ArtRage Video Review and Giveaway

Posted by Michael Mistretta on 01/28/08 in Featured, Fun & Unique, Giveaways, Graphics

Sometimes digital devices can get in the way of your creative ability. When you want to paint or draw on your computer, often it is tedious and cumbersome, and the results are mediocre at best.

It is just too hard to find an application that accurately makes digital painting as easy as painting in real life. That is, until I found ArtRage.

ArtRage 2 is an amazing application that allows you to draw, paint, and write on your photos in such a natural and accurate way, that you feel like you are drawing on paper. On one hand is ArtRage’s creative side, where you can mix and blend colours just like real paint, while on the other hand is the power and simplicity under the hood, which allows the import and export of layered Photoshop documents, as well as stencils and tracing tools.

ArtRage Review [5:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

ArtRage is full of amazing features, but at the same time has an intuitive, organized interface, and allows you to produce truly stunning imagery. Thanks to the guys over at Ambient Design we are able to giveaway 4 licenses of ArtRage 2. All you have to do is leave a comment with one way you will use ArtRage, and you will automatically be entered into the random giveaway. If you don’t win a copy of ArtRage in our giveaway, you can pick up your own license for $25 USD.

The giveaway will end February 2nd, 2008, at 5pm EST, so be sure to get your submission in fast. Get more MacApper videos like this by subscribing to our podcast in iTunes.

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69 Comment(s)

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Superdotman said on

January 28th, 2008 at 7:58 am

My friends and I use it for quick sketches and mockups to illustrate the fiction on our blog, to which I will not link. We don’t bother with production values or anything; we just want to convey the proportions, texture and colors of the object or structure or whatever as quickly and easily as possible, to aid the visualization of the stories. The free version of ArtRage works better than anything else we’ve discovered in this respect.

We also use it to poorly caricature each other! They’re supposed to be portraits, but they always end up being poor caricatures.

Mark said on

January 28th, 2008 at 8:25 am

My brother-in-law is attending the Art Institute. He’s just starting to use the Mac so this would be a great example of a way the computer can do things that are difficult in reality.

Chris said on

January 28th, 2008 at 8:31 am

I will use this to make tens of dollars a year. Seriously though, I have a 16 year old daughter who tells me she wants to be a painter so I think it will go to her.

JM Mermet said on

January 28th, 2008 at 8:34 am

Hi,
I already use the free version of ArtRage and mainly to sketch countryside. I would use the full version with all the tools for the same purpose

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Mack hui said on

January 28th, 2008 at 8:37 am

I will use it to replace photoshop.

-4

Taylor Olson said on

January 28th, 2008 at 9:45 am

I would love ArtRage. I would go out and purchase myself a tablet, and paint. I have always wanted to paint, but have never been able to get myself out and get the canvas, and the brushes, and the paint. WIth my MacBook Pro, and a tablet, and ArtRage, I don’t need that stuff! I may be able to finally do some actual painting.

Karl Winegardner said on

January 28th, 2008 at 10:03 am

My favorite thing about ArtRage 2 is that the colors blend together when on the same layer. Why don’t other image editing apps do this?

One way I would use it is to create custom backgrounds for e-cards I make.

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Allan said on

January 28th, 2008 at 10:18 am

I would use it for hobby illustration. I’ve used the lite version and wish I had the disabled features!

Chriswan Winata said on

January 28th, 2008 at 10:22 am

I probably will use it to complement Pixelmator

Too learn making a good sketches

-2

Chriswan Winata said on

January 28th, 2008 at 10:22 am

I probably will use it to complement Pixelmator

Too learn making a good sketches and illustration

Oleksandr Tymchenko said on

January 28th, 2008 at 10:34 am

I use the free version to scetch up my projects. It fast and has simple GUI. I will love the PRO version

Martin Helgesson said on

January 28th, 2008 at 10:40 am

Seems like a really cool app. I would use it at work making illustrations for ads and flyers.

With a tablet and ArtRage I’d really work some magic!

Darrell said on

January 28th, 2008 at 10:43 am

As a guy, I find that it’s absolutely essential to my daily survival as I use it to draw my stick-figure “adult images”. These images become the focus of my thoughts causing me to relieve stress that has built up throughout the difficult work day. Without Artrage I would have higher chances of things like Cardiovascular disease, muscle pains, stomach & intestinal problems, various skin problems, and possibly asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as they’re all due to long-term stress.

Thanks Artrage for saving my life!

David said on

January 28th, 2008 at 10:49 am

Most programs (such as Photoshop) seem to be working on the princaple that you draw on paper and scan it in.

