ArtRage 4_is it really better than ArtRage Studio?

[cokecreative]

My Sony VAIO came pre-installed w/ ArtRage Studio. I just spent $50. purchasing ArtRage 4. I'm not impressed by the "upgrade". Can someone explain to me what improvements or features that were worth $50!

[Peter Pinckney]

I'll answer with examples...............can't do this in Studio................$50 well spent IMO

[Z1Xwitch]

As I see it, it depends on what you want to use it for ... In the case of pencil sketching and traditional drawing, I see no real difference from Studio to ArtRage 4.
When it comes to digital drawing, where you are dependent of many layers, and the ability to transform and adapt layers and quick snipplets from stock - ArtRage 4 clearly has a lot of new things to help organize this. The ability to group layers, and the new transform functions are great examples of this.
But if you plan on doing loose sketches, and traditional one-layer drawing, I bet you won't feel much of a difference between the two versions

[Someonesane]

The toolbox feature, by itself, was worth 40$ to me, but I'll point out all of the new features that I have been making regular use of since my upgrade to AR4, and why I find them useful.

Toolbox

• You can store stencils, color samples, reference images, any type of tool preset within a single panel.
  
  • Having to click on a tool and then scroll through the preset panel to find the preset you want for it can take a lot of mouse clicks and time (especially if you use more then one preset per different tool you use). However, once you've set up a toolbox you can have all of the specific tools laid out in one spot.
  
  

Workbench

• This mode takes all of the normal pods and panels and consolidates them to single toolbar called the Workbench, which can be set to any side of the canvas.
  
  • This not only gives you open and clean look at your canvas, but also allows you to tack your Toolbox items to the Workbench.
  
  

Scrap

• New feature to the Reference panel that allows you to have a scrap piece of canvas available for mixing paint, like a painters pallet.

New View

• Another new feature to the Reference panel, which allows you to have a second view of the image you're creating.
  
  • This one is great, because you can be zoomed in on your normal canvas for detail work, and still see how it's coming along at a distance via the New View reference.
    
  • You can also work directly on the New View, so you don't even have to zoom your normal canvas out, if you just want to add a few quick lines at a distance.
  
  

Gradient Fill

• New option for the Fill Tool, allowing for gradient creation.
  
  • Good for quickly coloring gradated color washes.
    
  • Completely user editable.
    
  • Allows for Photoshop gradient importing.
  
  

Pattern Fill

• Another new option for the Fill Tool, which allows you to fill an area in with an image pattern.
  
  • Nice of adding texture overlays, matte painting, and collage work.
  
  

Clone Tool

• Used for copying one area of and image, to another area on the canvas.
  
  • Great for photo editing, since it allows you to copy the image information from area of a photo to another, for quick fixes of scratches and scuffs.
    
  • Perfect tool to create your own seamless tiles for use as canvas' in ArtRage, or as Patterns in for the Pattern Fill.
  
  

Non-Uniform / Perspective options for the Transformation Tool

• Allows you to contort a selected area (along a 3d plane, when using the Perspective option).
  
  • No more fussing to create a perspective grid. Just use the Pattern Fill tool to fill your canvas with a grid pattern and use the Perspective tool to bend it towards your horizon line.
    
  • Terrific for matte painting, because you bend the images to match more closely with your images perspective.
  
  

Symmetry Feature

• I didn't think I'd get much use from this one, but I was mistaken.
  
  • Works well for making symmetric symbols and patterns, that can then be used textures in the Pattern Fill tool.
  
  

And this is all without going into details about the tweaks to certain tools, or the added options some of them have received (such as the Oil Brushes new "Stiffness" setting).

[cokecreative]

The toolbox feature, by itself, was worth 40$ to me, but I'll point out all of the new features that I have been making regular use of since my upgrade to AR4, and why I find them useful.

Toolbox

• You can store stencils, color samples, reference images, any type of tool preset within a single panel.
  
  • Having to click on a tool and then scroll through the preset panel to find the preset you want for it can take a lot of mouse clicks and time (especially if you use more then one preset per different tool you use). However, once you've set up a toolbox you can have all of the specific tools laid out in one spot.
  
