Quite a few questions

[Olve]

Sorry if some of this had been answered before; then please just lead me to the right thread.
Just left PS for a while and started playing around with this fantastic program, but after watching one of Ryan Church's great Gnomon-DVDs (WOW!) last night, I noticed he did a few things I just can't figure out.
I am using Painter 7.
- First of all; how do I build my own window with my own custom brushes?
- Can I there mix brushes from the P6 library and the P7 library (for example; the square chalk from P6 is more easy on the memory)?
- I noticed Ryan used a Broad Water Brush for glazing; more as an airbrush, but without using a water color layer. And it was dry and flat all along. How do you make that happen?
(and how can I get this brush in P7?)
- I was impressed with his use of layers, I wanna do that as well (hehe), but how do you copy a layer and align it straight on top of the other one?
- Where can I find a list of all the keyboard shortcuts?

Well. Enough questions for now I guess.
More probably coming up.
Would be very happy if any of you Painter experts could help me out here.

[Olve]

Oh, just one more important question.
Is there another way of painting straight lines apart from using the (awkward) straigh lines function? Like a key I can press down or something; like shift in PS?

[Calle_]

Guess you could use a ruler on your wacom(if you have one) to make straight lines. Cant really answear your other questions ^^. Also very new on theese digital art thingies

[dustystylus]

>> - Can I there mix brushes from the P6 library and the P7 library (for example; the square chalk from P6 is more easy on the memory)?

Painter 7 was, iirc, the first version of Painter to use XML files as a means of describing brush definitions instead of the old method of a precompiled library (ending in *.BRS). There _should_ be an option in the brush toolbox to import a library (i.e., which gives you an explorer dialogue to find a *.BRS file to import). It will then take the Painter 6/5.5 library and extract it into a directory where all the brushes are now converted into Painter 7/8 XML style definitions.


>> - I noticed Ryan used a Broad Water Brush for glazing; more as an airbrush, but without using a water color layer. And it was dry and flat all along. How do you make that happen?

In Painter 7, you may have to create a new layer, set that layer to "Gel" and paint using _any_ ordinary brush tool (I'd recommend a circular brush) to get the same effect.

>> - I was impressed with his use of layers, I wanna do that as well (hehe), but how do you copy a layer and align it straight on top of the other one?

I think Ryan describes this in his tutorials, but I'll write it here too. Do a standard copy and paste. It usually just puts the layer down somewhere odd and useless. Drag the layer until it's _roughly_ the right place. Now look on one of the dialogues (possible control dialogue, it updates depending on what tool you're using). There should be a little square with a red corner on it and 2 values that change as you drag the layer around. "T" and "L", which stand for "TOP" and "LEFT". Use the cursor keys on the keyboard until both values read "0" and the layer will be slap-bang on the the canvas underneath.

- Where can I find a list of all the keyboard shortcuts?

The manual. Or the *.NFO in the bittorent download...

I don't have Painter at work so I can't verify some of the details but I'll have another look when I get back home.

[Olve]

Thanks so far.
I figured out a few things on my own since I posted this.
I have made my own library of brushes (som from P6 and some from P7).

But still I can't figure out how to get a separate window with only my brushes as icons while the standard brush menu is on screen at the same time.
No big deal, but it'd be nice.

As for the water color; no idea how he did that, I can make it work on a non-water color layer, but it turns out over saturated. Any tips?

And, hehe, I found the keyboard shortcuts. Lazy me.

[Jin]

Originally posted by Olve
Sorry if some of this had been answered before; then please just lead me to the right thread.
Just left PS for a while and started playing around with this fantastic program, but after watching one of Ryan Church's great Gnomon-DVDs (WOW!) last night, I noticed he did a few things I just can't figure out.
I am using Painter 7.
- First of all; how do I build my own window with my own custom brushes?

Hi,

Custom Palettes can be used to organize brush category icons, main menu commands, and palette menu commands. We can have multiple Custom Palettes to open and use for specific tasks and they can considerably improve the workflow. It's faster and easier to work this way and using Custom Palettes allows us to close other palettes, making more room on the screen for painting or drawing, etc.

To create a Custom Palette, just click and drag any brush category icon onto the Painter screen. Whatever brush variant was currently selected will be the active brush variant in that brush category when you click the icon in the Custom Palette. If you've loaded another brush library, when you click that icon, that brush category's brush library will be automatically loaded.

Or, you can create a new Custom Palette by using:

Window > Custom Palette > Add Command

Then add any main menu or palette menu to a New Custom Palette (or to an existing one, if one exists already.

Use Window > Custom Palette > Organizer to Rename, Delete, Import, or Export Custom Palettes.

- Can I there mix brushes from the P6 library and the P7 library (for example; the square chalk from P6 is more easy on the memory)?

Yes, you can drag a brush category icon onto a Custom Palette, load a new brush library, and drag another brush category onto the same Custom Palette. Then you can click either icon to load its brush library and the appropriate brush category will be selected as well as whatever brush variant was selected when the brush category was added to the Custom Palette.

- I noticed Ryan used a Broad Water Brush for glazing; more as an airbrush, but without using a water color layer. And it was dry and flat all along. How do you make that happen?
(and how can I get this brush in P7?)