I want the freedom that Artrage gives and allow me to sketch directly into the program with the Pencil brushes. Such tools are much more useful than photoshops brushes for sketching.

Louie said on

January 28th, 2008 at 10:58 am

Sign me up! looks pretty good…sort of like an oil paint program for mac! Hopefully it will be great with a wacom tablet too.

boblog said on

January 28th, 2008 at 11:00 am

I d’like to draw with it to sketch and take infinite pleasure with this superb apps….

Sergio said on

January 28th, 2008 at 11:03 am

Wow, thanks for the oportunnity and the rewiew of this magics software, cheerss and thanks (i join the random giveaway, many thanks!!!)

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Chris said on

January 28th, 2008 at 11:12 am

Artrage would be a good complement to my photo editing tools. I would use this when I want more control over markups than I can get with ComicLife (which I use frequently). I often “editorialize” photos (especially of our newborn) to send to family overseas, and since I’m not ready to move to Photoshop yet, this would give me the additional control, while also being easy to use, that other comparable apps lack.

AC said on

January 28th, 2008 at 11:13 am

I cannot draw to save my life - but this app makes me want to give it a try. Awesome.

dave said on

January 28th, 2008 at 11:26 am

actually, i’d be giving this to my older son - he loves manipulating images and pushing them into image and video projects, but he’s missing a solid drawing tool (we’ve tried a few open source tools, but nothing he really likes)…feel like this could set him free on image manipulation and drawing (hey, he’s only in 8th grade so this is all reasonably new to him, but he totally gets it - hooked on stopmotion already for a couple of years)…

Alan Dearborn said on

January 28th, 2008 at 11:28 am

I’ll use this to do some art projects with my son; I would like to start some drawings/paintings that we both can add to whenever we feel creative. He would love the pro version!

SoupBack said on

January 28th, 2008 at 11:35 am

I played with this app a few months ago and was very impressed. I would love to see the complete application, unlocked and all. I definitely don’t “need” it; I am simply a committed doodler.

-1

Nasim said on

January 28th, 2008 at 11:44 am

My wife is planning to run a satire comic site. She’s a fine artist. She likes ArtRage. She’s using the free version quite for sometime. She’d love to have a full version.

Peter Leib said on

January 28th, 2008 at 11:48 am

Seems like what MacPaint would be if it was still developed! It has that much cool in it…

GB said on

January 28th, 2008 at 11:54 am

I will use ArtRage to make a much less spazzy into vid. The mouse movements were hurting my eyes up there!

Kenneth said on

January 28th, 2008 at 11:59 am

wow this looks really impressive… to be honest i’ve tried ArtRage before, but this demo was really impressive…

i’d use this app for my art classes… combined with my wacom, this would beat sucky painter anyday.

David said on

January 28th, 2008 at 12:08 pm

I’ve been looking for a good painting/drawing for the Mac for a while. This looks like a really good one.

Jannie said on

January 28th, 2008 at 1:31 pm

Incredible. I would start out by using artrage as a sketching tool. I’ve been trying to reduce the paper pile for a while now (still sketch on paper before taking color into the computer.) Looks like I would have a good time with this!

Chris said on

January 28th, 2008 at 2:35 pm

I would paint the [delicious and moist chocolate cake] out of ArtRage if I had the full version. I would take a pencil - no, my mouse and would go nuts on the paper - I mean screen. Then I would back away slowly in fear for I will have drawn what shall be known as “Rage induced art”. You will hear people screaming things like “My eyes! My eyes! I’m bleeding from my eyes!” while I provide every single injured with signed print-outs of my wonderful but deadly art.

Potentially hazardous side-note:
Swear words in this comment have been censored for safety reasons by the Fuzzy Logic Fluffy Unicorns Swear Word Zapper (Patents pending, illegal in seventeen countries - and counting).

Marcus Lee said on

January 28th, 2008 at 3:13 pm

I’d use this to paint character designs for animation. Looks pretty cool!
~Marcus

Gand said on

January 28th, 2008 at 3:22 pm

This is such a cool Mac style app that my 6 years old son used the free version and get a lot of fun. More he will get with full version.

Andrew said on

January 28th, 2008 at 3:22 pm

I’ll use it for work for mockups and product development.

Rowald said on

January 28th, 2008 at 3:38 pm

I’d learn to use it then i’d let my 4 year old play around with it

Joachim said on

January 28th, 2008 at 5:19 pm

As a student Industrial Design I was very disappointed with Alias not providing an Intel-ready version of Sketchbook Pro. Tried this Artrage, and it feel much better and is of course native on the new intelmac’s.
Finally found a good replacement! I will be using it for sketches, mock-ups and comics.
Very nice app with a solid interface. Simply splendid!

