opencanves 4 plus

[DescentfromOblivion]

i was wondering how does OC holdup against PS and Painter IX oncoloring.

[Klawzie]

Well, they do different things, really. I have a version of Painter, a version of Photoshop and two versions of Open Canvas (the free one and a not-free one). They produce different types of colors and effects. It just depends on what effects are important to you for your style.

[rivkah]

Agreed with Klawzie. OC is a simple, easy-to-use program that produces some great color and blending results. I used to use it for everything, but lately I've switched over to Corel Painter 9 because even though it's a memory hog, it gives beautiful textures and a variety of results. I stick mostly to the digital watercolors, though.

OC is a great program for the beginner. Painter can get confusing if you don't know how actual visual media works such as oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc. Photoshop is pretty similar in that it gives you all the control over your brushes, and in a way, it can almost be better because there are generally more tutorials out there describing how to use Photoshop for coloring than there are for Painter.

But if you want something for simple coloring, especially if you're just getting started, OC is still a good program. Personally, I'm rather fond of how strokes blend in it, too. It creates a very soft, watery smooth look.