larger images with multiple layers. If you’re not going that high res then I imagine 8GB should be fine.
One thing I tend to forget is that Krita can be set to use any % of your RAM you choose. So if you do notice slowdown and you’re not close to maxing your RAM usage try increasing this setting.
If you can afford it, go for the 16 GB version. Not because of Krita, but in general to be able to use the PC longer. The development of the last 35 years clearly shows that the software vendors, especially the big players, release more and more extensive software (packages) and expect the users to buy a new PC every two or three years - and the users of the standard department store PCs, which are common in my home country, have to buy new PCs all the time. Whereas, a MacBook is not a standard PC!
Michelist
I use a Linux pc and noticed better performance when upgrading from 8 to 16 gb. Don’t know how it is on Mac but if you have the money, go for 16.
Keep in mind that Krita does not perform well on M1 macs. The reason is that the vectorization library we are using does not support ARM’s NEON extensions, and that really hits home. Add to that problems with the OpenGL canvas, annd these are not very attractive systems for Krita.
Oof. I…can’t say that isn’t incredibly disappointing news. The obvious solution would be to get an Intel mac, but those are going to be obsolete in like 3 years max, and I’ve kept each of my two laptops for around six years each.
I’m going to miss Krita. I didn’t draw much on it, but I didn’t find it a downgrade from the PS Elements I was given for college. Alas, it is what it is.
I’m looking very hard for an alternative: layers and tablet compatibility are mandatory (I could survive without pen pressure if I had to. I’ll have Rosetta 2 to talk to my friends on Discord.
I’ve been looking at:
FireAlpaca
Affinity Design
Tayasui Sketches
Clip Studio Paint
GIMP
Sketch
ArtRage
I really would prefer not to take the monthly hit to my wallet that is Photoshop.
Any suggestions?
Does it necessarily have to come from Cupertino, the new computer? Buy an HP or Dell for the money, and you’ll get more performance for it than with Apple and at least with HP a quality that is at least equal to Apple’s. Dells are also supposed to be very good, but I’ve never owned one and can’t speak from my own experience.
Michelist
My company loves macs so I do have a 15’ 2018 macbook pro. Like halla said it’s really not the best for krita (neither for inkscape, scribus…you name it).
The OpenGL issue is a pain in the ass performance-wise. Even my nearly 10 years old desktop computer with an i7 2600k performs way better on some points, was it not for the RAM limitation (i only have 8gb and definitely happier with 32 as I multi-task a lot)…
From what I’ve read of OpenGL, it’s apparently been deprecated before Big Sur. Is it still around? I have my reasons for sticking to Mac, not the least of which is that it’s a huge communication hub among the family, allowing us to converse either at home or far away.
So what I’m hearing is that there is no drawing software that works well with M1, in which case my only option is to try out all the free ones and determine which one gives me the least headaches. Apparently Artrage is an OpenGL program, but I’m not sure how that will help.
According to isapplesiliconready.com, the following apps are currently compatible with M1:
Photoshop (obviously)
GIMP (via Rosetta)
Sketchup
Corel Draw (way out of my price rang)
Sketch
Tayasui sketches
Clip Studio Paint
Affinity Designer was supposedly the holy grail of m1 drawing, but apparently people have had problems with that too.
There are a few vector programs, but in the past I’ve found vectors utterly incomprehensible. Traditional drawing is right out too, because transporting the image from scanner to laptop requires a USB drive, and we all know what’s happening to those.
I guess this is the end of my 19-year-long art “career”?
I don’t know. Can you explain what you mean?
The scanner has a USB port into which you stick your flash drive. When the scanning is done, the picture is stored on the flash drive, and you can then transfer the image to your laptop via its USB slot.
I think the question was, “what’s happening to USB drives?”
The rectangular ones that go into the USB-A ports are the ones I’m talking about, and the new Mac won’t have USB-A ports.
I guess I could use an adapter, but it would still suck a lot to give up digital art entirely.
Does it change anything that I’ve decided to wait for the 14 inch MacBook Pro model instead of 13 inch?
Yes, eBay has very many USB-C to USB-A adapters, It seems there’s an adapter cable or connector for any this ↔ that connection you can think of.
If GIMP can run on your new Mac, it has brushes and a brush creator/editor.
This is not as up front and not as nice to use as the facilties that krita has but it’s there. There are also many free GIMP brush packs at various places on the internet.
Also, the less complex krita brushes (i.e. the pixel engine brushes) can usually be recreated in GIMP using the brush tips from krita.
I have no experience of the other applications you listed.
It looks like at least some people on Reddit have been able to get GIMP to run on M1, and I think it’s now Mac native.
Same people also said Affinity was way better. I believe I may have some free trials to do once I get my new m1.
Unfortunately, upon second glance, it seems that GIMP won’t work. Someone jury-rigged an M1-compatible version, but I’m not quite sure I trust the website.
Is there any drawing/painting program that won’t be nightmarish to run on m1? If the only useful system for image creation is Intel, wouldn’t that mean that digital art will end when Intel becomes obsolete? Would it be wisest to just merely wait until more compatible software is released?
I’ve got some programs in mind, but as far as I’m concerned, this feels like an unsolvable problem. I don’t use Krita all that much, but I would at least like the ability to draw when the mood strikes me.
That sounds like a program that can only run on Apple hardware. FaceTime possibly?
If it’s FaceTime, and you don’t insist on the full feature set, then it will probably be available on Windows and Android starting this fall, and even directly from Apple itself, at least I could read this on the homepages of a few German PC magazines, I have attached links to two English articles about it. Just ask your search engine of choice for “FaceTime Windows” or “FaceTime on Windows” - if it’s FaceTime you’re after.
Since it’s supposed to be a browser-based solution, I can imagine that you could even use it under Linux, the browser just has to support the video codec H.264, that’s known so far, but Apple doesn’t seem to have made everything public yet.
It seems to be once again the typical kid stuff from Cupertino, sneakiness, drop a little info here and there to then present new toys at a big event for a crowd of “Apple disciples” who then hysterically scream cheering everything. 
Well, I guess I’m too old for that. 
And even if it’s not FaceTime… You don’t have to scrap your current Mac if you buy something new. Then you would have your current MacBook exclusively for communicating with your family. Only when you travel you would probably have the problem to choose between art, communication or a big travel bag 
But if it’s about FaceTime and you could do without a few less important features of FaceTime while traveling, then a non-Apple laptop of good quality and features might be worth considering. Or?
Michelist
Perhaps these links may be for you?
Of those on the list, Clip Studio Paint is highly recommended. From a brush creation point of view to me it’s a step down from Krita. That being said it’s certain a very competent piece of software and offers some features I haven’t seen in others. It’s worth testing the trial offer (if they still have that).
I also thought that the m1 is well supported because krita has a universal binary. Wanted to buy maybe a successor to the m1 in 1-2 years. I’m a little disappointed. Does Krita run so much better on Linux? When I installed Linux to try it out, the performance was exactly the same for the brushes with 4.4.7 as on mac. But at the moment i have an intel mac.
Less about FaceTime than about Messages. For face-to-face stuff we use Zoom.
Unfortunately, trade-in is part of the deal.
@Sewius: I think I’ll start with Clip Studio Paint on the new computer and move to something more lavish as I get my bearings.