ArtRage Deluxe 2.5

Review by Diane Cipollo for ArtRage Deluxe 2.5
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ArtRage is a natural media digital art software with several very nice features, some challenging those of Painter and Photoshop. The first thing that I liked was the software’s graphic user interface or workspace. Given the number of features and the amount of controls to customize the tools, you would expect a complicated and intimidating GUI similar to that of Painter or Photoshop. Instead, you have an uncluttered workspace with only six panels bordering the edges. Also, as you are working, these few panels automatically disappear out of the way as your brush approaches and reappear again as you move your brush away. Other nice features are a rotating canvas and pen tablet support. ArtRage can import and export several image formats including JPEG, BMP, PNG and PSD.

Those artists who begin their artwork by blocking out the major shapes and colors in their painting will appreciate ArtRage’s Tracing Image feature. This feature allows you to import a photo or sketch as a starting point for your painting. ArtRage projects the imported tracing image onto the canvas and you can control the scale and opacity of the image. For example, while tracing the outline of a rose with the Pencil tool, I set the opacity to around 80% which allowed me to see the details clearly. Later when I began to add color, I lowered to opacity to about 30% to create an “onion skin” of the trace image. For artists who like to paint from a reference image, ArtRage allows you to “pin” a reference image or images directly on to the canvas. Once the reference image is pinned to the workspace, you can reposition the image next to the area you are working on.

ArtRage has two ways to work with color; Trace Color and Normal Color. Trace Color is a feature which takes all the hard work out of choosing colors. As you paint with any of the tools, the software chooses the colors for you, based on the trace image. If you prefer to choose the colors, you can switch to the Normal Color mode and ArtRage has several color pickers including a Numeric Color Picker and the basic RGB and HSL color pickers.

With the Custom Color Picker feature, you can narrow your color choices in the color picker panel to a smaller group of colors such as complements, warm colors or cool colors. Finally, ArtRage comes with several preset Color Samples. You can even create and save your own custom color sets and color samples.

Now that we have our digital colors, we are ready to paint or draw. Each of the natural media art tools in ArtRage can simulate traditional art media including oil, pencil, palette knife, airbrush, chalk, glitter, paint roller, paint tube, felt pen, crayon and eraser. The realism and amount of custom control over the tool’s properties such as wetness, pressure, hardness and angle, are surprising for the price. The natural media tools can also be used with the Metallic Paint option which gives a metallic characteristic to the media and to the canvas. In the Papers Settings Panel, you can choose a preset paper type and control several aspects of the canvas such as grain, roughness, color and opacity.

Another feature that one would expect in only high end software is layers. ArtRage’s Layers panel rivals its competitors’. You can work on individual areas of your painting on separate layers. You can also copy, group and merge layers. Each layer has its own properties, such as opacity and blend modes, and can be moved, scaled and rotated. You can control the characteristics of the paper or canvas for each layer. ArtRage also supports transparency for layers, Photoshop’s blending modes and has the ability to retain layer information when you import or export your artwork in PDS format.

The Stencil Picker is a very nice feature that can have many applications. The stencils and rulers work in three modes. In the Stencil mode, you can use the stencil or ruler as a mask to prevent paint from touching the canvas. In the Ruler mode, the stencils and rulers act as a combination straight edge and snap to function. As you move your paint brush along the edge of the stencil, your brush will automatically snap to the edge of the stencil giving you a nice clean edge. The Guide mode works like the Ruler mode but allows paint to spread under the stencil or ruler, giving a softer edge. ArtRage comes with a nice selection of preset stencils and rulers. You can also create and store you own.

Besides the built-in resources such as color samples, preset paper types, trace images, stencils and rulers, ArtRage comes with several video and pdf tutorials, sample paintings, quick start guide and a nice user manual.

I almost feel embarrassed to suggest additional features. But if I had a “wish list” for ArtRage it would include just a few things. For art media tools, I would like to see a watercolor brush and a drawing pen with a really fine point. As for new features, I would like to see selection tools and tooltips. Although ArtRage does have a multiple undo feature, it would be nice to have a history panel.

