A
comparison between Photoshop and Painter from a digital painter's perspective
Although there are many
programs digital artists use to create their paintings, Adobe Photoshop and
Corel Painter are easily two of the most popular. As a result, Photoshop and
Painter are frequently pitted against one another, leaving their adamant
defenders insisting one is better than the other. Much of the debate is based
purely on personal preference and many professionals will promote using the
programs in conjunction, but there are basic facts that can help artists decide
which is the best software for them.
The
Fundamental Difference
The fundamental
difference between the two programs actually lies within their names: the core
purpose of Photoshop is editing and manipulating photographs whereas Painter is
designed to digitally mimic "real" media like oil paint or Conté
sticks. Both programs do overlap in some areas, e.g. Painter offers the popular
dodge and burn tools for photo editing while Photoshop has a collection of "natural
media" brushes, but essentially their tools and user interface are built
around these two very different functions.
When considering what
field of art you'd like explore, keep this contrast in mind. If you're a
photographer looking for a way to digitally edit and enhance your photographs,
Photoshop will treat you well. If you want to create digitally as you do
traditionally, Painter will make for a smooth transition.
Perks
of Photoshop
That said, while
Photoshop is ideal for photo editing, it can still prove to be a powerful tool
for digital painting. The main perk of Photoshop is that it is so widely
supported. Brushes make a huge difference in digital painting, and although
Photoshop does boast a decent library of pre-installed brushes, many are fairly
basic when it comes to achieving different textures and styles. Fortunately,
Photoshop brushes are fairly simple to make and easy to find. Communities like
deviantART and LiveJournal are wonderful free resources for Photoshop brushes.
In addition to brushes,
Photoshop also has a feature known as actions. According to Helen Bradley of
Peachpit, "Photoshop actions are recorded steps that you perform on an
image; these steps can be saved and replayed on another image at a later date."
This feature is essentially designed to assist photographers in photo editing,
but by they can also aid digital painters who may want to keep a similar color
scheme or texture to multiple paintings. As with brushes, these can be easily
created or obtained from online resources, such as deviantART or even the
official Adobe website.
Another benefit,
especially to those who are new to digital painting, is that Photoshop
tutorials and guides are ubiquitous because it is such a popular and
well-marketed program. From online communities to magazines like Advanced
Photoshop, a Photoshop user will never want for information on new resources,
techniques, or advancements from the Adobe product.
Perks of Painter
Although not as widely recognized
as Photoshop, Painter is an amazing digital tool, even more so for those who
have a background in traditional media. It essentially lets an artist replicate
the creation process and textures from real media on their computers, and
artists can even rotate and paint on the canvas from any angle. Artists can
also use tools such as the Divine Proportion or Rule of Thirds to create
aesthetically pleasing compositions as well as create textured
"canvases" that respond to the brushes as real media would. This
feature is particularly powerful with wet media brushes, such as the watercolor
tools.
Painter's library of
pre-installed brushes is vast, having hundreds of variations of brushes
mimicking media like acrylic paint, oil pastel, chalk, colored pencil, marker,
and so on. It is more difficult to find additional brushes to download with
Painter, but because of its expansive collection and ease of modifying brushes
in the program, many Painter users don't find the need to seek additional
brushes. Additionally, even though both Painter and Photoshop are compatible
with Wacom tablets and products, Painter is especially responsive, allowing
very natural looking strokes from its brushes.
Painter also does a solid job
making up for its smaller presence in comparison to Photoshop. It is completely
compatible with Photoshop files (Photoshop, however, does not recognize
Painter's standard files, .RIFFs), and it maintains colors and layers during
transfers, allowing artists to move back and forth freely between programs.
So What Program Should I Use?
Before making a decision,
consider if you want a program specifically for painting or if you'd like
something a little more versatile, and give each program a shot using the
30-day trial each company offers. What many digital painters find is Painter is
excellent for planning, sketching, and getting the bulk of the coloring down
while Photoshop works wonderfully for adding details, adjusting colors, and
making those finishing touches that make a painting pop. However, through
experimentation and practice, others may find another process works even
better.
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