Isn't it...

[silvy]

I totally agree with Robert's words and others.
ART RAGE is THE BEST SOFTWARE for painting

[Rondo]

Here is the wiki about Artrage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArtRage

[Steve B]

Well, I would say that having used Painter 11 and 12, Pixarra, Sketchbook Pro, and Paint Tool Sai... Artrage is easily the best as a painting software that emulates natural media that lets you get down to creating art. Bar none, IMO. I wish Artrage had more of the tools of some of the other programs-- the speed and ease of Transformations in Paint Tool Sai, or how fast huge 500 tool brushes are; the masks in Painter, or some of the tasty watercolor emulations; the ability to create more of your own brushes, etc. But each of those programs have their own issues, Painter easily among them.

Artrage does some great emulation, and the UI never gets in the way of creating work. Painter may be more powerful, but I never felt like I was "creating art" in it. Painter, IMO, is closer to PS-- its good at digital post-processing, etc. Artrage doesn't aim to do that.

I would also say that Artrage is actually still a small enough company that one can feel one actually has a direct relationship with the people making it. You're not just buying a product from a faceless corporation-- exactly how I would feel about any Photoshop or Painter product. I wonder if Pixara users feel similar to Artrage users? That's a program basic written by one guy, and is a rather small community of dedicated users.

[D Akey]

I think what one feels about the ranking of a program is directly related to what they do with their own art, and what they're used to. I think when someone has been using a program for a long time, they have their working method moves down to where they don't need to think about it too much. That's a great place to be with any tool, especially creative ones so you can think about what you're doing.

Also, we tend to like programs because they make us look good. But we may have developed our style and work flow based on what the software does well. Part what we want to do, colored by what the program can achieve for us, and giving up what it doesn't do so well. And that takes some settling in. A new program has to do better what we already can do in another program that we're used to. We want ArtRage in that top position for us individually, although the AR team has always known that some people will go from program to program in the course of a graphics project. But as the program evolves, one can stay in the one program more and more. Go ArtRage Team!

As to the cheering section, there are other reasons for that based more on the people doing the cheering and how they/we perceive these particular developers. They have kept their product affordable. They have come up with an amazing program. They have listened to the users as to what they want. They are a small operation, so there's the cheering for the kid who is going up against the big boys. And we really like the forum members. There's a community here. That may or may not matter to a lot of people who are looking for a tool and that's that. Fair enough. But I think a lot has to do with the entire dynamics of the program, and the feeling of participation in its evolution.

Don't know if you remember the ill-fated Amiga computer. It had a really loyal, vocal, user base. As a graphics strong platform it was going toe to toe with Mac for the artist's market. Both camps were very loyal, vocal, Macs were particularly snobby, mainly because the users were invested in those platforms, like a club almost. But it's pretty apparent that artists don't behave like office workers regarding a computer or program. The associations with office workers' computers are different because it's for stuff like book keeping. I think the question really comes to more of why the other programs don't have a cheering fan base. I would cheer Photoshop, for example, but nobody would hear it or care. Would be like cheering a suspension bridge or a dam.

Artists see the computer, and in this case ArtRage, as a magic carpet that keeps being improved to go higher and farther with every upgrade. Cheering the ArtRage team on is entirely self-serving. Hahahaha They really have made an amazing product accessible to large numbers of people. And frankly that shows an element of heart. That's definitely something special to many of us, certainly for me.

And Steve B already addressed some of the application comparisons.

Maybe this helps your understanding. But it's merely my own observations from where I'm sitting.

Hope AR fits you like a glove.

[D Akey]

Hahahah. NERDS became billionaires. We'd be in with people who could order any dazzling topping on their pizzas forever. Life is good for NERDs sometimes.

I think the personal computer is where the artist and scientist came together and I don't think their sensibilities always match. We're on the art side of the equation, and as such we can do things without it having to add up where several people will necessarily get the same result. Too many variables.

For people finding their personal barriers toppling because a program opened the world to them, that tends to generate enthusiasm and loyalty. Put a few of those people together and suddenly you have a place where the joy can express itself, like at a custom auto show or something of special interest. I would say that there are a lot of people who discovered for the first time that they could be artists and look good at it without years of practice. Those people will probably talk in large terms because for them it is a big deal because a dream got realized and it consistently fills them with joy. For them it's no exaggeration. It's the truth.

So it's where one is coming from -- it's not just about a program only. It's about the partnering of the user using it. And while the program is a constant, the users are very different. Hard to evaluate that when one is reviewing software. Reviewers are people too with their own slant on things to some degree or another.