Review by S. A. Walsh for ArtRage Deluxe 2.5
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Like digital pictures, the poorly done can be eliminated and the appealing kept or printed. I have taken drawing classes, invested in supplies, bought many ‘how to’ books and never quite gotten to the point of doing much with any of it. There always seemed to be some barrier that put any project I did want to try on hold, usually permanently! Paint, pastels, pencils, canvas sizes, drawing paper type, the list of what seemed like barriers to me was endless. However all these are supplied at a moments notice with my new software. At last I can just draw or paint something in a choice of medium, and for very little cost and investment of getting ready! The supplies and tools are all there at a moments notice when that flash of inspiration comes but fades quickly in that fleeting moment. I was very pleased with the paint brush tool and love it most, the color wheel, tones and layers are easy to find and use, all is self-explanatory with a short trial. The layers make it possible to finsh one perfect part and not have to risk messing it up when adding or erasing more to the project. I think this would be an excellent tool for any child that shows artistic promise, a way to create without costing mom and dad a fortune in supplies or little brother eating the crayons!

Review by TG for ArtRage Deluxe 2.5
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Struggled to sketch on paper, scan, take into pixel paint product to produce computer game characters.

Got a demo of Art Rage and was astonished how easy it was to sketch using a tablet as if it was paper. Great range of medium to use and, for my purposes, was ideal to do the initial sketches. Since then I have used the product to do backgrounds as well.

When I checked the full product I was expecting £100 so was pleasantly surprised at the $30 price.

Review by Eileen Parzek for ArtRage Deluxe 2.5
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This is easily the best designed, most thoughtfully executed and brilliantly coded piece of software I’ve ever used in a 20+ career in computer technology. That’s not a compliment I give out easily – I’m a lifelong artist turned software and web designer with a background in usability and interface design. That said, Art Rage 2.5 is absolutely BRILLIANT. Nothing unnecessary is thrown in to clutter the work space, its intuitively designed the way an artist works, and its powerful, yet simple to understand. I highly recommend the tutorials, especially the series of videos, available on the Art Rage site, before you get started – I bumbled around for an evening, experimenting, and was able to do things instantly but after spending about a half hour watching the work flow, I “got it” in a whole new way and took off, creating my first painting.

Incidentally, I HAVE used Painter and this is not it. If you have used Painter, you might think this is really missing a lot. Art Rage is intended to be “prosumer” software – easy and affordable enough for anyone with an inner artistè but incredibly powerful, enough that a professional artist can have the tool kit they need to create just about anything in the digital art and painting realm. It is missing a lot of things that Painter has, which might also clutter up the interface and cause a bit of “options paralysis” – but there are ways to accomplish most things, even if its a round about way. For example, I found myself wishing there was a water color brush – a way to “just add water” – but after going to the forums, I learned that I could turn the “thinner” way up on a paint brush and make similar effects for blending the colors. The forums and gallery, I should mention since they are loaded with people you can ask questions of, who know this software much better than you will at first. And its amazing to see the potential by browsing the galleries and forums for examples of what others have done.

Art Rage, as with all digital art and design software, is merely a tool – if you don’t have any eye for color or composition, its going to show in your work when you create freehand. BUT – on the consumer side of the equation, it offers amazing tracing options where you can paint over top of an existing image, semi transparent below the layer you’re on, and it will chose your colors for you. You can pencil trace an image and then color it in. There are stencils galore to make it easy to draw your shapes even if you don’t have a steady hand. It really is for everyone and my only two regrets in the purchase are 1) it doesn’t seem to have a direct affiliate program so I can toot its greatness to the hills and make some $$ and 2) Amazon dropped the price two days after I finally purchased it. The only negative I’ve spotted is that there doesn’t appear to be a type tool for putting words on the images, unless you create them with stencils. But I haven’t searched the forum for that yet, and I know I can also export out to other apps and add text.

PS. A graphics tablet is a MUST but since you’re saving hundreds from buying Painter, you can afford it I am using an ancient Wacom II tablet that I bought nearly 10 years ago, which simply will not die or refuse to install on whatever computer I upgrade to – and its wonderful. But there are many to choose from. You don’t need a big one – just something paper sized – and it will open up whole worlds of potential with software like this.

Review by Evelyn O. Simon for ArtRage Deluxe 2.5
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I love to draw and create; if you like creating beautiful artwork, you will love art rage. The program is easy and uploads fast, so you can get started. Art tools are, paint brush, paint roller, eraser, air brush, glitter, chalk, crayon, marker, pencil, etc. You can also resize the canvas to as small or as big as you’d like. The import feature is a feature to upload your masterpiece to your website, or to an online artwork community. This wonderful program is great for kids 12 and older.

Just think, you’ll never have to worry about running out of art supplies. It’s like having an art studio without the clutter of paint brushes, gloppy messes of paint splatters. No clean up is neccessary.

If you have not invested in a PC tablet and pen set, I urge you to purchase along with this program. The program is awesome, you will love it!