[Steve Conway]

Anybody out there able to make any headway with Painter Essentials 3? I hate to say it, but this one is a killer to learn. I have read instructions, tutorials, watched videos, but all, I seem to come up with is my original image covered with paint streaks and smears. Can't get any detail of the original image at all. The restoration brushes only erase back to the original.

I have used graphics programs of all kinds for 10 years or so but this has really got me stumped. What am I not doing right?

Any and all help, tutorials, suggestions, etc. greatly appreciated.

Steve

[Kraellin]

steve,

sorry, i dont use it, but just a note here. you might have better luck if you made the request more specific to some part of the program or posted a picture you're trying to do something with and what you've done with it. the current request is basically asking for someone to write a manual

craig

[Steve Conway]

Craig, I'm afraid it applies to ALL parts of this program. And I don't have one decent image to post.

Tutorials from someone who has used it with success would be great. If I can just get a handle on how to do a basic painting leaving enough detail to see what has been painted, I would consider it a success. Then I believe I could branch out from there. So far everything looks more like I painted a fence than a painting.

Steve

Originally Posted by Kraellin

steve,

sorry, i dont use it, but just a note here. you might have better luck if you made the request more specific to some part of the program or posted a picture you're trying to do something with and what you've done with it. the current request is basically asking for someone to write a manual

craig

[Bob Mc]

Here's a tutorial to try also:

http://www.macdesignpro.com/articles...e.jsp?id=35873

also, John Derry and others have written a few things about Essentials 3 over in Marilyn Scholins forum. John explains more about the controls winthin E3 which might help too.

http://www.msholinprosales.com/Invision/index.html

Hope this helps

Bob Mc

[Bob Mc]

That was Marilyn Sholin not "sch"

Also there were 9 quick time movies that were made available with E3 that covered the following: Color; Textures; Tracking; Sketch; Surface; Woodcut; Water; Oil and Chalk. These were helpful to me but they're probably the one's you tried.

In Marylin's forum there is also a thread on E3 but it's not very active.

In general, I think E3 is most valuable for use as in the preliminary stages - with Photoshop filters and plug-ins doing the remainder of the work

Bob Mc

[Swampy]

Steve... I find Painter IX totally confusing. Like you, I can only mange to smear stuff around and make a complete mess. The best results that I've had are when I use the auto clone feature. Anything I try to hand "paint" is butt ugly!

I admit, I'm not an "artist" and have never used the various media offered in Painter so much of my problem is probably due to lack of understanding of how the different brushes interact with each other.

[Ken45140]

Steve: I am playing with Painter Essentials 2. I do not know how different 2 is from 3, but these steps get an ok painting.

1. Open image file.
2. File>Clone (gets you a new window)
3. Select All in the Clone window.
4. Delete all (Backspace) (gets you a blank window)
5. Click Canvas>Tracing Paper (or Ctrl-T) (gets you your image at reduced opacity.
6. In toolbar, main choices--select "CLONERS"
7. In subtool dropdown, select your choice, say Soft Cloner
8. Adjust size and opacity in sliders at top.
9. Paint away. At times, press Ctrl-T to take away the clone source and to see how your painting is progressing.

I just did it and it works. These from various videos from Lynda.com that come bundled on the CD.

Try this and if it does not work, describe some more specifics about what is or is not happening. Even thou I am a rank beginner, it will be helpful to me to try and answer some questions.

Ken

[Edit]: I just went and read that tutorial listed above about Essentials 3, and I can say for a fact that Version 2 does not have AutoPainting. So what I described above is pure cloning, not autopainting. The variations come from the brush types that are selected plus any touchup that is done using regular brushes (not cloning brushes).

[Steve Conway]

Swampy, this sounds like I wrote it. 8-)

Same problem with Painter Essentials 3.

Do seem to be getting some answers here, which I can try.

There are several tutorials in Quicktime format on the CD, but I don't use Quicktime and don't want to load it just to see these tuts.

Steve

Originally Posted by Swampy

Steve... I find Painter IX totally confusing. Like you, I can only mange to smear stuff around and make a complete mess. The best results that I've had are when I use the auto clone feature. Anything I try to hand "paint" is butt ugly!

I admit, I'm not an "artist" and have never used the various media offered in Painter so much of my problem is probably due to lack of understanding of how the different brushes interact with each other.

[Steve Conway]

Thanks much to Bob Mc and Ken. I am going to try your suggestions. I'll see what I come up with. Has to be better than what I have so far.

Steve

[Swampy]

Steve

When I first got Painter, I did look at the QT tutorials and learned a lot, but my retention of what I learned was short. I just find the interface so confusing. It may be worth loading up QT to watch the tuts. You can trash it later if ya want.

[Steve Conway]

Well, it seems I may have mis-led you by not stipulating this is Corel Painter Essentials 3 that is giving me the problems.

But I am still checking out the tuts that were posted here.

Thanks.

Steve