I don't know which "early days" you're referring to, but I remember these complaints already in the very early '00s.

...and then I tried Photoshop for the first time. It was every bit as clunky, but made up for that by also being sloooooow (at least on whatever OS X PowerPC machines the lab had back then). Couldn't figure out why anyone used it.

...then I watched someone who actually knew how to use it use it. It was still slow, still clunky, but they made that weird UI dance.

There are still plenty of apps like that. Particularly when you get into stuff like A/V where no amount of UI glitz will paper over the reality that a few poorly-chosen commands can bring the beefiest machine to its knees. You either spend the time learning how to use the software on its own terms, or suffer.