Review by J. Moore

This is my first experience with Painter, so I don’t have the insight to compare with previous versions. With my Wacom tablet, I was able to do quite a lot qith the product out of the box, but I didn’t always find the product completely intuitive, so beginners should expect to seek outside instruction. Do not try to use Painter without a tablet - you’ll be sorely disappointed.

I am pretty amazed at how Painter simulates analog brushes and strokes of all different varieties, and clearly you can create some very painterly or illustrative effects.

I am looking forward to using Painter with Photoshop files - something I haven’t tried yet, but there are instructions for. The ability to pull in and use layered Photoshop files, seems stellar to me. How many times have you wanted an artistic effect in Photoshop that was just plain difficult to accomplish?nnThis is a very serious tool for serious artists. I know a lot of art directors and storyboard people who work 100% in Painter. I have enjoyed my short time with Painter, and look forward to discovering more.