Brushes and Paints and Textures, Oh My! [Tech Tuesday]

You’re probably familiar with Corel’s PaintShop Pro photo-editing software (recently released in version X9), but you might not be as tuned in to Painter, Corel’s digital art and drawing software. Before you roll your eyes and start going on about how you’re not a painter, you’re a photographer, yadda, yadda, yadda, you might want to take a look at Painter 2017.

First of all, with Painter 2017, you do not have to have the eye-hand coordination (or other skills) that painters have. And it’s not just for turning photos into painterly images—although this program has plenty of tools to do that, too, with very fine controls for putting finishing touches on a photo and not overlaying some lookalike effects.

What I really love about the program is its ability to use textures and other fine-art touches on photographs. Of course, if you want to follow a path that leads to moody, fantasy composites, you can do that, too. Or, if you secretly harbor thoughts of playing around in Manga, the tools are there for you.

There’s a learning curve with this software, but Corel has great learning tools, including videos, that will get you up and running. Equally as important is the special Photo Art workflow user interface, so you have all the practical and creative tools you need at your fingertips. With Painter 2017, you can clone, add textures, bring out fine details in an image and/or blend other areas of the image. I’ve only just begun to explore all the possibilities with this software, but it’s clear that the potential is enormous and, while you’re learning, there are automatic options (such as auto painting) that will move your project forward quickly and easily.

If you’re a Corel ParticleShop user (which I’ve written about here), you can use those brushes as well as the other brushes that come with Painter 2017. Plus, you can work with layered PSD files.

Painter 2017 lets you explore new realms for your photos—whether you want to output a painterly portrait onto canvas, pump up a striking fashion image that looks great on a metallic substrate or create an otherworldly fantasy image. It’s an incredibly versatile program and if you’re up for adding a new option for your clients, download the free trial and see where it takes you. Painter 2017 runs $429 for the full version, or $229 to upgrade.

Related Links:
Create Like an Expert with Plug-in Magic of ParticleShop

Product Roundup: 12 Crafty Photo Editors

Read More Tech Tuesday’s from Rf’s PhotoForward Archive