New software; Rebelle

[Henry Stahle]

I am always interested in testing new software. I also buy some if I like it and want to support a future and development for the program.

My first Windows paint program was Painter. Now there is a new paint program that is very close to what Painter is or should have been. It is Paintstorm Studio. I use it and I support it. I like it better than Corel Painter.

There is also Krita, an open source paint program that is nearly as good as Photoshop for painting. I support Krita. I donate now and then for the development of it.

ArtRage is a long time favorite, the program that I use the most. I have just discovered Rebelle, a new and not yet "ready" paintprogram (version 0.8 right now) that I bought and support. It is the only software that I know of that has "the same tools" as ArtRage = natural media looking tools = that is what I like and express myself best = natural media marks.

What do you think about these programs? Do you use them? Have you tested? How do they affect your artistic work? Do they matter?

My number 1 is ArtRage. Krita is number 2. Probably is Paintstorm and Rebelle numer 3. And then the rest...Painter, Photoshop, SketchBook and ClipStudio...

[Enug]

I like the watercolour rendering of Rebelle and his other developments are fun too.

[Henry Stahle]

From a experimental program with a really cool watercolour brush engine to a useful illustration and painting software, well I think Rebelle has a long way to go. But still it challenges ArtRage (and another software claming to be "the world's most authentic Natural-Media® paint program"). I use ArtRage alomost all the time. Krita is soon as good as Photoshop and I will soon not subscribe to Adobe CC anymore. So my number one still is ArtRage - but I really like those new software popping up all over. Make me interested to try out and do something new.

[Enug]

I wonder if it is possible for AR to incorporate the way the watercolours flow (blow and tilt) in Rebelle? It appears to be animated somehow.

You are able to reproduce watercolours so well in AR without the extra effects.

[D Akey]

There was a time when there was nothing much as far as software for doing art and the computers were slow and super limited. At that time I got into Photoshop because it was the one that did the job and I'vce used it so long I use it without thinking.

I do mostly graphics work these days so photo manipulation is the thing I need and it bridges photo and painting suitably for my needs. So I exist artistically in this sort of in-between limbo where I don't need to do anything in particular but something new a lot just to keep it interesting for me.

I never got into Painter. Lots of people I know did. I didn't have a need for it. I tried Corel briefly but it didn't turn me on either. And I don't do a heck of a lot of painting and I have ArtRage for that.

I've had the high end professional (more or less) programs to use so I never needed to explore all the new little hacks and up and coming programs. All of them look fun. My one foray into supporting a software with any energy was ArtRage. And the irony is I don't paint much. But I wanted to see it make it. So I fully understand the consciousness of supporting software developers and I applaud you for going and checking all these alternate programs out.

[Delofasht]

I fairly thoroughly test most of the art software I can get a trial or demo version of. I put it through my usual processes and check layering and all the normal things I would expect as well as their more unique features. This generally ends up taking two days or so, anywhere from 10 to 20 hours as well as another 5 to 10 of reading their websites and reviews of other users. In the past 10 years, I have only had 2 software impress me really, about 4 years ago it was Autodesk's Sketchbook series of software, which I followed until they fell behind in the feel department and started to get too far into the design elements (symmetry, perspective node tools, etc). The other is ArtRage, I won't deny Photoshop or Painter their strengths, they have them but they lack the feel I look for in my media.

