On A Budget And Looking For....

ArtRage, $50, free trial available too.

http://www.artrage.com/

Another ArtRage and Corel Painter Essentials for $49

How is it David? do you use/like it?

Which is better Sharon? I trust a fellow Norman! hehe.

And which corel painter essentials? 5?? or 7?

It's tough to say which is better. ArtRage vs Corel is like comparing PS Elements to Photoshop. Corel seems to have more to offer but it's more complicated to use, at least for me. Although, it might help if I read the directions or watched a video. I've just started playing around with Corel, but I really like ArtRage. I'd say get both of the 30-day trials and see which best suits your needs. Was I helpful? Lol

A lot of people have suggested Gimp to me...I haven't tried it yet but it is free.

yep! thanks.

Mine is 5

have any of you tried Manga Studio??

Manga, no. But I think I read that it was one of the top 10 for animation/3d.

Be careful of Gimp - I hear it's good, and it keeps cropping up whenever anyone asks, but the time I tried to download it my antivirus declared it infected.

You asked about drawing programs the other day, now painting? Painter is the cat's pyjamas for digital painting, but a 'cheap' version of it doesn't really exist (because once you get a taste, you soon want more) - and it'd probably help to know what computer/operating system you're running before I'd recommend it. But that being said, for what you get (i.e. everything you could wish for) any price is good, just maybe not if you need to upgrade your entire system

Hi, I started on Drawplus X6's free trial (online download) and then bought it the next day. Everything in my gallery is done with it. Based on what I've seen of you're work, it will treat you well and lends itself to your type of graphic style.

I made this for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend with DPX6. My gallery of military based vector work is growing, but the program can do anything, check my gallery fi you want to see it's full range. Thank you for your service!

Mark, I asked because I want to know what everyone's using... and I want to try out some painting software.... Is that an issue?

gimp is free as far as i know. and other places may offer a vet discount, you never know.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

some people are into microsoft paint. don't know what it's like to really draw with it though.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

I'm trying out artrage right now.... just painting a tree for now... hopefully it's not too aweful. will post here when done to see what u guys think of my first digital paint try.lol

Not an issue Adam, just seemed a bit of a leap. Consider it a compliment

oh ok. ty. now don't laugh at my first ever painting... i know i have a ton to learn... so please be nice? lmao.

okay here it is... Tada!! (my charlie brown tree)

GIMP is free and great software for image creation, although I mainly use it for photos. You may want to consider Inkscape as free software for vector graphics too.

Adam, I started out trying Gimp for processing photographs. It gave me fits (operator error maybe), so I went to Photoshop and picked-up on it a lot easier. On a side note, what branch did you serve in?

Army. 3rd ID, 3rd BDE, 203rd FSB(first unit - Fort Benning w tour in iraq - OIF-1 as dental assistant/medic), Dentac(second unit - Fort Drum as dental assistant), then 19th Engineers(Third unit - Fort Knox as IT Analyst)

I'm familiar with Ft. Knox. Went to high school in Radcliff. :)

nice... yeah been there way too many times for mcdonalds, lol. Love the area. great fishing and beautiful caves...

I like this software....

ok, i love this software..officially.... even though it looks like i finger painted this..... i am proud of my charlie brown tree... :P

Canvas and paints!

Gimp. I use it for everything.

David, this is some sick art software man!!! Artrage is great!!!

What do you guys think so far???

finished it! woot!

Gimp is like free photoshop, missing some features and others are under other windows but it is free

I'm glad you're enjoying Artrage Adam, it definitely is fun....and addictive!

Yes it is

Second painting :

I use GIMP for photo editing and painting (just started painting). It is user friendly more so than PS. You can also load it with PH apps and brushes. I have Corel Painter Essentials 5 (it came with my tablet). It is like a plaything unless it has drastically changed I wouldn't buy it.

Did I hear a small voice of Monsieur Danl trying to get through to you for using oils? Lol

yes. but my land lord won't let me paint in the house...thinks it might get a lil messy... besides, this is more fun for me at the moment since i don't work...

Photoshop is $10/month comes with PS, Light Room, and many other things. The learning curve
can be steep. That is $120/year or $1200/decade, but the upgrades are a constant stream. That
can be a big bonus.

Dave

So, now I have two paintings that are shared as a story...

you can prob find a free link or get a software for free

Mediachance's DAP (Dynamic Auto Painter) is excellent, and altho costs $99
you get quite an extended trial period...!

Mark, I got a virus trying to download Gimp from a fake site. I then had my computer guy download it for me, making sure it was the right one. Now I need to buy a book to learn how to use it!

I actually prefer Gimp. It takes a while to figure some parts out, but a lot to it for a free source. And you can easily look up any "how to" part . The Gimp instructions could be better than they are, however.
Barbie, how did you find a "fake" site? Just curious as I had no problem downloading it, but that was a few years ago. Yes, go through a safe Gimp site!

Corel Painter Essentials 5 is cool - and not over-priced.

fotosketcher is possibly the world's best kept secret!

totally F R E E

painting software


http://www.fotosketcher.com/

Adam, I'm glad people were able to help you out with software, but I don't think it was nice of you to mention you are a veteran... using it as a sympathy card. Many people are veterans. All different types of people are on a budget. My husband is a veteran and served in Iraq, but you don't see him announcing he's a veteran.

You could have just said.. you are on a budget. Everyone hear understands the term, starving artist. Just keep in mind software like Gimp may be good with certain features, but in time as you grow as a artist you may want something better like Photoshop and will have to spend the money. However, since Adobe is doing the CC versions, paying $10 a month for Photoshop isn't bad.

I'm sorry, I just think some people "milk" the veteran status. Yes, I do believe society, the government, companies etc.. should all support, care, discount or whatever for our veterans. You join the military, you served in a war, be proud to be a veteran, don't milk it.

Crystal, it's not a "sympathy" card. I chose to tell people so that they know more about me. That's all. Never have tried to milk anything...and wouldn't wanna end up like those single moms having kids just so they can milk the government.... but thank you for the information on the software...

Gimp is probably one of your best free programs out there. It's real similiar to Photoshop. You can do just about all that Photoshop does. There are videos on youtube that can hep you understand how to use it. I too am on a budget and can't afford photoshop or the $10 monthly fee. I use Gimp and Lightroom. Photoscape is also a good basic editing program that is free.

I'm guessing you are on a Windows PC so Gimp might be the best option. I personally didn't like it.

For people who are on a MAC check out Pixelmator http://www.pixelmator.com/. It has a beautiful, clean designed UI.
$29.99 one time fee.

Thanks Jennifer and Aged!