Painter X for Photographers: Creating Painterly Images Step by Step (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: soft cloner, cover cloning, adjuster tool, Brush Creator, Digital Watercolor, Grainy Blender (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Reviews of Painter IX for Photographers:

"With his easy to follow instructions, Martin leads you through each technique in an understandable and painless way...His descriptions of the various cloning methods are masterful" - Royal Photographic Society Journal

"The clear structure and concise writing style takes the reader through brushes, papers and textures. Combined with an intelligent layout and a DVD, Painter IX for Photographers is exemplary for its clarity and structure." - British Journal of Photography

"This is a quality publication which very effectively covers the capabilities of a great software package. It is well laid out, with a high quality finish, excellent full colour illustrations and colour coded sections to clearly separate the chapters...Painter IX for Photographers is a book which for me makes the perfect companion to this great software package. Highly recommended." - KickStartNews

".an easy read with lots of imagery and explanation. A great addition to those who are new to Painter IX, or those who just wish to brush up on their digital painting skills." - John Virata, DigitalProducer

"Whether you're new to the software program or have used it for years, this guide geos through the brushes, papers, textures and other tools for creating artistic interpretations of your photographs." -PC Photo (Feb. 2008)

Book Description

The only Painter book written directly for photographers!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; Pap/DVD edition (July 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240520335
• ISBN-13: 978-0240520339
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #143,639 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A structured approach to an intuitive process, August 19, 2007

By	Jo Ann Robbins "JoAnn" (Left Coast, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Like many of the other reviewers here, I had trouble with the CD, but only with the very end of the first tutorial, which addresses the most fundamental aspects of Painter's tools, i.e., their location and function. I didn't consider this much of a loss because the same subject matter is well covered in the first chapter of the book. (I should probably add that familiarity with Photoshop is a leg-up when learning about Painter X tools.) As for the other tutorials on the CD - they functioned perfectly and are excellent. Martin Addison's demonstrations are straightforward and informative, and his vocal commentary is personable and pleasant.

I love photography, and the digital age has made computerized manipulation of photos almost as much fun as taking the pictures. Adobe Photoshop is indispensable - a powerful, fabulous, wonderful program - but there are painterly effects that I've never been able to achieve with it, which is the reason I became interested Corel Painter. Although fooling around and experimenting with Painter made it obvious that it was an exquisite program, I just couldn't figure out how to make it work for me. Most of the books about using Painter are not structured enough to learn the program "from scratch," probably because most people who buy Painter are artists, intuitive by nature and already familiar with the elements of painting and drawing. I am not an artist. I can do primitive sketches, and I have a decent eye for color and compostion, but that's where my skill level ends. This book is perfect for me. Mr. Addison explains and demonstrates Painter X's functions in a structured enough way to help people like me learn the basics of the program, and after no more than a few short hours of practice, I've already begun to see some of Painter X's possibilities that artists probably sense immediately. Thanks to the organized approach of this book,I know without doubt that I'm going to have more fun than ever enhancing and manipulating my photographs. (An aside: I've enjoyed every Focal Press book I've ever bought. They're beautifully executed and have proved so useful that I've dog-eared most of them.)

I'm not giving "Painter X for Photographers" 5 stars because of the glitch in the CD, but for anyone who wants to de-mystify Painter X and use it to transform photographs into artistic renderings, this book is a great place to start.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great intro to painter, July 13, 2007

By	adabit - See all my reviews

This is an excellent book for those just starting to use Painter. Even if you are not a photographer or are not interested in creating images from photography, this book will introduce you to the basic functions of Painter in a clear and concise manner. Thank you, Mr. Addison.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An abundance of inspiration and DVD works fine, July 11, 2007

By	Lorenzo J. Morin "LorenzoJ" (Norwood, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Extremely well illustrated and explained Painter techniques and methods. A lot of inspiration and step by step guidence between these pages. I will be refering to it often. The included DVD popped right up on my PC and the tutorials ran fine. The videos are well made and informative even if they don't have the energy and charm of Jeremy Sutton's presentations.