Rebelle has some fantastic tools, truly excellent software, or will be when they have finished fixing the bugs. The most major issue is I have with all the software is the lack of realistic color blending and lack of controls for stabilization of brush marks in real time. Many people do not like the Sketchbook line stabilizer but I find it set low with just a tiny drag behind it to be the closest to an actual bristle stabilization in natural media. Long bristles tend to reduce a shaky hand by not really translating that shakiness to the canvas, stiff long bristles still do this but have the ability to kind of push globs of paint around hold more paint and also be able to be used on their side to pull nice smooth dense strokes. Rebelle's color mixing is predictable and expected, it utilizes a standard rgb color space and mixes based off of that, it lacks the realistic primary color shifts that happen when certain pigments are mixed with black or a very near black. Those shifts are less prominent in white tinting of natural media but can be clearly seen in black added to subtractive color primaries. I have spent the last couple years really pushing for a better understanding of color mixing theory and application and have reaped quite some benefits from it. Rebelle has the best watercolor engine I have seen thus far, the ability to tilt the canvas and control the drying rates by wya of controls is unlike anything I have seen to date. The only issue I have is that I began to see some pattern in it (very hard to explain but I have a very accute eye for pattern recognition), if they can further adjust the algorithm to include more variance to the application by way of response to the canvas texture and perhaps some way of slightly randomizing the canvas texture in a more non linear method then they will have quite a realistic representation.

I still stand by the idea that they need more brush emulation controls and a better color space mixing algorithm. Lastly, I really think complex messy User Interfaces are by far the worst thing. I am amazed that ArtRage has managed such a well worked UI so far but as they add more to the software they run a risk of messing up the good UI. Modifying a user interface for intuitive and efficient use has always been one of my primary concerns in any software (or game). I used to play a few games where I coukd turn off the user interface and run a script that gave me a custom interface instead, after 2 years of playing I had finally got it perfect. So perfect that after my wife played the game a bit on my setup she understood why I was so efficient, subsequently I ended up setting up her UI the same way (same hotkey layouts and all as well). A good intuitive UI and tons of brush controls are the best things for developing a very strong workflow, one that enables and doesn't hinder the creative flow. Giving the user to ability to control all of these aspects easily is actually better than trying to make the best UI or brushes, Rebelle and ArtRage both could benefit from this (Rebelle far more).

ArtRage could benefit from a double system for watercolor or a toggle to turn on canvas tilting, drying controls for all kinds of paints, and a more realistic real color blend mode.

Well that's my thoughts on Rebelle and most art software in general. Going to have to start reading all that I have missed over the last few days away from the computer (had some unexpected guests as of late).

[Caesar]

Well, quite interesting information indeed. Artrage is still nr. 1 by far for me and at any new issue it may incorporate and improve other softwares most useful features and libraries ....

[Henry Stahle]

There has been al lot of interesting thoughts on this software subject. I have always returned to ArtRage after a trip to Another software. One reason is the Watercolour tool. It is still outstanding (well, Rebelle is really interesting and Photoshop with Kyle T Websters Watercolour brushes is outstanding!) But still, ArtRage WC owns me. Another great tool is the Sticker tool. That can be developed further to something extraordinary by picking up the canvas texture and underlying colour. Oh, that would make a fantastic tool! This Picture was made using my "Charcoal" sticker. That sticker was made out of a line drawn using a flat square charcoal on paper. I scanned the line and edited in Krita to remove the background and changed the black to pure red. Next I opened the sticker tool settings to make it work like I liked. (Here is the .stk file if you want to try it out.) Now, the thing is, I have never used Another software with a bitmap brush engine like this. It is what I think unique for ArtRage. But, it can be developed...



Here is the line I drew and used for this .stk, a natural media line, now in ArtRage!



Repeating myself = that I like ArtRage + that the painting is an old one that I edited some + the sticker "Kol 14" is repeating itself in as many different ways the settings admit.

[Micmac]

Pretty amazing watercolor technology from photos

http://www.waterlogueapp.com/madewith/

Mic

[Henry Stahle]

I have ArtRage 4 on my Windows 8.1 desktop. The ArtRage Touch is installed on my Surface Pro 3. My iPad has the ArtRage app. My Galaxy Note has the Android app. What I love about all of the applications is they are the same on all platforms. The UI is easy to recognize as ArtRage, you feel at home at once, the same with the brushes. They are the same whatever OS you prefere to work in. I love that. What a good work done on all these platforms!