[spooge demon]

Thanks for all the info, Jin, you may get me into painter yet.

Danny, about the layers smudging problem, I have that in PS as well. I cheap workaround that seems to work in painter is to just get rid of the transparency. I fill the layer with any color (makes sense to fill with something similar to what is already there) at 1% opacity. Smudges fine then.

[Danny]

Jin, thanks for the tips.. I have yet to try it though. Too busy with work.

Craig, you have that in PS??? Strange.. in PS it works fine for me. Perhaps it's a Mac problem? That 1% trick sounds like a good idea. Will try... thanks!
_________________
Trust in Trance

[cobaltblue]

Hi Jin:) Glad you made it:) Thanks so much for your help. That tutorial that you recommended is outstanding It looks so traditional yet it's almost all computer generated.
I really need to experiment more. I've had painter for quite some time but really haven't warmed up to is as much as pencils and paper and more recently paint brushes and markers. Seeing Craig Mullins work made me want to take digital art much more seriously.
It just seems like most of my favorite digital works seem to be done in photoshop Does anyone know what sparth uses? I won't be around until afer the new year so I hope you have a great time over the holidays and I'll talk to you in 2003!
Thanks again Jin
Happy Hollidays everyone

[Jin]

spooge,

I'll consider it quite a conquest if I can get you into Painter "yet"!

It tickles me to hear you have the smudge problem in Photoshop too. It's one of the more hated things about Painter (among many in our love/hate relationship with the old girl).

This is the first time I've heard anyone mention it and I'm wondering if it appeared in Photoshop 7?

Danny,

Don't worry, I know how it is to be too busy for things. My list of important things to do is 30 miles long!

Don't lose the info, though. You'll need it one of these days.

[Jin]

Happy Holidays, cobaltblue.

See you when you get back.

[gekitsu]

cobalt:
about yout texture issue, it's all a matter of the brushes you use.
in the beginning (i did everything in photoshop before i encountered painter, and even after installing it, did most of my paintings in ps), i thought the same than you.
now, it's like the other way round. now, that i know a bit more about how painter actually works (and yes, if you come from pure photoshop, it has a enervingly steep learning curve), i smell that photoshopped texture from 10 meters ahead.

one good trick to get rid of the "cg-look" you mention in painter is using bolder, more chaotic brushes instead of "dead" tools like the digital airbrush.
use bristles, self made captured dabs, palette knifes and everything else painter has to offer to give a bit of a gritty edge to your mark making.
head over to don seegmiller's page for his collection of brushes for painter 7. david "sandman" gell has converted them for painter 6, too.

also, a great tool of throwing a little chaos in your paintings is the chalk tool. use it with different paper textures, texture sizes etc...

i strongly recommend giving painter a little bit more time, it really pays off.
get ahold of the UI (that -once understood- is the best and most direct one i ever saw) and the possibilities of the brush engine.
it surely can do things photoshop can't (as is vice versa, of course)

[plastikman]

wow looks like an oil painting

[cobaltblue]

Hi Jin:) Hope your holidays were great! Got back early. Thanks again for your help. Hi Gekitsu! Thanks for your help I appreciate it alot. I just need to be more experimental I guess. I'll figure it out eventually. Thanks again.
cb

[Jin]

Hi,

Hope your holidays were great!

About Painter... set aside some time to just play. Don't try to make anything happen, just pick up brushes, move sliders, paint, pick different papers, experiment.

If you do this every so often, you'll soon find wonderful things happening. Then make some brief notes go keep the general idea of how you got what you got. Eventually, it'll begin to stick in your brain.

PLAY!

Painter is intuitive and seemingly unpredictable. It's like a personality you're interacting with, and that's what can make it so much fun to use.

A simple analogy is the way traditional watercolor flows where it wants to flow and accidents become beautiful. Hard to master but worth the effort.


Have a safe New Years Eve, everyone.. and have fun too.

[cobaltblue]

Hi Jinny! Thanks for the tips! I just picked up a little old samsung monitor 14in and a cheap ati display card so now I have dual display! I'm worried that this 14in monitor isn't going to be big enough to hold my ref pic and all the pallettes:( Haven't tried yet just got it set up. Oh well still alot better than just one monitor:)
Hope you have a fun and safe new year Jinny and all!

cb:)

[cobaltblue]

Hi again. I'm just wondering, is it even possible to get all the pallettes to be on another screen in painter? They won't leave the application window@#*(#*! Is this not possible to get all of the pallettes onto another monitor? Please tell me it is. Does anyone know? Thanks in advance for any help:)

cobalt

[Jin]

cobaltblue,

It can be done. A lot of Painter users place their palettes on a second monitor. However, you need to stretch the Painter application window over to the second monitor.

In some instances, I've read there are problems when the second monitor is placed on the wrong side of the main monitor (can't remember which has to be right or left).

Other than that, I can't say anything as my budget hasn't allowed me a second monitor.. could use one!

Others will probably be able to help, and if you don't get an answer here, post your question (including system specs, Painter version including Update or patch number, monitor specs, etc.) to the following:

Painter list at Topica.com
http://www.topica.com/lists/painter-list/

Corel Painter Support Newsgroup
Add Server: cnews.corel.ca
Subscribe to: corel.graphic_apps.painter

and...

alt.fractal-design.painter


Good luck and Happy New Year, 2003!

[cobaltblue]

Hi Jinny! Happy new year:)

I feel so dumb for not having thought of that It works!
Thanks so much

[Jin]

cobaltblue,

My advice is not to waste time feeling dumb so early in the game. Painter will tend to make anyone feel dumb.. plenty of times.

It's not surprising you didn't think of it. I believe Photoshop allows you to move palettes outside of the application window, so it's a surprise to a lot of people that Painter won't.

Please do some double monitor painting for me. It'll make me feel better not having to of 'em.