ArtRage versus Photoshop
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A comparison of two art programs
ArtRage versus Photoshop
ArtRage or Photoshop? Two art programs - one cheaper and less well known, one THE byword for digital art. Which would you choose... and why?
Oh sure, we'd all like to have both - but if you had to choose?
Well, I know what I think, and I can praise ArtRage for hours on end - but to be fair, we need to hear from people who know Photoshop better than they know their mothers. So, tell us - which would YOU prefer?
If I had to choose just one art program...
Which would it be?
YOUR TURN!
I say ArtRage. What do you say?
I would choose ArtRage hands down.
(You can find links to the free version here along with other bits and pieces)
ArtRage versus Photoshop
Yes, you're right!
karna says:
artrage.. verygood.. but that said i use ps too..and sometimes import ps bruses into artrage ,, ps maybe BIG and mybe better than artrage but artrage UI is sexy .. ps is same old borring UI..
Unreal says:
ArtRage is very good in lineart smooth!!! ++ but i used Photoshop too
hawk says:
art rage is the best it cant compete with photoshop
Churchmouse says:
I'm a photoshop user from long ago but I'm about to try artRage!! will let you know how I get on!
delmarschwar12 says:
Yes , you're right ! free software downloads
Sleethe says:
Photoshop is great for editing stuff, but ArtRage is better for creating stuff from scratch. So, when your talking paint-paint, I choose ArtRage.
PhotoshopAndArtrage says:
BOTH!
CreativeArtDesigns says:
My Vote is Photoshop.
ninjaherasment says:
i did a free trial for both programs and i ended up buying artrage, art rage is so simple to use yet so very deceivingly complex, photoshop on the other hand is simply complex. a beginner will have almost no problems using artrage right out of the gate, in my opinion artrage and gimp or artrage and paint.net can do almost anything together that photoshop can. artrage takes up less space and its much simpler but the one con i could say is that artrage doesnt have that infinite zoom photoshop seems to have, it only zooms to 500 but honestly i wouldnt see any need to be able to zoom in any further than that. in the end only thing i can say is use a free trial for both.
longestjourney says:
Artrage offers me what I need. It takes less strain on my computer too
Eya says:
Artrage is totally better but you're kinda biased. Maybe you should list the pros and cons and weigh them against each other in a chart or table.
Deserthorse says:
I am not an artist by any means but enjoy creating things with both ArtRage and Photoshop. I think ArtRage is far easier to use. The latest version is outstanding and has most of the features the more expensive Photoshop program has.
Burn Cycle says:
It's pretty hard to say one way or the other which is better, especially since both are really designed for different purposes. Yeah, you can create original "paintings" and what not in Photoshop, but that's not what it was designed for (hence the name PHOTOshop), and to create artwork on the same level as ArtRage, in so much as color, texture, etc., you definitely have to go through more work and there's definitely a higher learning curve than with ArtRage. But by the same token, Photoshop offers an insane number of options compared to ArtRage, and there are simply many things that Photoshop handles easily that are difficult to impossible to replicate in ArtRage.
And as ftwremy pointed out, yes you can mix colors and add textures in photoshop. But the colors don't mix the same way ArtRage does, where brushing red paint over blue paint leaves streaks of purple. In order to get the same effect in Photoshop, not only does it take more work, but it means artists that already know how to mix paint on canvas suddenly have to re-learn how to do this in Photoshop, while ArtRage favors those that already understand how these mediums work in real life.
And I guess that's the reason I pick ArtRage over Photoshop. With Photoshop, you have to specifically learn how to use Photoshop in order to accomplish anything. With ArtRage, anybody who knows anything about painting or drawing will have no problem creating something right from the first startup. And even those that don't know how to draw and paint, I must say that I had a MUCH easier time picking up ArtRage and going than what I did with Photoshop. Yeah, my first painting in ArtRage looked like a mutilated Jackson Pollack rip-off, but at least I was able to DO something, unlike the first time I opened Photoshop.
People that have been using Photoshop a while, I think, tend to forget what it was like the first time they opened it up, unless they were fortunate enough to use a similarly designed UI in another program beforehand.
Bottom line, ArtRage is a fraction of the cost, while being about a thousand times easier to use for what it was meant for compared to Photoshop. If we were comparing full capabilities of both programs, I'd have to go with Photoshop, but I get the feeling this thread is more about "Is ArtRage worth buying, or can I just stick with Photoshop for my digital painting?" And the answer is most definitely YES, ArtRage is worth it over Photoshop, if you want to create completely original digital works in a similar manner to physical ones you used to paint, draw, etc.
Flynn_the_Cat says:
@ftwremy
I'll admit I'm being slightly facetious in some of my points, but they're all valid comments - and not just from me.
The 'real paint program' thing was to highlight that Photoshop was not actually designed for painting, originally (although many think it is) - with implications for their abilities.
