lord_zar@ucrmath.ucr.edu (wayne wallace) (03/18/91)
That's what I want to know. DP III is $150 or so, and according to NewTek's ad in the back of .info, Digi-Paint 3 is $99 and far better. Are there good paint programs besides these? For qualifications, let's see recommendations for professional and amateur work. Amateur work is probably what the program will get used for, but a friend is considering getting an A2500 (for 68000 compatibility) and has a friend who is a good artist..... So it'll be running on a fast machine if that makes a difference. Wayne
hrlaser@crash.cts.com (Harv Laser) (03/19/91)
In article <lord_zar.669307976@ucrmath> lord_zar@ucrmath.ucr.edu (wayne wallace) writes: >That's what I want to know. >DP III is $150 or so, and according to NewTek's ad in the back of .info, >Digi-Paint 3 is $99 and far better. > >Are there good paint programs besides these? > >For qualifications, let's see recommendations for professional and amateur >work. Amateur work is probably what the program will get used for, but a >friend is considering getting an A2500 (for 68000 compatibility) and has >a friend who is a good artist..... So it'll be running on a fast machine if >that makes a difference. > >Wayne How NewTek can manage to base an entire ad campaign around the "fact" that their DigiPaint 3 is "better" than E/A's Deluxe Paint III is beyond me. The two programs' output couldn't be more different. Deluxe Paint IIII whoops III doesn't work in HAM mode. DigiPaint 3 *ONLY* works in HAM mode. Now if you want to get technical (ha!) about it - Deluxe Paint III also has "4096 colors" - except you can only SEE or USE from 16 to 32 of them at a time :-) but for the "compleat" Amiga artist, you're going to need a paint program that can handle HAM and one that can handle all the other non-HAM modes. There are only two such paint programs of which I'm aware: Impulse's "Diamond" which is very inexpensive but has one of the goofier interfaces around (although some people claim it's wonderful.. I dunno, it just never grabbed me much) or E/A's Deluxe PhotoLab "Paint" which can also do HAM and non HAM modes but at this point in time it may or may not be discontinued (although still available but may or may not have to be bought in a taped-together bundle with their Deluxe Video III or not). Admittedly "Paint" always looked to me like a very powerful package, although I hate its file requester (again, a religious issue, since some people claim to love its file requester... well it takes all kinds I guess). Personally, what I use for most all of my artsy fartsy work are a combination of: Deluxe Paint III (for non HAM modes) Photon Paint 2.0 (for HAM modes) and Art Department Professional (to convert just about any Amiga format picture into just about any other Amiga format picture and do about 5 million other nifty things/effects to pictures too). I think with the combination of these three programs and a few freely distributable tools (like if you want to make and modify icons and fonts and such) you can hardly lack for any features you may need. Photon Paint 2.0 (Microillusions) has just metamorphosized into OXXI's new Spectra Color paint program. Same authors (the BazboSoft guys from Israel), same feel, same kinda tool box, but SC adds animbrushes and better animation support to what PP2.0 had. These are not, of course, the only paint programs out there. The late PAR software's Express Paint had some unique features such as hundreds of levels of UNDO, virtual paging, and godknowswhatelse; Lake Forest Logic's Macro Paint works in hi-res "dynamic" mode and it multitasks, Digital Creations' DCTV Paint is one of the slickest pieces of software I've ever had the pleasure to use but works only with their $499 DCTV external "box", folks who buy Black Belt's HAM-E box get ITS exclusive paint program and image processing stuff with it, and on and on and on. So it all boils down (doesn't it always?) to the factors of: 1. Whaddya wanna do? and 2. Howmuch ya wanna spend? (and I didn't even mention Impulse's FireCracker 24 board and their "Light" paint program (which I understand just got shown in Beta form at AmigaWorld Expo, NYC (although I wasn't there and didn't see it)) and MAST's ColourBurst thingy and whatever software IT will come with (whenever it makes it to dealers)). Hell.. if your painting needs are very simple you might even be able to get by with the ol' GraphiCraft or Aegis Images programs which you could probably find in a bargain bin for $5. Harv Laser {anywhere}!crash!hrlaser "Park and lock it. Not responsible." People/Link: CBM*HARV
fhwri%CONNCOLL.BITNET@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu (03/20/91)
While DigiPaint and Photon Paint are terrific programs, using HAM mode is
not for the casual user. Much of the fab Amiga art you've seen (like Rick
Parks' stuff) was done with plain old DPaint III, which remains, despite
its braindead file requester, the best paint program out there; it's the tool
with which you can do more than with any other paint program.
Differing opinions, of course, are welcome...
