Corel Painter X (OLD VERSION)

This is not so much a review of Painter X as it is of Corel's inability to deliver what it promises in its advertising.What I am referring to are the Jeremy Sutton video tutorials that are promised as part of the Painter X package. These are clearly mentioned on Amazon's Painter X page as seen as Reason 10 under 'Top 10 Reasons to Buy Corel Painter X'.In addition, page five (5) of the Painter X manual clearly states that '... Painter X includes a new collection of step-by-step training videos by Corel Master Painter Jeremy Sutton.' My Painter X DVD does not include these tutorials, nor does it include a link to any video tutorials.I have been working with Amazon in an attempt to get this straightened out. My problem should not be construed as any criticism of the program itself, but only on non-delivery of items promised by Corel. This is my first purchase of any vesion of Painter. Hopefully this will be resolved in the near future.9/24/07 UpdateToday my issue with the Jeremy Sutton videos was resolved.The problem was that something went wrong with the registration of my copy. This is an automated process other than the user having to enter the correct serial number. I did all of that correctly, but was never given the Corel link to these very good, downloadable videos. Today, a Corel Tech corrected this and my issue has been resolved.I am extremely pleased with my purchase and the support that I have received from Corel, especially that of Mr. John Derry of Corel, who pin-pointed my problem via email.

I purchased Corel painter IX 2+ years ago. I have upgraded to 9.5 and am delighted with the product. It is a genuine pleasure to be able to paint while at my computer . Cartoons ,animation (via Toon Boom software),and digital photography enhancement are all possible with this software. Yes, Corel X I bought it for my daughter and she loves it. (she lives in Buffalo now. Thank God used to live in Wisconsin YOU CANT GET THERE FROM HERE . Corel X is supported better than IX has more brush and other media types it is just like real painting no matter which media you prefer. Oh yes Wacom tablet is reccomended as are one or two books for sale via Corel .Start with a small tablet they get expensive and some people dont like the large ones Vista is supported by X Cant wait to upgrde one more wedding to goGood Luck and ENjoy

I guess if you can get Painter X to work when installed it is a good product. If you can't (Vista, 8 Gig memory, 2T disk, Cintiq21), you have to pay for support by the call (for education version which is same base program w/o some of the bells and whistles). I kept trying and got it installed and working but pallettes would not move out of center of screen or dock anywhere but the center. Any attempt to change brush size/characteristics abended program. I am glad I was EDUCATED about Corel before buying the full price version.

I was very disappointed in Painter X. After struggling with how slow Painter IX was, Corel boasted that this new release was the "fastest Painter ever!" It may be a tiny bit faster, but it's not noticeable! It still lags a LOT if you're using higher resolution images. Be prepared to work in 800 X 600 at 72 dpi if you want speed from the advanced brushes. I'm using a VERY fast system which is running very large Photoshop files at lightning speed. I find myself constantly struggling to keep my brush sizes low in Painter, just to avoid major lagtime.Another problem I have with Painter is the interface. It is too clumsy to scale and rotate images when you can't see what you're resizing! I know, right? Not from $400+ software?! Yep.Also, right out of the box, most brushes look pretty bad. I'm able to take some time and make custom brushes that look better, but most new users will have a hard time with this. WHY NOT MAKE BETTER PRESETS, COREL!?! Also, the textured paper looks like a cheap embossing effect, unless you really work with the lighting, etc.So, the ability for Corel to perform is there, but it's slow, has a terrible interface, and takes a good bit of work to get the tools looking good. I keep hoping for them to address these issues, but they focus on making the paint effects look better. I would DEFINITELY have preferred ease-of-use to "real brisles" (a feature that you can't really use on bigger brushes without to major lagging)! It's too bad, because I LOVE what it CAN do, and how it looks, but getting there can be a real trial, especially compared to Photoshop.So, I guess I'll just wait for Adobe to buy them, and take care of some of these issues.

Is this the do all/be all solution in it's field? Probably not. I reviewed several to purchase for a relative who studied CAD drawing. But his interests lie in art, designs, and tattoos to name a few. After careful review, I felt this would be the best to get him FOR A START until he decided, after more use, the features which would be more important to him. I gave the program to him for Christmas, and as it turns out, he was very pleased, because he happened to be using the trial version and I did not even know about it. He hasn't complained about the program yet.

This is a great product and I have no complaints with it. However, just FYI I found it for under $40.00 on buy-it-now Ebay. The registration number was included, but there was no handbook. However, you don't need the handbook, because all the same info is on the DVD.

I wanted Corel X but did not need the book so this purchase was perfect for me. I could not pass up this deal. Great Product and Great price. Works great with my Wacom tablet.

My granddaughter is a junior at the High School for Art & Design, majoring in Anime Illustration. This software is an excellent springboard to sharpen her artistic skills. Thank you.