[ahutton]

I was looking at Painter, and it's $400+ price tag, this AM. I'm wondering if the new paint functions of PSP9, for $95, might not serve me just as well, until I become a rich and famous "something." PAinter is prob better, but for the money, this will do me just fine.

You can blend colors, etc, much the same way, with different kinds of paint, pressures, brushes, etc. Seems it would work well with a wacom tablet.

See it here http://www.jasc.com/products/paintsh...spfeature2.asp

Anyone have both and care to comment?

Amy

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by ahutton

I was looking at Painter, and it's $400+ price tag, this AM.
Anyone have both and care to comment?
Amy

Amy:

You ask an excellent question. Here's my 75¢ worth...

Although I have Paint Shop Pro 7, I cannot speak for Paint Shop Pro 9's new painting capabilities based on personal experience. But I believe I can offer an informed observation based on all the forums I surf and Yahoo groups to which I belong. If PSP9 approached the flexibility, breadth of tools, options and capabilities of Painter IX, it would have made the national (graphics) news by now. So far, not a whisper in that regard.

Some would argue that Painter is like using a sledgehammer to swat a fly and ask if all the options, bells and whistles are really that useful and/or necessary? (It's like my wife's nail polish collection from a man's perespective: How many shades of pink do you really need and would anyone really be able to tell the difference anyway? [another story for another day]) That's a matter of opinion, I guess. If you use them and like them, yes, they're worthwhile. If they are unused, what's the point?

That said, there's absolutely no doubt that Paint Shop Pro is about the most feature-rich program of its kind, IMO far surpassing Photoshop with built-in goodies and functionality. I've seen some very impressive artwork come out of Paint Shop Pro 6, 7 and 8 -- and expect more out of 9, especially with the new capabilities. A set of tools in the right hands can generate wonderful results.

Is art created by Paint Shop Pro better (or worse) than Painter? Who knows? Who cares? If you like it, you like it... If you don't, you don't - regardless of program.

Paint Shop Pro has always been more of a general image editing program with a broad range of capabilites, where Painter is pretty much a nitch / specialty program. In fact (according to Corel) ~80% of Painter users also have Photoshop. I suspect the new functions in PSP9 were an attempt by Jasc to get people (like you) who are on the fence regarding Painter to buy PSP9. (Now that Corel has purchased Jasc, it will be interesting to see how the two products develop in the future. My bet is Corel would prefer Paint Shop Pro not steal sales away from Painter.)

Does one need an 800 lb. gorilla like Painter? I dunno. It depends on what you're trying to accomplish and to some degree the level of ones artistic talent and actual drawing skills. (Since I'm a C+ stick fugure artist, most of Painter and Paint Shop Pro painting/drawing capabilities are useless for me, anyway.) I was advised a couple years ago that "Until you get your hands on Painter and get into it, you really can't comprehend / appreciate the possibilities." (A copy of the Painter 7 Wow book helped me see the possibilities, too.)

But like you (and others I'm sure) I was wary of the $TEEP entry fee (about $350 at the time) for Painter 8. I'm pretty tight with a buck so I opted to shop eBay where I got a legit, boxed version of Painter 7 for a not quite painless $80.

And that would be my advice for those thinking about Painter, but not wanting to pay for the full retail for the current version. Get a previous version either on eBay or surf the net for used software. There are a number of places that specialize in selling "not the latest version" programs for a considerable discount. Then try it out and if you *REALLY* like it, spring for the upgrade to the current version if you believe it has must have capabilities. If you're OK with the older version, save your $$.

(I just checked eBay and of late Painter 8's have been selling in the $50-$100 range.)

Good luck with Paint Shop Pro 9. I think you made the right decision for you.

I look forward to seeing your artwork evolve as you get your arms around the new capabilities.

~Danny~

[Legacy~Art]

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229968

I am a member also to wetcanvas although i don't find this forum very friendly, not like this place which is easy to make new friends.

[Legacy~Art]

http://www.julieboyles.com/

This lady uses psp9 for painting!

[ahutton]

Well, I shall report later, as I got both last night. I've been using PSP8.1, and PSP7 before that for years, and I absolutely love them. So I think I'll love 9.0 also. I have Photoshop but I hardly ever use it-I'm so used to Paint Shop Pro that Photoshop seems somehow "awkward."

I picked up a copy of Painter 8 for cheap.

Amy

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by ahutton

Well, I shall report later, as I got both last night. I've been using PSP8.1, and PSP7 before that for years, and I absolutely love them. So I think I'll love 9.0 also. I have Photoshop but I hardly ever use it-I'm so used to Paint Shop Pro that Photoshop seems somehow "awkward."

I picked up a copy of Painter 8 for cheap.

Amy

I suspect this tidbit may be too late, but if you haven't installed Painter 8 yet, hop over to Corel.com and download the 8.1 update.

For reasons I cannot explain, 8.1 must be applied to a "never opened" Painter 8. If you've opened 8.0 even once, you must uninstall 8, reinstall it, and then put on the 8.1 patch. Go figure. (Among other things 8.1 allows you to create custom palettes and comes with an updated User Guide in .pdf format. The original guide had a lot of technical errors/omissions.)

re: Photoshop "feels ackward"
I know what you mean: Paint Shop Pro feels the same way to me! But it still has some cool effects!

[dlindo]

There is usually a reason behind a product's price. Not always is that true but most of the time it proves that theory correct. I remembered I used painter 3 & 4 with my first Mac ( which now deserves a place in an antiques shop ) and as I believe Painter WAS made by fractal...ANYWAYS.... I know this program pretty well although i havent used it in YEARS, because once you get the hang of photoshop you can create life like images...BELIEVE ME and then make them look like painting is not that hard by applying filters etc... I also believe that behind ANY program there has to be a good artist in order for teh program to work it's best. The link that was posted showing a portrait of a soldier or w.e. was pretty good, nonetheless the same image can probably be reproduced by Paint Shop Pro. Having that said, I conclude by sayin I VOTE for Corel Painter. I have version 8 and although it isn't something i use frequently, i recommend it. Sometimes it is easier to use that program and go back to Photoshop than to try and do it in Photoshop. If money IS really an issue, then Paint Shop Pro, hands down! lol

Have you tried eBay?

[Neve]

I was at the same crossroads as yourself, Amy, a month ago, almost on the verge of updating to PSP9 from 8. I'd been using Paint Shop Pro since it's shareware version 3 so have always been a staunch fan and didn't believe I'd EVER switch to anything else. However, after some careful thought, I finally found a cheap version of Painter 8 on e-bay, and was able therefore to purchase a tablet soon after. I have not regretted it for a second and I doubt you will too. Have fun!

[sidis]

After reading a glowing review of Paint Shop Pro 9 by Bob Atkins--one of the technical gurus at photo.net--I decided to give it a new try, having not used it since version 6 or 7. Quite an eye opener. I think I'll take a Photoshop vacation, and work with PSP9 for a while.

Bob Atkins' review: http://www.bobatkins.com/photography.../psp/psp1.html

The 30-day trial can be downloaded here:

http://www.jasc.com/products/paintsh...sptrialreg.asp

I suspect this image is hardly a very good illustration of the capabilities of PSP9, since I spent less than 10 minutes on it. However, using only PSP9 and no plug-ins:

Desaturated a negative filter on a pencil layer
Blended with original image and a custom texture layer
Added borders (built-in Paint Shop Pro)


P.S.: This post was originally a part of this thread: http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8666, and was moved here by mysterious powers. It's not my photo, in case inquiring minds want to know.

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