Curse

Monk of Myrodin · Jun 15, 2007, 03:49 PM // 15:49

Just wondering if anyone else uses artweaver and has some tutorials for it. I recently aquired a copy(0.4.9 I think) and have never done computer aided graphical art before and was looking to get started, and needed a little help.

And please no "AW sux go get a real program like photoshop" because I cant afford the $600 to buy PS like the rest of the rich people here.

Thx,
Myrodin

Unlucky Slayer · Jun 15, 2007, 03:59 PM // 15:59

You think we're rich because we have Photoshop? *Laughs a bit*

You just gotta know where to look.

Vermilion K · Jun 15, 2007, 05:13 PM // 17:13

Photoshop? I thought its free, after I got it I learned it costs alot xD

Monk of Myrodin · Jun 15, 2007, 05:19 PM // 17:19

yeah its free only if you get it illegaly, which if I did I garentee I would get caught. Bad luck seems to follow me.

Unlucky Slayer · Jun 15, 2007, 05:26 PM // 17:26

If you dont want to go that way, there is always GIMP. It's the open source version of Photoshop. It works pretty well.

StarrTheInsane · Jun 15, 2007, 10:18 PM // 22:18

There are plenty of good programs that don't cost alot. OpenCanvas is free and runs on just about anything (there are people here who use that, check out the contest thread and see). I've thought about downloading it if I go to Vista. Right now I use Photoshop Elements 2. I have 3, but I don't like the clutter. 2 is a much cleaner interface. I got 2 as a cheap promo add-on with my computer and 3 came with my tablet. I don't use the full version of Photoshop, mostly because DANG it's expensive and because most programs can do what I need them to do. If it's got layers, airbrush/paint, smudge, hue/brightness/contrast adjustments, eraser, lasso tools...yeah...sometimes I abuse filters like gaussian blur and add noise (and if I'm lazy I use difference clouds for background). You'd be amazed at how much you can do with just those tools and don't even need most of the other stuff that goes with it. For the longest time I used PhotoDeluxe 2.0 because I had the disc my dad gave me with his old computer. I'm not saying the pictures rocked, but looking back knowing what I know now, I could have done exactly the same stuff I do now with it. So, in other words, there are plenty of options that don't cost an arm and a leg; as long as it's got the core functions, it should do fine.

Monk of Myrodin · Jun 16, 2007, 12:36 AM // 00:36

After looking at gimp, PS and artweaver, they are all pretty much the same, so i found some generic PS tutorials and im working on those. And i went and looked at opencanvas first and the one i could get on thier website was a 30 day trial, then it wouldnt let me save stuff after the 30 days was up. I also dowloaded gimp and between it and artweaver i should be fine for starters. Im still wondering how in the world some of yall can do the amazing artwork that i see with done with these programs, its sort of discouraging seeing what yall are capable of. Doubt ill be that good, Im more of a pencil and paper person, but might as well give it a go.

Perynne · Jun 16, 2007, 08:04 AM // 08:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monk of Myrodin

After looking at gimp, PS and artweaver, they are all pretty much the same, so i found some generic PS tutorials and im working on those. And i went and looked at opencanvas first and the one i could get on thier website was a 30 day trial, then it wouldnt let me save stuff after the 30 days was up. I also dowloaded gimp and between it and artweaver i should be fine for starters. Im still wondering how in the world some of yall can do the amazing artwork that i see with done with these programs, its sort of discouraging seeing what yall are capable of. Doubt ill be that good, Im more of a pencil and paper person, but might as well give it a go.

OpenCanvas 1.1 version is free. The newer versions aren't. Of course, OC 1.1 doesn't have all the fine things the later versions do, but it's still very good and lets you do nice watercolour-type colouring along with soft lineart.

If you want the free version, just pm me and I can email it to you or something (the file isn't very big, around 600 kb if I remember correctly).

Learning to use computer programs takes practice, just like it takes practice to use any traditional colouring method. Lots of people seem to mistakenly think that as soon as you get Photoshop, you become a guru at colouring and drawing - it's just not true. There are tons of small tricks and colouring methods that take time to learn, and of course, a program can't make your drawing anatomically correct or automatically adjust the colours to be perfect.
However, the programs are a bit more forgiving of mistakes compared to traditional colouring methods. It's easier to erase and adjust sizes on the computer, which can speed up the learning process if you use them right. It will not do the learning for you, but it will help out. Just keep at it and you'll get better.

Nian · Jun 16, 2007, 08:19 AM // 08:19

<sigh>
PS is definatelly more professional than GIMP or Open Canvas or anything else I know of. It's mostly made for corporate use and hence the expensive lisence because it's not meant for the casual users. However dozens of casual users do use it but for what? Not for selling their art but for study purposes because they want to learn and they pretty much have to if they want to succeed. I've had many discussions of this in the past and with my teachers aswell as a lawyer and mostly the case is that Adobe would propably not touch the individual and casual users. Infact who knows they aren't spreading the cracked versions of this program themselves? They need the advertizement for their expensive product. Most people get into using PS early this way and when they start to go corporate or professional they are going to have to buy the lisence anyway. I personally don't own it's lisence but when I work for profit or gain and have to use it I work trough my school or a group/company that has the lisence and thus I am able to use it commercially. In the future I do plan on getting the lisence myself but right now I'm a student and not made of much money and still practising. My dad loves photographing and bought himself the lisence to the cheaper version of PS the PS Elements. I've tried using that program and I don't remember the version but it has been made way too automatic for anything serious. It works on photos tho and that's what it was meant for I reckon.

From personal experiences the PS programs are usually high quality for photoediting and after-editing pictures. PS's brush controls are still totally lackluster. Painter is the ideal program for painting digitally. The brush controls are much more refined than in PS and can be adjusted in any way possible. GIMP from my and many others experiences is just a crappy program with a ridiculously difficult user interface, go figure. The only 'free' or less expensive program I could do anything with is propably Open Canvas.

If you are uncofortable getting software without the lisence then I recommend starting with the 1.1 version of Open Canvas which is complitelly free. Just google it and try out the net interface for fun. The newer versions of OC are pretty solid programs and they don't even cost a lot and are very user friendly in that sense so you might aswell buy those. It's a great program and pretty light to use whilst PS is a heavy mahcine that eats your computer alive. OC doesn't come near the level of PS or Painter though and most people painting in OC would then export the file into PS for touch-ups. OC has a great online community though where you can actually download the animated files of incredible artwork posted there and see the whole process of it's making. I highly recommend doing that.
http://www.portalgraphics.net/oc/en/...ntribution.asp

Truth is if you wanna go pro someday your gonna have to start using PS and Painter etc. Those are the programs that are most likely to be used in your future workplace and it would really hinder you if you didn't know how to use them already. Such is life. Personally I LOVE to give all my support to the kinds of ideals that Open Canvas type of programs have over corporate Adobe products.

Anyway, try out the trial OC's and then decide wheter to buy them or not is what I'd recommend for you personally.