The ability to use PSD files means you simply have more options! I've been sent PSDs to work with and if you CAME from Photoshop somehow you can still open your work.
The stickers? Well, no, but I'm basing my comments on statements from experienced users in the forums. I think I actually gave more details on the ArtRage Stickers page. I should back that one up though XD
Textures... I have never seen a Photoshop painting with any kind oftexture. I think you're thinking of it in the Phtshp turn, not the literal one. ArtRage has lighting that creates the appearance of physical texture.
The learning curve issue - yes, you can edit fairly quickly, but paint? Not if you're completely new to it.
Reinstalling... sure, if you're lucky and saved all the right things and kept the right CDs (or HAVE CDs). But I've heard a few horror stories - basically, if you havn't got something, you're stuffed. With AR you can start completely from scratch again.
Pavig Lok says:
Artrage for art, Pixelmator on the mac for general image work, Photoshop for pre-press, though i've used GIMP for that too. Unlike all the others, with artrage you can start with a blank canvass and work up. (Painter was great in the Fractal Design era, but increasingly lost focus.)
arncyn says:
I've only used Photoshop but based on your arguments, I am really considering downloading Artrage, even just the trial version first just to be able to compare it with PS.
No way, Monkeybrain!
Diethx says:
Photoshop for inking and resizing - Artrage for colour and texture.
Good day sirs.
PhotoshopWarrior says:
Well, my vote goes to Photoshop... it's great and useful
SkeletalSquirrel says:
To be honest...If you say that you never saw a textured photoshop painting this means you never looked! A lot of digital painters use photoshop, like 90% of them. The other 10% uses painter. Like you say: photoshop is not based on "real media emulation" and that's entirely true, but custom brushes will work the magic. Art rage gives you the option of taking the paint and work it like you would do on a canvas, that's a great thing, period. It doesn't do anything else. Sometimes i have fun with it, but I can't use it for anything professional. Plus, artrage has a somewhat confusing interface, all those "cool looking" buttons are confusing, I still have to manage how to export layers, import images with the proper resolution. I think artrage it's more of a toy rather than a professional program, I must admit, though, I only have the free version.
JaguarJulie says:
Well, strictly because I have been an advocate and fan of PhotoShop for YEARS!!!! Like since the stone age!
Anarkee says:
For 2D work I use allot of different raster and vector graphics programs. My main 2D programs right now are pretty much every program in Adobe Creative Suite 4, Corel Painter 11, Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2010. I didnt really know much about Artrage until recently. I was on a Wacom support forum and people were really praising it so I tried the demo and really like it. It's definitely a permanent part of my 2D toolbox now, and has replaced Sketchbook and C.Painter.
Artrage vs Photoshop? I like them both allot and they both play a big part in allot of my work. But If I had to pick one or the other......
1.)I guess for professional work it would have to be Photoshop (the whole Adobe Creative Suite really)
2.)But for fun/hobby work I'd pick Artrage because it's so much like really drawing and it's allot of fun. The UI and widgets for panning/zooming/roatating really speed up your workflow.
I do wish Artrage's tilt support was more like Corel Painter. Artrage does support tilting the pen/stylus but I feel like you have more control over it in Painter. (But it's not a big deal and I'm sure it will get better).
ftwremy says:
I have used both programs and I would have to say I like Photoshop better than ArtRage (but just for the record, I like OpenCanvas better than both of these).
The first point you pull up isn't really even a point. It's just an opinion. What qualifies as being a "real" paint program? You can definitely emulate traditional pieces with Photoshop. It's not just a "glorified photo-editing program," it's also a program that many professional artists use.
If we just look at the programs themselves (not the cost), I would have to say that Photoshop is a better all-around program. You can do other things with Photoshop, besides just art creation. You can edit photos, create flash photo galleries, create .gifs, etc. With ArtRage, you can only create traditional-style art.
The fact that ArtRage can use Photoshop files shouldn't be a factor in your argument. If you think ArtRage is better than Photoshop, what are you doing with Photoshop files? Likewise, if you decide Photoshop is better than ArtRage, why would you need to open ArtRage files? If anything, all you would need to do is download an image converter and all your incompatibility issues would be solved.
I'm not sure what you mean about Photoshop not having mixable "paint" or textures. It's actually quite easy to mix colors in Photoshop, and you can definitely add textures. In fact, you can add textures to your brushes, if you decide to do that instead of adding the textures at the end. True, Photoshop does not have metallic colors, but those are quite easy to make yourself if you're competent with digital techniques and know anything about how different materials look.
Again, not sure what you mean by "just work better." That seems like a very biased opinion to me, and doesn't seem to have any factual proof.
The learning curve for Photoshop isn't that insane. It's actually not a difficult program to learn, if you just take 15 minutes to explore what you can do.
