Review by kstars

I have had many versions of this software, and enjoy painting with Painter soooo much. Every iteration of this software brings new features, and improved stability - especially for Mac, and this software is for two platforms, including Windows.

You would not paint with your mouse, so you’d need a tablet (I recommend a Wacom (If you have the cash, their Cintiq is amazing, because you are actually painting right on a display of your painting and drawing). If not, there are some much less expensive tablets that bring a plethora of features as well, like pressure-sensitivity and such. The pens that come with them all have features, as the tablets that are customizable.

I have found that the community of experts, and Corel affiliated Painter masters, are teachers, artists, software creators, and tech people. They often donate a more than a fair amount of media that they have created, that mimic real world media, and you can load them on your computer. How would you like to have brushes mimic cloud formations, trees and tree leaves, water, and even skin textures for portraits. Also, there is a great amount of videos, advice, and demonstrations on their blogs, websites, and You Tube. I’ve been taught by several Painter masters in inexpensive classes, as well as one-on-one classes.

When your warranty is up you may renew it. You can get deals included sometimes with a couple of free hour lessons with a master. Just to let you know, the price may increase as you click on the link, and you need to make sure that you get the special on the page with the link. May have been a bug.

Actually, if you follow these Painter Masters by doing a Google search, and peruse their websites and who they provide links to, you will see some very good resources, at a very low cost or free. I cannot remember all their names, but WOW! I’ve found some similar resources for Adobe Photoshop, but this thing with Corel Painter is so special to me. I even have a Master as a private tutor online at a very reasonable price!!nnThe product interface, features, and tools:nnPainter is set up amazingly similar to Photoshop, like dock-able palettes and have many other like features, tools, capabilities; though, Photoshop is not Painter and vice versa.

Painter 2015 has a fun new feature, called particle brushes (so creative), and other new features as well The previous versions brought features like the Perspective tool, and symmetry tools for those who need help drawing objects like buildings, and reflections in water, for example. Kaleidoscopes can challenge the talented, even though most anyone can use the Kaleidoscope tool, and have it look Awesome.

Corel, in it’s inception, from what I understand, was derived from a different company, and as well as I can remember, there was a brilliant set of filters, called KPT collection = Kai’s power tools. They were brilliant, and could challenge any brainiac artist with endless possibilities, as well as make non-artists look more talented. Well, that is how I feel about, for example, the brush creation engine within Painter. It is so complex, and there are seemingly endless possibilities to customize existing native brushes (there are sooo many of them to begin with) to mimic nature and special effects; in my opinion it is much better than Adobe’s current brush-making technology, though I use both, because digital artists are using both, hence it has been worked out that the two are not only used together by Painter masters, but there are built-in compatibility features, tying them both in together if you will, as with Painter’s ability to import Photoshop files.

I am taking more brush-engine classes, mainly because I am interested sunsets, landscapes, atmospheric renderings, and maybe even Aurora Borealis renderings. If I make my own brushes it will help me to be knowledgeable to not only create what I envision, but know the possibilities and limitations of said brushes. The class is less than $50. In my opinion, this deal is sweet. You can take online classes for beginners, intermediate, and master classes from Corel training partners.

You can extend your media choices multi-fold, like making and loading new brushes, patterns, papers for textures like real artist’s canvas, masks, and much more, even abstract. And, yes, there are layers, masks, and channels, as well as layer settings similar to Photoshop, and Corel’s own set of filters from decoration, and special effects, to color correction.

It is impossible for me to say all that this wonderful tool can do in a review, but get prepared to be blown away. It can be as deep or as shallow as you desire. Corel’s website has a lot of videos, introducing the beginner, and veteran artist/user. Please register your software.

You don’t have to be a real artist. I am a hobbyist, trying to be an artist, but be prepared to be blown away by all things Corel Painter. It is a deep program. No art supplies necessary, and you have convincing oils, watercolors, gouache, acrylics, pencils, pastels, pens, markers, and much more.

When you open up Painter flip through the many fine art and concept art paintings that are made by masters, some whom you can meet through the internet, or in books about Painter.

Beginners and masters may use the cloning features differently I believe. Clones of course are copies, and it is difficult to explain in one review, but it takes knowledge of Painter’s capabilities to realize that one can use a combination of cloning and talent to make something that one would have to admit, can just take talent, frankly. Not at all cheating. Art. I would name names here, but I would inevitably leave someone out. I have seen that the auto-painting feature can render a photo to look as if it is painted - sort of. Beginners will have fun, and masters use this feature creatively, and with creative uses of it.

Do I need to say I highly recommend? Have fun, and save money on art supplies. The digital art revolution is for traditional artist too (you can mix the media even). From what I have read, though many artists disagree with, and I agree with, the revolution can be compared to the digital photography revolution, many years ago. It took time for people to regard the resulting images as art.