--Rick Wrigley
fhwri@conncoll.bitnet
~~~second-hand smoke is THEFT~~~mark@masscomp.westford.ccur.com (Mark Thompson) (03/21/91)
In article <lord_zar.669307976@ucrmath> lord_zar@ucrmath.ucr.edu (wayne wallace) writes: >That's what I want to know. >DP III is $150 or so, and according to NewTek's ad in the back of .info, >Digi-Paint 3 is $99 and far better. > >Are there good paint programs besides these? For painting in 2 to 64 colors, I think its safe to say that nothing is better than Deluxe Paint III. For HAM painting, I prefer Digi-Paint 3 but it is not nearly as powerful as DP III (IMHO). But if you really want to work with something nice, check out the paint program that comes with DCTV. It has the feel of a professional video paintbox like the Quantel and should make conventional (non-computer) artists feel more at home. It is one of the first of the 24bit paint programs, which we should be seeing a flood of in the near future. %~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~% % ` ' Mark Thompson % % --==* RADIANT *==-- mark@westford.ccur.com % % ' Image ` ...!{decvax,uunet}!masscomp!mark % % Productions (508)392-2480 (603)424-1829 % % % ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
nagi@iphase.UUCP (Nagi Dabboussi PER ) (03/23/91)
In article <lord_zar.669307976@ucrmath> lord_zar@ucrmath.ucr.edu (wayne wallace) writes: >That's what I want to know. >DP III is $150 or so, and according to NewTek's ad in the back of .info, >Digi-Paint 3 is $99 and far better. > >Are there good paint programs besides these? Salutations, I have used both along with Turbo Silver, Caligari, etc....for video editing and I seem to go back to Dpaint III most. I like being able to draw in ham mode for great detailed pictures, with Digi Paint 3, but I found once you've genlocked a picture on T.V. you lose so much of that detail. I started with DP III and still use it today. The user interface is so good, you'll seldom refer to the book...I use an amiga 2000 with 3 meg. Good luck! ############################################################################ _-* /#/ Nagi Neto Dabboussi _-_____/#/_______________________________________. uunet!iphase!nagi <* ######< NND >---------------------------------> ~-~~~~~\#\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~' "Whoever said the pen is \#\ The impossible we do immediately. mightier than the sword ~-* The difficult will take a little was swinging the wrong sword." longer.... -Jack the Ripper -Patton
jlong@uhunix1.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (John Long) (04/09/91)
In article <441@iphase.UUCP> nagi@iphase.UUCP (Nagi Dabboussi PER ) writes: >In article <lord_zar.669307976@ucrmath> lord_zar@ucrmath.ucr.edu (wayne wallace) writes: >>That's what I want to know. >>DP III is $150 or so, and according to NewTek's ad in the back of .info, >>Digi-Paint 3 is $99 and far better. >> >>Are there good paint programs besides these? > Salutations, > I have used both along with Turbo Silver, Caligari, etc....for video editing >and I seem to go back to Dpaint III most. I like being able to draw in ham >mode for great detailed pictures, with Digi Paint 3, but I found once >you've genlocked a picture on T.V. you lose so much of that detail. I >started with DP III and still use it today. The user interface is so good, >you'll seldom refer to the book...I use an amiga 2000 with 3 meg. >Good luck! Dpaint has one of the best user-interfaces of any program I've ever worked with, any kind of application included. It is an example of software that was developed by an *individual who wanted to use it himself* rather than by a committee (like wierd-perfect is). Dan Silva hit the bell. There is a video available that includes some statements by Silva on the design of the program... he says that the original program had no menus, and you could do anything from the keyboard. Indeed, the way you use it is "one hand on the keyboard, one on the mouse" I have been in love with the amiga since before it was sold. Dpaint was one of the first programs available for it. But I do have one reservation: First there was Dpaint, then Dpaint2 which added stencil and per- spective, and some features... Dpaint3 added animation. A whole order of magnitude of complexity. And as an animation program, it is ok, BUT..... Dpaint is a *painting* program... and as such it is ahhhhhhsome. But I won't think of it as an *animation* program. Maybe I'm too much of a purist, maybe electronic arts is into the *latest-version* syndrome. If you don't have Dpaint, you don't have an Amiga. Yeah. Aloha LongJohn
divineg@prism.cs.orst.edu (Glade Diviney) (04/09/91)
Personally, I wouldn't do without DPaintIII, the animation controls are awesome. HOWEVER, I used a friend's DPaint II (on the IBM) "enhanced" and it has highlight/hotspot fills, a MUCH better pattern/ gradient range method, and a few other features that I miss on the Ami version....if EA is listening, it would be nice if the Amiga got to use these extra features, too! -- Gladikus 8^}-|-<
amigan@cup.portal.com (R Michael Medwid) (04/09/91)
I took a course in dPaint from Jim Sachs at the Anaheim Ami-Expo..by the way I highly recommend these "master classes" for anyone who wants to go beyond basics. Anyhow Jim is an avid believer in dPaint and couldn't understand why people actually went out and plunked down hard cash for ray-tracers and the like when you could do the same thing with dPaint. Well needless to say we're not all Jim Sach's (not me anyhow!). But I have to agree that dPaint II is awesome. Ease of use, lots of features.. and used properly..32 colors goes much farther than you might imagine. For instance Sachs presents his animation/game proposals to Disney studios using dPaint and then genlocking out to video tape. He showed one he'd done for 20,000 Leagues under the sea..it was great. So much software..so little time!
fhwri%CONNCOLL.BITNET@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu (04/10/91)
> Personally, I wouldn't do without DPaintIII, the animation controls > are awesome. HOWEVER, I used a friend's DPaint II (on the IBM) > "enhanced" and it has highlight/hotspot fills, a MUCH better pattern/ > gradient range method, and a few other features that I miss on the > Ami version....if EA is listening, it would be nice if the Amiga > got to use these extra features, too! > > -- Gladikus 8^}-|-< > You have THAT right. Also, tiny icons for each picture file and much more... --Rick Wrigley fhwri@conncoll.bitnet