[Digital Genesis]

If you're a disgruntled photoshop user who is tired of enormous file sizes, or someone whose computer is just too slow to handle large file resolutions in traditional bitmap editing programs - read on..

I've been testing Satori FilmFX 3.2, which can be d/l at hotfiles.com, and so far I have had a lot of positive experiences with it.

Anyone familiar with photoshop will wonder what wonderful tools they have to give up, by switching to another app.. and the answer is: If you're using photoshop mainly to paint with, you won't be missing much at all.

There are a few quirks to the program that you need to get used to.
The way you change brush sizes can be a bit annoying.

Masks are also handled slightly differently than in photoshop..

And obviously there is a learning curve that needs to be scaled.

Those few gripes aside, there is a lot going for this program:

- SPEED! Very very fast.

- Resolution independence. Zoom to any level, on any canvas size (default is 6144x4096) and get crisp detail.

- Brush options. There are many ways to customize your brushes. You can apply various effects to your brushes, which can be either standard, customized static or customized animated. Literally, there is nothing your brushes can't do.
Personally I love the super easy way of blending colors by using a mix of the 'push' and 'water' style.

- Rotoscoping / video alpha / etc..

Satori is object based, which means it works differently than bitmap-only programs.
It's what enables it to work faster and with more versatility.
However, to those not used to this difference it can be a turnoff initially.

I urge everyone to give this program the chance it deserves.

I doubt many hardcore photoshop users will do so, but for those who desire a perfomance boost and a lot of options that photoshop doesn't have, check it out.

I know that my Pentium 233, w/ 32 megs of ram is running this baby quite smoothly

I can only imagine what it will be like on a faster system with more ram. Woah!


Btw, I am NOT employed by Satori, nor do I know anyone at the company. So forgive the sales pitch, but this program is really one that deserves more attention than it has gotten.

If anyone produces something they're proud of, consider posting it for all to see. I would post myself, but I suck at painting


Finally, a little trick I learnt. After painting for a long time, applying the hi-rez button can start getting slow. To remedy this, save the picture as a high resolution RIR instead of CVS file and reload it. Voila, fast again.
(what happens is that satori no longer has to keep track of the multitude of objects that build up while painting, and which are included in CVS (canvas) files, after you convert it to RIR (resolution independent raster) format and reload it. Basically you're starting fresh, object wise, but with your progress so far intact.).

Alright, thanks for reading. Have fun!

[Pat]

You mentioned you've got a Pentium processor, so I assume Satori is a PC program. Is there a Mac version available?

-Pat

[specialbrew]

Since I started using Satori about 18 months ago, it's pretty rare now I fire up any other graphics app - the way it can throw around a multi-layer, 10x15 inch image at 300dpi still suprises me even now...

cheers

sb

[This message has been edited by specialbrew (edited February 10, 2001).]

[specialbrew]

I can't say I've ever posted an image to this forum before, but here goes - a dinosaur, painted in Satori and culled from my very new (and so far very sparse!) site -



cheers

sb

[Digital Genesis]

Pat - To my knowledge there is only a PC version available. But you can check their site at www.satoripaint.com for all info

Specialbrew - Amazing how it is so far ahead of its competition, especially considering its age.

Frost - If you do, please share your insights and experiences.


It'd be nice if Satori ends up being another 'app of choice' for the majority here.

[Frost]

Interesting post - I've always wanted to try Satori... after reading this, I just might. =)

[specialbrew]

Pat/Digital Genesis, so far as I know Spaceward have been investigating the possibility of a Mac version for at least a year and this may yet come to be in the future. While Satori has been at v3.20 for quite some time (aside from a 3.40 beta), there are plans afoot for a 4.0 which should surface I think in the first half of 2001.

As DG has said, aside from the res. independence, one of Satori's biggest plus points is the user definable brushes - because the brush profile can be a randomised sequence of brush images, this opens the door to very realistic simulation of how a brush behaves over time.

The image below was created using a custom-built brush to simulate a hard pastel sketch:



I wish I had more to post but so far there's not much on my site. You might want to check out Michael Hirsch's work at www.animation-backgrounds.com who also works with Satori pretty much exclusively.

sb

[This message has been edited by specialbrew (edited February 11, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by specialbrew (edited February 11, 2001).]

[Bg]

Finally I will try it.

------------------
Timo Vihola

ICQ:101776026
http://www.mbnet.fi/~badgers/

[BooMSticK]

Actually Satori was the first digital paintsoftware I bought. I was tempted by the 'resolution independance' which is offered by the program and by the fact that it emulates real paint just like Painter. I stayed with it for some time, but the ui is just so not-userfriendly. If you thought Painter has a bed interface wait until you see Satori. Its a nightmare. Its fast yes but if the interface is slowing you down then whats the point. On top of this the realbrush emulation is nowhere as good as in painter...

Also I've talked with Michael Hirsh on several occations. He being a very strong and great Satori user. For his kind of work I guess Satori would be a very smart choise, but if a painted feel is what you want I would stay with Painter any time.

Last say: Though I'm quite skeptic about the future of Satori I'm looking forward to v.4. The developers has been very nice to correspond with about future changes and so on. I hope they'll succed...

,Boom

[Pat]

Thanks for all the info and links guys. To be honest, I was really impressed with the work posted to the forum so I had to do a little more investigating! After a couple of hours tracking down a lot of the different sites, tutorials and galleries, I can't help but think I'm looking at the future of paint programs. The implications of resolution independence are pretty staggering, but I suspect as computers become more and more powerful the gap between pixel-based and vector-based information will become less of an issue. That said, if vector-based programs continue to hone their UI's and remain flexible, what does it matter if you push pixels or polys? The benefits of switching are really tempting.

Unfortunately, there is not Mac version. Looks like it's time to fire off some email to the Satori folks to let them know there's some interest. While I'm a diehard Mac guy, this is the most compelling reason I've seen in a long time to get a PC.

booMSticK- I've been using Painter since v2 and there's been a marked improvement in the UI with almost each revision. v6 is the best yet. I commonly paint with only the big color picker wheel and a semi-collapsed brush drawer with my 4 favorite tools locked so they can't rotate off. While Painter is sweet now, it was a lot more frustrating in days past. IMO, it's natural media tools are just now coming into their own, so the fact that Satori isn't quite there yet doesn't bother me too much. Just by looking at what others have been able to coax out of the program I can tell it would meet my needs. However, artists are pretty picky about their tools and I'm no different. Until I actually give it a spin I couldn't say for sure. Thanks for your feedback!

-Pat