From the Inbox: Software for Cartoonists
Published by Matt Glover January 31st, 2007 in From the Inbox
This arrived yesterday from Jeff:
Could we all recommend our favorite software for Wacom? I am using ArtRage, Photoshop, Flash and Sketchup.
Others I should know about?
I’ve written about software that cartoonists use back in this post but thought it was worth getting an update on what others are using. It’s interesting that most are using a combination of packages to get the look they’re after…
Leave a comment and share your software secrets!
To get the ball rolling, I’m using a combination of Corel PhotoPaint IX.5 and Corel PhotoPaint X3.
Both are more than enough for what I need and come at a fraction of the cost of the monsters like Photshop.
One of the programs I use a lot, which came with my elcheapo Microtek Scanner, is Adobe’s Photoshop Elements. Does a great job and I use it frequently. The Xmas bauble I did for the Santa Blog comp, was done in this program. Most people don’t spend enough time playing with, or learning about, their software, so don’t realise the potential of the software that they have.
Also, because I do a lot of work in vectors, use CorelDraw, (11) version. Using vectors means you never lose resolution - as big or as tiny as you like. CorelDraw’s Graphic Suite is bundled with Corel Trace which can turn a clean black and white (or colour) cartoon into vectors nicely, with some tidying up. And one other of the package’s bundled software is Corel Photo Painter. Although CorelDraw are no longer producing for Macs, Corel Painter IX has been produced for both Mac and PC. The only reason I bought Corel’s new painter program is because of my Mac upgrades, otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered.
Love the paint programs because it means less cleaning up of clothes and paint spillage … just waiting for computers to take over housework, all the other indoor chores and the cooking too! Wish the techies would hurry things up!:0)
Use all my software. Not one ever sits there as money wasted. I also use Pantone matching (invested in some charts) for my colour work.
Cheers Amigos!
P.S If you want to buy cheaper software check out Ebay! You can get unopened/or used versions of any software you like, for a fraction of the cost. Which is what I have done, safely.
P.S
All the programs I have mentioned are used with a Wacom tablet.
I used Photoshop Elements too. Draw ink on paper, scan and then tart it up with Photoshop.
I’m using CorelDrawX3 (but Corel 11’s Trace, because it does want I’m used to and the new CorelTraceX3 doesn’t), Corel PhotoPaint X3 and Corel Painter IX.5. With Painter I’m using a wacom Intuos2 4×5, which is too small but works great. My Wacom doesn’t like PhotoPaint, although I use it frequently on this app. CorelDraw likes my mouse and my Canonscan. I swap a lot between those programs. I also tried the adobeseries and a lot of others, but I’m used to corelDraw since version 5.
Wees gegroet,
Ed, Amsterdam