TOP 5 best drawing and image editing software to help artists 
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Looking for painting software for artists? In this article, we will consider editors of different levels of complexity so that you can familiarize yourself with the software and "try" it on to suit your needs.
How can an artist make his life easier with the help of programs?
A serious disadvantage of digital painting is the difficulty of mastering the technology of drawing on a computer. But this cannot be avoided if you plan to work in the game industry, design book covers, draw cartoons, etc. Below we will tell you about the most popular programs for creating art and illustrations.
Adobe photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is the standard in the digital painting industry. With this program you can create drawings from scratch, artistically manipulate pictures, make artistic collages, work with 3D modeling and much more. Looking at the portfolios of renowned artists who have switched from easel to computer, you will find many works that were created in this particular software.
A wide variety of brushes, the ability to rotate and press in different ways, work with layers and previously drawn fragments, adjusting transparency and various color mixing modes - all this makes the editor an indispensable tool for painting. In addition, in Photoshop it is convenient to work with references - pictures that serve as samples for the created art. They can be turned off and on on a separate layer.
However, when it comes to the best programs for artists, Photoshop shouldn’t be on top of this list. After all, the program is overloaded with other functions designed for processing images, which will only hinder those who decided to use the software exclusively as a canvas for drawing. In this regard, we advise you to pay attention to other more highly specialized solutions for artists, which we will discuss below.
Paint Tool SAI
The program was created by a Japanese company, which is probably why it works best with drawings in the style of manga and anime. But this does not mean that the program is not suitable for images of a different direction. Paint Tool SAI combines versatility with simplicity and speed. The interface has been translated into Russian, which is important when mastering its tools.
The advantages of the editor include support for graphic tablets, which help to more accurately draw outlines and reproduce objects. But simpler drawings can be created using the mouse. The editor supports all modern file types, including PSD - the native Photoshop extension. If necessary, the layer can be easily transferred to Photoshop and finished editing.
Considering software through the prism of professional capabilities, you can safely assign it first place in the list of programs for novice artists.
The editor is shareware, but the trial period lasts a whole month. During this time, you will empirically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the editor. The disadvantages include the lack of support for text, curly graphics and gradient filters.
Corel painter
If you’re looking for professional graphics software for artists, then Corel Painter is the case. The developer has equipped the editor with all the necessary functions and tools for convenient work on the virtual canvas.
To adjust the size of the brush, change its type, select a different shade and color, you do not need to go to the command menu. The interactive save option speeds up and simplifies the work process, because copies of sketches are saved automatically. This avoids data loss if, for example, you have an unexpected power outage.
The program for painting has a truly huge set of brushes - 400 pieces with flexible customizable parameters. If you wish, you can define the color separately for each villi, which makes it possible to superimpose multi-color strokes on the digital canvas. You can also create your own unique brushes. It is possible to imitate all kinds of painting techniques: watercolor, charcoal, pastel, oil, etc.
The significant disadvantages of Corel Painter include the difficulty of mastering. This is definitely not a program for beginners. In addition, the editor is resource-demanding, otherwise the operations will not be performed fast enough, the work process will freeze, and you will get nervous.
Ibis Paint X
The most popular drawing application for Android. It supports layers (up to 27 pieces), there are over 2000 brushes (G-pen, pen, digital pen, air brush, round brush, flat brush, pencil, oil paint, charcoal, pencil, stamp), as well as about 800 variety of fonts.
Ibis Paint X is not easy to learn, but the developer has provided it with pop-ups offering to watch a tutorial video. To unlock most brushes, you’ll either have to watch ads or buy the paid version. There are also premium features that are available with a subscription.
The good news is that you don’t need a stylus or graphics tablet to draw.
Autodesk SketchBook
It is a product from a popular developer specializing in software development for industrial and civil engineering, media and entertainment markets. SketchBook is distributed free of charge, so each user can try to download it to their phone and use all the available options.
The program is suitable for both beginners and professionals. The former will appreciate the simplicity of the interface, the latter will appreciate the rich functionality. SketchBook has a complete set of brushes - pencils, markers, airbrushes and more. Knows how to work with grids, curves and layers. In a word, it is a multifunctional application for artists and does not require the obligatory presence of a graphics tablet.
Does an artist need Photoshop?
In the modern world, the popularity of digital art is growing daily. Programs replacing traditional paints and easels have become an integral part of the artist’s life. In many ways, they facilitate the process of creating drawings. Here are the advantages of digital art:
- No paints, brushes, canvases and other attributes of traditional painting are required. All materials are always at hand.
- You can not be afraid to spoil the working canvas, since the algorithms of the program will allow you to "roll back" and change everything.
- Huge color palette. For the greatest accuracy, the shade can be drawn with an eyedropper from the reference or from the desired fragment of the work. The paints do not need to be mixed. This is a time saver.
- There are various tools to help… cheat. Does the portrait lack precision? Circle the reference and trick. Do you need to build houses in accordance with the perspective without the "drunken" tilting them on one side? Click on the Perspective tool and you’re done. And then there is "Symmetry", thanks to which you can get the whole image by drawing only one side of the object, and much, much more.
- No alcohol or spatula is needed to correct imperfections. There is a "Cancel" button for this.
- And finally, your work is easy to distribute on the web. Nothing needs to be scanned or photographed.
PhotoMASTER is your digital creative assistant
In this program you can modify your drawings: apply text, logo, watermark, change colors, reduce the size of the photo without losing quality, and much more. Use the program to compose a digital portfolio or just to edit pictures.
The functionality of PhotoMASTER allows you to carry out many manipulations with images. For example:
- replace boring backgrounds;
- correct exposure and white balance;
- change the color of any objects in the images;
- stylize photos using a library of filters;
- do quick retouching, plastic face and figure;
- in one click to improve the quality of the image, affecting the contrast, chiaroscuro, color and brightness components;
- use batch processing and so on.
PhotoMASTER is a program for a computer that is notable for its simplicity. There is not a huge number of tabs in which, like in a bulbous husk, the necessary tool is hidden. Everything here is accessible and understandable, which cannot but rejoice, especially when you are a beginner. Thought-out to the smallest detail minimalistic interface, beautiful design and wide functionality will make PhotoMASTER your favorite editor, which will always be "on hand".
Conclusion
We do not advise you to search for a graphic editor for drawing online. As a rule, such products are deprived of many useful functions of their stationary counterparts and are highly dependent on speed, and the presence of the Internet as such. We hope this article was helpful to you. Download the programs and try them empirically, because they all have a free period of use, the period of which ranges from 5 to 30 days.