Yes, ArtRage works on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Photoshop also works on Mac, Windows, and Linux. They aren't any different in that aspect, since it's not like ArtRage has a single file extension that allows it to run on all the operating systems. For both of them, you have to download an .exe for Windows, a .dmg for Mac, and you have to port for Linux. For both of them, the Linux port doesn't usually work very well in comparison to the performance on Windows or Mac.
It's quite easy to reinstall Photoshop if you need to. I have reformatted harddrives many times before and have been asked to reinstall Photoshop. It's really not a problem at all. I don't see how reinstalling one program would be any easier than reinstalling another.
spirituality says:
Don't get me wrong: I love artrage for creative work, however - for ordinary photo editing photoshop or gimp are simply more to the purpose. I think it's a bit unfair to compare the two, because artrage is just so very DIFFERENT from photoshop.
shankapotomus says:
Photoshop give me more versatility. So I gotta go that way.
Opinions From Artists
Real users reviews of painting programs
Xara Xtreme Pro 5 [$] is still the best vector drawing app that exists for Windows. Super-fast! I’ve used this one for over 10 years.
Digital Painting
Art Rage 3.0 won the category this year. Corel Painter 11 [$] is still a great painting app, but ArtRage brings us back to the simple joy of painting.
Photo Manipulation
I finally abandoned Adobe Photoshop CS4 [$] and switched to Adobe Photoshop Elements for all my digital photo needs. Photoshop CS4 is excellent, but I Photoshop Elements does everything I need.
My Tools List for 2010 from Saveen Reddy's blog
Can you believe the bottom panel took me almost an hour to color? That's all just flood-filling, too. Anything that requires Photoshop these days can be counted on to take ten times as long as it needs to. But anything involving ArtRage 3, my new painting program, gets done in a snap.Megan Rose Gedris (Rosalarian) on this page. Rosalarian is the author of the webcomic Yu+Me and wrote the lens below.
Actually, I think ArtRage beats ALL other Digital Art Programs, hands down!
What do you think?
Of course, ArtRage and Photoshop are designed for different things. So perhaps there's a painting program you think is better...? Which do you like best? Which would you choose to buy? Or not buy, because it's free?
Which painting program do you prefer?
STILL ArtRage!
spirituality says:
As far as painting programs go - artrage is the only one I know and it's great.
Actually, I think another program is better.
The Best Art Program is...
Vote for the one you think every artist needs!
ArtRage Deluxe 2.5
ArtRage Deluxe makes creating art on your computer more...2 points
Corel Painter Essentials 4 (Win/Mac)
Corel Painter Essentials 4 is the simple-to-use ho more...1 point
Adobe Photoshop Elements 8
Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 software combines power more...0 points
Autodesk SketchBook Pro 2010
Autodesk SketchBook Pro software is your digital s more...0 points
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate & VideoStudio Pro X2 Bundle
The Corel Photo & Video Bundle gives you every more...0 points
Manga Studio Debut 4 (Win/Mac)
MANGA STUDIO DEBUT 4.0 HYBRID CROMWIN XP OR VISTA more...0 points
Xara Xtreme 5: The Official Guide by Gary David Bouton
Master the world's fastest drawing program! Learn the more...0 points
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If you aren't yet convinced, go read through some of these posts and threads
Read through the links below for reviews and opinions from actual users! Add your own links if you know of other useful resources.
Artrage 3 or twistedbrush pro? - ArtRage Forums
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More About ArtRage
Look up a point, or learn some more!
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Add Your Lens!
If you've written a lens on a certain painting software, submit it here!
If you'd like to WRITE one, then get started here!
Photoshop brushes, Tutorials, Vectors and Illustrations.
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Reader Feedback
So, which painting software do you have?
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awelldressedbullet
Apr 1, 2012 @ 3:12 pm | delete
- Happy April Fool's Day
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PhotoshopWarrior Jun 8, 2011 @ 3:55 pm | delete
- I am a great fan of Photoshop and i feel comfortable working with that. Thanks
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bojasna
Feb 6, 2011 @ 4:47 am | delete
- I have Photoshop, but i can't say I'm pleased since I needed time an tutorials to learn the basics and there are still tons of things i don't know, so if ArtRage is more user friendly I will definitely give it a try.
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Jul 29, 2010 @ 10:50 am | delete
- i wouldn't go as far as saying i know photoshop better than my own mother but i've been using it for years and consider myself an expert. i'll have to check out this program before making a judgement but i've never had any problems with photoshop and i'm constantly amazed at what you can do with it. it is pricey though that's for sure!
Elliott Walsh - Photo Restoration Expert.
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prosperity66 Jan 12, 2010 @ 7:10 am | delete
- I really like this duel! You crafted it very well and I remember it was at the time we all were in a hurry, caught in the Giant Challenge.
SquidAngel blessings for a well crafted lens!
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