  

Workbench

• This mode takes all of the normal pods and panels and consolidates them to single toolbar called the Workbench, which can be set to any side of the canvas.
  
  • This not only gives you open and clean look at your canvas, but also allows you to tack your Toolbox items to the Workbench.
  
  

Scrap

• New feature to the Reference panel that allows you to have a scrap piece of canvas available for mixing paint, like a painters pallet.

New View

• Another new feature to the Reference panel, which allows you to have a second view of the image you're creating.
  
  • This one is great, because you can be zoomed in on your normal canvas for detail work, and still see how it's coming along at a distance via the New View reference.
    
  • You can also work directly on the New View, so you don't even have to zoom your normal canvas out, if you just want to add a few quick lines at a distance.
  
  

Gradient Fill

• New option for the Fill Tool, allowing for gradient creation.
  
  • Good for quickly coloring gradated color washes.
    
  • Completely user editable.
    
  • Allows for Photoshop gradient importing.
  
  

Pattern Fill

• Another new option for the Fill Tool, which allows you to fill an area in with an image pattern.
  
  • Nice of adding texture overlays, matte painting, and collage work.
  
  

Clone Tool

• Used for copying one area of and image, to another area on the canvas.
  
  • Great for photo editing, since it allows you to copy the image information from area of a photo to another, for quick fixes of scratches and scuffs.
    
  • Perfect tool to create your own seamless tiles for use as canvas' in ArtRage, or as Patterns in for the Pattern Fill.
  
  

Non-Uniform / Perspective options for the Transformation Tool

• Allows you to contort a selected area (along a 3d plane, when using the Perspective option).
  
  • No more fussing to create a perspective grid. Just use the Pattern Fill tool to fill your canvas with a grid pattern and use the Perspective tool to bend it towards your horizon line.
    
  • Terrific for matte painting, because you bend the images to match more closely with your images perspective.
  
  

Symmetry Feature

• I didn't think I'd get much use from this one, but I was mistaken.
  
  • Works well for making symmetric symbols and patterns, that can then be used textures in the Pattern Fill tool.
  
  

And this is all without going into details about the tweaks to certain tools, or the added options some of them have received (such as the Oil Brushes new "Stiffness" setting).

The program is awesome and just the few enhancements that you mentioned make the upgrade worthwhile. And even more so you have my head spinning thinking about how many custom variations I can make to the tool set. Thanks for the head's up!

[sulizbeth]

I have just purchase ArtRage4 as an upgrade. I upgraded from studio, which itself was upgraded from 3. I have been impressed with the furtherment and tweaking of the program from the first freebie I had to now. I love the new bits, the bits I have read about in the manual that are taking the already brilliant program to new levels, and for me it is money well spent. I am not a great artist, nor do I have any preference for technique, but for doing a bit of graphic designing it is a fab tool.

[DaveRage]

My Sony VAIO came pre-installed w/ ArtRage Studio. I just spent $50. purchasing ArtRage 4. I'm not impressed by the "upgrade". Can someone explain to me what improvements or features that were worth $50!

I'm not sure if you saw my reply in your other thread, but you shouldn't need to pay $50 to upgrade. You can register your Studio serial number on our website to purchase ArtRage 4 with a 50% discount. You can view this information here: http://www2.ambientdesign.com/forums...read.php?41713. If you have already purchased 4 at full price, please email me at [email protected] with the model of your VAIO and if possible the serial number for your ArtRage Studio ( Help -> Change Serial Number to view it ) and I can sort out a partial refund for you so that you get it at the correct price.

[silva]

I read this post yesterday and it prompted me upgrade from pro to 4, and am thrilled with the program.

[royblumenthal]

One major reason to upgrade at whatever price is to reward the developers for sticking with this amazing program. If they release version 5 tomorrow, I'll buy that. And version 6 the next day.

I can't do my work without this incredible software. It is literally my bread and butter in my work as a visual facilitator.

All of the tweaks to the tools, and the perspective warp tools are going to come in very very very handy in my sessions.

Thanks for a killer program, guys.

Now... Android when? Win8 when?

Blue skies
Roy

[Rachelle]

I don't know if there has been a more recent thread about this topic, but I find this thread very helpful in my planning towards getting the upgrade soon.

So thank you, to all who contributed info and detail here.