Good to hear there are big companies that treat their customers well. That's smart business. Adobe was good in the forums when I was learning those programs. But for all their users, there wasn't a lot of personality to that experience. Not saying the people themselves didn't have heart or try to generate some camaraderie, but the context didn't promote that kind of exchange. Good technical support from the users though, and that's what owning the various Adobe programs and going to their 'knowledge base' was for me -- getting through the learning curve. The programs are brilliant for what they do. I would miss it if I didn't have it. But I'm not emotionally attached to it.

Programs that aren't any good die altogether or get scavenged for parts of the code. Anything that has been around for a while and is thriving does something really well. So it boils down to what one wants to experience. Hard to define that for everybody.

Glad you like ArtRage. Hope to see you around the forums.

[Alexandra]

I could go on and on of the why's that I prefer ArtRage. I have a lot of software and have used different platforms for many years. The design and convenience of each tool and easy setting availability, is superb. It doesn't hinder the creative spark. For example- writing a book, a thought comes to the writer-and if the writer is interrupted, this can hinder other relations on a topic for the writer. When I am using AR-everything is there. The layers are all ready to work on individually and quickly. The tools are nearby or more through the editing in the tool bar. So the artist can take off with whatever skill or imagination they have.
The team is friendly and helpful. Personality is huge with these guys. I am "old school." I was trained in business by an independent when I was a young woman. This training helped me later in different employment areas before I became a parent and had other responsibilities. This man taught me that the customer is the reason for his business. If he takes care of his employee, trains his employee in what he represents, treats the customer with thankfulness and consideration, you have a returning customer and happy family in a company. He rewarded his employees, another area that would lead to more happy returning customers, and his customer came first. Today sadly I rarely encounter any appreciation when I shop. Too often there is no training, no regard for the customer, and the employee is usually unhappy and worst of all untrained. A complete disaster in the business world. This family here in reference to the Rage team have set up a system and a successful system in my view. There is never perfection and always room for improvement, but this I see is always welcome throughout the areas of their forum through suggestions from their users.
The forum is also a generous contribution and thank you from the Rage team. This takes constant work and expense. The people here are clearly having so much fun. So many talents from the beginners to the pros. High energy, extreme fun, friendliness, encouragement, education....
I think Gary Portnoy said it all with:
Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.
You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.

This song says it all for this amazing forum in my view. Throw in this amazing software and what a combo!

How's that for being long winded and sappy! LOL.
Thanks Rage Team.XO

[fraser_paice]

For me the thing that first grabbed me about Artrage was that it is very intuitive, it lets you get on with painting or drawing straight away, without learning to jump through technical hoops. That said there is a lot of depth to explore.
I earned my living for many years trying to make Microsoft products work but I use Mac products at home because they have a functional feel to them, as does Artrage. I want a tool that does it's job one that stays sharp and doesn't require honing or updating every time I want to use it. Macs aren't perfect but they do look nice and IMO are easier to use and more reliable than PCs.

[Someonesane]

So I say; one can build feelings to a software company, a hardware company, a car brand, a whiskey brand, clothing brand a nation brand, and so on. There is a whole industry working on that, the Industry of Company Storytelling. Customers must be aware not to fall in the Storytelling trap. I might be a hard trap to get out of. You can become NERD.

I like ArtRage.

Seems like the second side of the coin to me. Don't get me wrong... I understand your point. However, when a person gets to the point where they are constantly against the conformity, they are in fact conforming themselves.

[Steve B]

Not to be sort of "jumping on you", because I'm interested in civil level-headed conversation, but just to say-- on the note of other companies "listening to customers and providing good care"....

I've been to various Corel Painter forums, and I thought they were pretty cr*p-- I had all sorts of issues running Painter 12, and couldn't get any solved. Did anyone from Corel try and contact me to help out? here my input? find out why it wasn't working? Nope. Mostly, all blame was put on me or my tech, and that was the end of it. And it was clear from other posters that they were having a similar experience.

I've also been to the Sketchbook Pro forums-- that place is DEAD. Barely anyone posts there, and if you ever had a problem, good luck getting any sort of help. In fact, I had a friend who was interviewing for a job with them for a forum management position for just that space, and guess what? They were basically creating a position so that someone representing the company could finally respond to people using their program! That space was pretty much left to gather flies.

Basically, you get some kind of service here. People from the company listen and respond. That means something to me. Does it make it the best program ever created? No. But it sure helps my opinion of it a lot.

[Peter Pinckney]

I didn't coin this phrase but it does seem apt " Different strokes for different folks"?