ArtRage 2.5

Software can be far too serious, can’t it? And, for those artists not well versed in the technicalities of such dialog-intensive apps as Photoshop and Painter, getting started can be a real chore. That’s where ArtRage comes in. Not only does this piece of Mac and PC software cost just $25 (around £12.60), it’s also easy to use, has an interface almost completely devoid of confusing palettes and dialogs, and offers those looking for a digital painting solution a great starter app. No, you won’t find the breadth of tools in Painter, or the depth of features in Photoshop, but what you will find is a fun, easy to use and incredibly satisfying natural media application.

Like Painter, ArtRage is aimed at the artist wanting to simulate traditional tools in a digital medium. In fact, it resembles Alias Sketchbook Pro on first glance with its minimalist, canvas-dominating interface and the ability to show and hide tools in the blink of an eye. Getting started is a cinch. To the bottom left of the interface you’ll find the main tools, which include a brush, pencil, palette knife, airbrush, paint tube and pastels – pretty much the standard contents of an artist’s toolbox. As you select each tool, a context-sensitive options bar changes to reveal different settings, such as pressure, thinners and loading for the brush, and pressure softness and tilt angle for the pencil.

At the top of the interface lies some very simple navigation controls, while to the right lies the Layers palette and the Colour Picker. Layers functionality has been significantly improved in this release, with ArtRage now enabling you to create Layer Groups for managing layers, along with the (new) ability to transform (scale, rotate and move) layer content. In addition, you can now copy and paste layer content. You can even export your layers as separate Color, Bump, Shininess and Reflectivity channels. The ability to turn an image into a colour palette is also a very nice addition and we’ve always loved how you can ‘pin’ a reference image to the canvas.

A massive addition is the ability to specify resolution when creating a new file, the absence of which seriously limited the previous release. Stencils and rulers are also a big part of 2.5, meaning a) you can now paint a straight line, and b) you can use either preset or user-created stencils to paint through.

Fantastic for adding a natural media element to any piece of design work, and a genuine bargain, ArtRage is a rare gem that every digital creative should at least try. And if you can’t muster the £12, there’s a free version available at Ambient’s site. Now you’ve got no excuse.