The Broad Water Brush variant is only available in the Painter 6 Water Color brush category (old Water Color technology where it paints on the invisible Wet Layer on the Canvas level) and in the Painter 8 Digital Water Colors (technology not available in Painter 7) where it can be used on either the Canvas or on a default Layer.

I'm guessing that Ryan was using Painter 6 and though you can Import (convert for Painter 7) and Load Painter 6 brush libraries, the Water Color variants won't work the same as they did in Painter 6. Painter 7 Water Color technology is entirely different, so old technology Water Colors used in Painter 7 will behave like Painter 7 Water Colors.

One solution might be to Import/Load the Painter 6 default brush library into Painter 7, then select the Water Colors Broad Water Brush variant and in the Brush Controls palette, make the following adjustments:

GENERAL
Stroke Type: Rake
Method: Cover
Subcategory: Grainy Flat Cover
Opacity: 6%
Grain: 58%

In the Art Materials palette's Papers section, you may also want to lower the Contrast slider to maybe 30%, depending on the Paper and the result you want.

You might also try setting the Method and Subcategory to Drip, though you won't get Paper texture, it does make a nice brushstroke.

These are not a perfect solutions by far but they're the best I can come up with at the moment, given that we're working with a brush variant not designed to work in Painter 7 at all and trying to force it to behave like a Painter 6 Water Color variant.

- I was impressed with his use of layers, I wanna do that as well (hehe), but how do you copy a layer and align it straight on top of the other one?

Hold down the Alt/Option key and click the Layer using the Layer Adjuster tool. Now you have a duplicate Layer above the original Layer.

- Where can I find a list of all the keyboard shortcuts?

On the Quick Reference Guide that comes with the software, in the Painter 7 User Guide (look in the Table of Contents), and in the online Painter 7 User Guide accessed from inside Painter 7 via Help > Help Topics (look in Contents, or Index, or do a Search).

Well. Enough questions for now I guess.
More probably coming up.
Would be very happy if any of you Painter experts could help me out here.

I'd strongly suggest that before posting questions, you take the time to look the information up yourself in the Painter 7 User Guide. It'll pay off immediately as you'll begin to become familiar with what the User Guide contains and generally where information is located. You'll also begin to learn other things along the way that will come in handy later on. In addition, you'll most often get your answers more quickly than if you have to wait for someone to respond on a message board.

When you've done your best to find the answers in the User Guide and either don't know the terminology in order to find the information, or you find the information but it doesn't make sense, then feel free to post a question and we can try to help.

Good luck,

[Olve]

Thanks for a great reply!
As I wrote above, I have spent the whole day trying out things and reading the help files (sorry about rushing things in the first post without doing the research first) and figured a few things out since then. So no work on me today in other words.
But still you answered a few questions I am still struggeling with, so now I am looking forward to try it out.
Again, thanks a lot! :chug:
Back to Painter....

[Olve]

Just one more thing to get things clear.
Are you saying that Painter 8 has got the same water color options as in Painter 6 (that you wont need a separate water color layer)?

:confused:

[Jin]

Hi,

No, that's not what I'm saying, or not exactly what I'm saying.

To elaborate and hopefully make things more clear:

In Painter 6, even though we couldn't see it, Water Colors were painted on the invisible Wet Layer which worked on the Canvas level but separated wet paint (Water Colors) from dry paint (i.e. Pencils, Brushes, Airbrushes category variants). Because of this, we could use Water Colors and dry brush variants on the Canvas level without having either disturb the brushstrokes made with the other.

In Painter 7, the Water Color technology was completely changed and we can paint with Water Colors only on the Water Color Layer which is visible and listed in the Objects palette's Layers section.

In Painter 8, since so many people were unhappy about the loss in Painter 7 of old style Water Colors from Painter 6 and earlier versions, Corel added a new brush category named Digital Water Colors. These brush variants can be used to paint on either the Canvas or a Default Layer (not on a Water Color Layer, though, which is only for Water Color brush variants). They work somewhat like the Painter 6 and earlier version Water Colors but are not the same and also present some problems which you'll discover when using them.

If you Import (Painter 7 converts) then Load Painter 6 or earlier version brush libraries into Painter 7, the Water Color variants will behave like Painter 7 Water Colors, using the new technology, not at all like they did in Painter 6 and earlier versions.

If you Import (Painter 8 converts) then Load Painter 6 and earlier version brush libraries into Painter 8, they'll use the Digital Wet Method, also used by the Painter 8 Digital Water Colors, and behave like Painter 8 Digital Water Colors. Still, they will not behave exactly like the Painter 6 and earlier version Water Colors but it's a lot closer in Painter 8 than in Painter 7 which was hopelessly different.


Hope that's clear now.

[Olve]

It's clear.
Thanks again!

While I have you here; one (hopefully) final question:
I came over Painter 8 Student Boxed Edition. Is that exactly the same version as the normal Painter 8? It's a huge price difference.
Anywhere I still can get my hands on Painter 6 btw (and would that work on Win2000)?

[Jin]

Hi,

As far as I know, the Academic (student) version of Painter 8 is exactly the same as the non- Academic version except that we can't use it for professional/commercial work.

To be sure, you can call Corel to ask.

You might check e-Bay for Painter 6 but be sure to check the seller's rating and buy a full, registerable, legal software.

Good luck,