Best Joachim

Emilia Tokes said on

January 28th, 2008 at 6:13 pm

I learned Photoshop in graphic school but Art Rage truly has the right feel. The textures are already built in, switching from oil paint to airbrush to watercolor is done in a snap

and I have used it to do a christmast card and 2 New years cards among which this beauty : http://ailime.deviantart.com/art/Happy-New-Year-73348760
which I could have not done otherwise Bless Art Rage !! And I looking forward to use it for my 4 seasons watercolor project

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Nick said on

January 28th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

I will use it to stop watching TV all the time and be more creative.

Zettt said on

January 28th, 2008 at 6:51 pm

I will give away this license to my graphics girl, Sam. She is doint all of the graphics stuff. Doing my CD-Covers, Banners, Visiting Cards…you know…everything.
She loves this program but hasn’t got the money to buy. So i take my chance.

Chris said on

January 28th, 2008 at 8:53 pm

I would utilize the full features to creative fun images for my family.

Joel said on

January 28th, 2008 at 8:55 pm

I would use this to create individualised images from family photos, making them seem like a work of art without the hassle (and cost!!!) of hiring a professional painter!

Nikolaus said on

January 28th, 2008 at 9:00 pm

I have the free version installed on my Macbook Pro. My 12 year-old daughter likes to doodle on it quite a lot. She’s been in art classes for the past couple years in school and is impressed by the ability to have realistic-looking “paint” in a turbo-charged paint program.

David said on

January 28th, 2008 at 9:15 pm

As an artist used to using acrylic paints I’ve never been very satisfied with many of the fractal-based drawing programs. Even when using a pressure sensitive tablet I was never able to get that sense of “flow” that I get when I work with real paint and brushes. From the video, ArtRage 2 looks like a much more intuitive interface than I’ve seen before. It would be fun to try it with a tablet to see if the feel is good. If so, I think I would use the program to fulfill a long-time ambition of mine to write and illustrate a children’s book. I’ve done many character studies using traditional media, but I always thought that digital art would make the publishing process easier without having to sacrifice the integrity of the original artwork.

John said on

January 28th, 2008 at 9:35 pm

I like the idea and concept of this program. The way it can paint is remarkable. I love how it can blend the paint with jpegs. My little daughter loves to play with pictures and painting on them. I love to manipulate symbols around people by putting hearts and halos around them. I also like to paint a jpeg to make people think I am an artist. It is really neat and enjoyable.

Jason said on

January 28th, 2008 at 9:45 pm

I was thinking of getting a tablet with a gift card from my birthday. I would like more flexibility in editing my digital photography, and I’ve always been intrigued with creating original art from my images… looks like Art Rage would be ideal!

Chriswan Winata said on

January 28th, 2008 at 9:55 pm

I’m sorry I made double post, on post# 9 and post #10

There was some techincal error involving pressing the stop button late when I want to revise my posting

Have contacted the website staff…

marieboyer said on

January 28th, 2008 at 11:08 pm

I would use this to breathe new life into old, torn and tattered black and white photos with color painting.

Ray said on

January 29th, 2008 at 1:13 am

My mother is an oil painter and she has been looking for a way to use her skills in oil painting on the computer. This appears to be a perfect solution!

adam said on

January 29th, 2008 at 1:58 am

i’d take it out to one of the casino’s on the strip and sketch people.

Kim said on

January 29th, 2008 at 3:00 am

I’ve been using the free version for about 9 months or so now. Mainly I use it to practise drawing and painting techniques I’ve been learning from the internets; ArtRage allows me to do that without having to use any actual physical supplies, saving money, effort and the environment and still achieving comparable results.

Eventually, when my skills hit a reasonable level, I’ll probably try my hand at a webcomic; currently, though, my efforts are limited to making simple avatars when I need them, e.g. on Facebook/ Adium/ forums.

Richard said on

January 29th, 2008 at 3:15 am

I will use ArtRage to doodle in my free time.

something2sea said on

January 29th, 2008 at 6:57 am

I would use artrage to create graphics and imagery for slide presentations and select website graphics.

Silla said on

January 29th, 2008 at 8:51 am

Wow, thanks for posting this! I hadn’t heard of the program before, and it looks like the perfect painting app

I would use this program to learn how to paint, and once I’ve done that I’d use it to make paintings for free layouts.

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Isaak Kwok said on

January 29th, 2008 at 9:04 am

It would be wonderful for me to practice my drawing and sketching.

