ps-like program OPTIMIZED FOR DIGIPAINTING

[jag.med]

Is there a program that is more optimized for digital painting and starts up a lot faster than pscs3 BUT (and here's the clincher) gives me the ability to import my own ps brushset into? I recently got an older tablet pc that works great, save the program load up time because of memory. photoshop essentials maybe or one of those cheap alternatives?

[Huey Yeng]

I don't think is possible to import PS brushset to other applications other than PS.

Your best bet is to look for older version of PS (like version 7 when it introduce the new brush engine) which loads really quick though if your brushset uses some of the new features introduce in later PS then it will be not compatible.

EDIT: From my experience, it still depends on your system specs when choosing the best PS to use. On a dual-core processor with 2GB of RAM, PS CS3 loads much more quicker than CS/CS2 on the same system. If you can obtain older version of PS, is better if you can post your tablet pc specs so I can help recommending the best PS version for the tablet pc.

[jag.med]

Condition:
Refurbished
Processor Type:
Intel Pentium M, Centrino

Brand:
Toshiba
Processor Speed:
1.5 GHz

Screen Size:
12 inch
Processor Configuration:
Single Core

Operating System:
Windows Tablet PC
Memory (RAM):
512 MB

Primary Drive:
--
Hard Drive Capacity:
40 GB

[Portus]

Was going to mention opencanvas but they ended the english version and the program now is going to be only available to japan. Maybe PS Elements but I've never used it.

[jag.med]

im thinking of sticking with opencanvas I guess...I like it...its just I wanted to do some plein air landscapes and use some of my custom brushes.

[Huey Yeng]

I not sure if PS Elements can support custom brush but the best version I can recommend for your tablet pc specs will be PS 7 or CS if you need some of the new features.

Also forgot what changes Adobe have made to the brush engine when the leap from 7 to CS but on my old computer (Athlon XP 2000+ and 512MB RAM), CS2 trial version uses up lots of RAM for me. Nearly wanted to suggest Paint Tool SAI (similar to OC) but since you need to use custom brush, I guess that's where PS is much more robust in that area.

[Jovian M]

SAI is pretty low impact, I think.

[liam.c]

i read some where that newer virsion of gimp? allow you to use photo shop brushes <though ive never used the program and dont know anythign about it really , i just happen to have seen a similar question a day ago >

[jag.med]

ill give that try liam

[Metsys]

The GIMP does import Photoshop brushes, but when I tried it all that really works is importing in the brush tip shape. The GIMP simply doesn't support nearly the number of brush options that Photoshop does. I can't really say if the GIMP counts as a low impact art program in practice; for my design work I do have quite a few fonts installed which I think interferes with the GIMP's start up time.

Honestly though, my recommendation is to upgrade your system. That's probably not what you wanted to hear, but 512MB of RAM is not a lot. Your system could be trying to push stuff into virtual memory (your hard drive) to make room for Photoshop in RAM. Also, I'm guessing that since you have a Intel Centrino that you are running Photoshop off a laptop, which generally has slower hard drives, so it'll naturally load slower.

[jag.med]

yeah I didn't want to face it, but I guess that's probably my best option.

[dwsel]

Hello!

If you're looking for a program that:
- is lighter than PS
- opens faster than PS
- allows you to load PS brushes

then you might like Artweaver http://www.artweaver.de/index.php?en_version :)
It has layer support, a lot options to customize brushes and it has bleed/resaturation option like in Painter which you may find useful. I'm using it and it's rather stable and fast for me even with 4000x4000 canvas and a few layers.

[Skrunchey]

PS elements is a good low cost alternative to PS, and it DOES allow for custom brushes. I haven't seen any quirks yet in using brushes from the CS versions of PS brushes in elements yet, so it seems pretty good. You can also use actions and import patterns textures etc into elements that are built for PS also!

Hope that helps!

[Dile_]

hey jagmed, I saw your stuff on sijun and it was some really interesting stuff.. how come the application you ,made these with 'isn't enough' for you ? I've painted a lot , just to experiment and try it out, with paint tool sai lately, which uses very little memory and you can make your own brushes in it. Not the same freedom as in photoshop where litereally anything can be done, but still more than enough for painting.. My favorite version of Photoshop is CS2 , although CS ( 8.0 ) is almost the exact same, and runs with less ram.. On cs2 they spent some time releasing small upgrades that made it go from really heavy to really optimized! :) So you should check out both these version if you haven't.. PS7 is also good, but some brushes cant be loaded, although they can usually be re-constructed with the older brush engine.