Wish list for the next ArtRage

[DaveRage]

Is the demo version of 3 Studio Pro also multi-threaded to let us see the difference in speed on a dual or quad core PC? I think there is a simple way to limit an app to a single CPU so you see a real demonstration of the value of multithreading for a given PC. Hmmm... this could be the subject of a pretty cool youtube demo....

Unfortunately we haven't quite yet completed the demo version of Studio Pro, it is still at 3.0.8. However, once we put the 3.5 version up you should be able to see a significant difference on a dual or quad core PC. There is a way in 3.5 to limit the app to a single CPU. Under Edit -> ArtRage Preferences -> Multithreading, you can enable or disable multithreading. This takes effect immediately.

[Sethren]

I really enjoy ArtRages Ink Pen Tool. However, I certainly wouldn't argue if the AR team decided to add in a vector layer. Especially if they make it as easy to use, and as versatile, as Paint Tool Sai's. It really is a wonderful feature for inking.

Agreed. I only really like SAI for that one feature to be honest.

[Drawman39]

Loving the 3.5 upgrade. It would be great if I could export a script as a video file for posting on Youtube etc.
Also a sponge brush would be nice.
And a step by step wizard for creating stickers, finding the current process a little tortuous.

[fliflaflo]

Good day everybody, here's my 2 cents on what would be nice or should be included. First and foremost, this is a great program and I love every minute I spend using it. But (of course but ) there's still some room left for improvement. So here's what I'd love to see, some points have already been mentioned since they're so essential like the layermasks but I'd like to emphasize these:

Layermasks - non-destructive grayscale-map
Groups of layers - An option to move all layers in that group at once, hide them if necessary and the ability to mask all layers in that group with one layermask for the whole group
Locking the background color - as afore mentioned, it gets quickly tiresome if it keeps on accidently happening
Opening several images at once - compare them, paste layers back and forth
The option to change the user interface's colors (I'm referring to the white background of the layers palette for example) - toning them down when painting very dark images would be easier on the eyes
Hide the marquee - it's distracting when you want to focus on the edges of your selection
Symmetry tool - can't hurt, although that's not on top of my list
Custom Eraser - it would be nice to switch any of the tools currently in use with some shortkey into "Eraser-mode", so, for example the current oil brush would not be applying, but erasing color. I always feel a little off style/texture when using the simple hard and soft erasers. Would also remove the need for switching to a different tool
Color picking - I'm not sure about this one, but when painting on a layer with, say, 50% Grey; picking the color from the very stroke I just drew results in a slightly lighter value. This can be repeated over and over, each time the value nears more towards white.
Please tell me if I'm mistaken or this is a known issue, I couldn't find a thread about it in the forum...
This is the single most serious issue I'm having with an otherwise wonderful masterpiece of software and the only solution I came up with so far is using a stepped gradient as a reference image with predefined grayscale values. Picking values from this reference keeps them steady but it would be hard to imagine doing this on a full color painting.
So, correct me if I'm missing something but this keeps on bugging me

[terrygillooly]

Color picking - I'm not sure about this one, but when painting on a layer with, say, 50% Grey; picking the color from the very stroke I just drew results in a slightly lighter value.

Hi fliflaflo! I wonder if you are perhaps using the Color Sampler with its Lighting option turned on? For textured strokes, that would result in a slightly different color due to the stroke's interaction with the lighting. For truest results, you should turn 'With Lighting' off in the Color Sampler's Settings menu.

[fliflaflo]

Oha!

terrigilloy, I could kiss you .

I feel a little sheepish since it didn't occur to me that the color picker had settings too, but, that was it, what a relief!

Thank you very much, I'm delighted.

[Charlie]

Shortcut keys or modifier key for light/dark and saturation.

[LightF]

I´m delighted with 3.5.1 . You can paint at print resolution now without problem.
I would like to suggest here (if you can or want) to implement full wacom support in artrage. I think artrage is winning the correct fame of being a big player in digital painting, and that is the reason because of I do not understand the poor support of tablets in the software. Could you please explaing me the reason? .I´m not a programmer so is posible to be too hard to implement?
you can see the software panorama of wacom support:

"wacom.eu/index2.asp?pid=18"


Thank you for your great work!

[Steve B]

Custom Eraser - it would be nice to switch any of the tools currently in use with some shortkey into "Eraser-mode", so, for example the current oil brush would not be applying, but erasing color. I always feel a little off style/texture when using the simple hard and soft erasers. Would also remove the need for switching to a different tool

I have to agree that this would be very very cool. I've been wanting to use it for salt drops and rubbing alcohol in watercolor paintings, instead of needing to erase through a stencil. It would be very cool if we could use it with the sticker sprays as well. I've been thinking, for example, about some of the Photoshop Brushes that are paint splatters, etc.

This would be a very nice feature, and is one of the niceties that Painter has. It fits right in to the Artrage concept of imitating real painting though. There are all kinds of things that remove paint, but with a bit of texture.

[hildee]

I don't use very much the tracing tool and I think that in my case
what annoy me the most is this fixed position that is difficult and hard
to change.

....to have the ability to reset to the initial position would be necessary.

This function would give us the ability to be more creative using the tracing tool and the possibility of changing fast whatever dimension or rotation or position would be suitable in the moment

I use the tracing tool a lot. I've been using vs 1.1 for years but yesterday having bought the latest version I think the tracing tool has many more possibilities. There are a few things you can do to be more creative:

1. There is no fixed position because you can change the position of the canvas rather than the image you're tracing.

2. You can go to Tracing Image Scale in the Trace pod and change the size of the image underneath

3. Change the image you're tracing eg tonight I painted a horse from one image and a sky from another. The possibilities for this are endless.

Hope this helps