Henry Yue said on

January 29th, 2008 at 12:13 pm

I am horrible at painting but after watching your video, I decided to download the free version to try the program out. I chose a photo from my iPhoto library and I am having so much fun in “mixing” paint with my photo. The effect is simply amazing. I would love to pin my photo and recreate the art but unfortunately this feature is only available in the premium version.

If you think you can’t paint, you will be surprised at how easy it is to use the program to create work of art that will surely impress others.

ArtRage is the ultimate painting app, bar none.

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anne said on

January 29th, 2008 at 1:24 pm

I would give artrage to my 12-year-old daughter who loves to paint and draw and fiddle with photoshop. I’d love to see what she’d do with it.

Terry said on

January 29th, 2008 at 2:49 pm

I would use ArtRage to finally mix colors like real oil painting. I’ve only used Photoshop so far and it just seems to be missing something. I’d like to give my caricature projects some life using real painting techniques. Now that would be great.

techpriest said on

January 29th, 2008 at 3:27 pm

I will use art-rage to do column illustrations for a local newspaper and create podcast album artwork, its perfect for it.

ATMB said on

January 29th, 2008 at 3:29 pm

I use it with my friends to play a charade like game when we play all together…

We enjoy a lot and artrage is PERFECT to play =)

brandon said on

January 29th, 2008 at 3:50 pm

Aside from the obvious time spent doing Bob Ross “happy little tree” imitations, the ability to import psd files will provide some very interesting creative options to experiment with.

Þór said on

January 29th, 2008 at 6:21 pm

I already use the free edition to pencil-sketch ideas when brainstorming in application design and usability sessions (on my TPC). I’d love a copy to use on my coming Mac (which should be arriving real soon now )

gregor said on

January 30th, 2008 at 2:16 am

I would definitely like to use Art Rage Pro with my photos. It seems like a much more intuitive way to get the result you want. Also, I’ve started teaching myself to draw again after a long hiatus. Art Rage Pro would definitely come in handy to that end

Sean said on

January 30th, 2008 at 2:48 am

I am in the process of illustrating my first childrens book (actually, scratch that, first large scale project, which happens to be a childrens book).

I would use Art Rage as the greatest way to get the first step of the process done, the sketching and blocking in of color, and good be the link between traditional sketching and photoshop. I tried Illustrator and ended up wasting valuable time.

chris michael said on

January 30th, 2008 at 10:47 am

ArtRage is a very good application I’ve been using the (sadly) demo version of ArtRage since 2005 in some form or another. I heard about it on local TV because it featured the NZ company behind ArtRage and thought I would try it out. As soon as I used it, I was pretty impressed with it’s realism and features.

How would I use it? I don’t know yet, the capabilities with imaging apps are limitless. But as a design student, I would just love to see what I could do with it.

Luke Pike said on

January 30th, 2008 at 11:40 am

I would use this for making graphics for websites. With all the painting options I think it would make for a great looking site.

Timo said on

January 31st, 2008 at 2:15 am

Just leave one comment? Wow, in that case…

I can use it to design my friend’s wedding cards and various designs.

I can also use it to do my homework, as in make graphic designs for multimedia stuff.

ChasesMom said on

February 1st, 2008 at 2:18 pm

i’ve been thinking alot about incorporating these realistic brush textures into my paintings to make them look less “digital”….whoohoo!

Den said on

February 1st, 2008 at 9:03 pm

After learning about it here I got the starter edition to try out. I think this is a great application and can think of multiple uses:

Demonstrating in the class room (I teach art history and this will help for discussions of technique, etc).

Also: creating original art, supplementing other digital arts, mock ups/designs/studies, just playing around!

The sky is the limit here, without requiring an unlimited budget. Thanks for the heads up!

terry said on

February 1st, 2008 at 10:25 pm

I do artwork for non-profit groups and I also do digital scrapbooking. I am brand new to Mac and don’t have much Mac software. I know that artrage is used by many digital scrapbooking designers. I’d love to explore its capabilities.

Janice said on

February 2nd, 2008 at 1:45 pm

Wow , I am so impressed with the video and demonstration.
I want this now to add to my mac apps. I would use this to create
illustrations for children’s books. I would like to see how well it works with Photoshop in making final files for printing.
You didn’t say if you could work RGB or CMYK with it
but I am very interested. It maght be better than Painter
which I have had difficulty with when i make a final file in Photoshop
because of color matching problems.

Aneisha said on

July 22nd, 2008 at 1:24 pm

Wow the app is really multifaceted! If i had it, I’d use it to re-apply to Virginia Commonweath University: School of Arts. I really dont want to be a creative writing major like I am right now.

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