Procreate Painter 7 is the newest version of a product previously known as Corel Painter. It's a massive piece of software that aims to satisfy pretty much all the painting, drawing, illustration and creative design needs somebody could have of a PC. At £350, it needs to be good to warrant consideration.

The program consists of two CDROMs, along with a clearly written printed manual. The first CD contains the program while the second holds additional brushes, paper textures and so on.

Installation from the first CD is straightforward but accessing the extra features on the second isn't so easy. You are expected to copy the CD contents to your hard disk manually. A text 'read me' file is supplied with basic instructions but it's a needlessly complicated experience.

When fired up for the first time, the Painter screen is crammed full of tools, palettes and options and is daunting. The toolboxes on view can be hidden to help keep on-screen clutter to a minimum. The whole package is weighed down with options and it takes time to work out what's what.

It's all a bit much for home users but does allow 'real' painting effects to be implemented. Variables include a wide range of paper types, brushes, paints and colouring effects.

The watercolour effects and the brush techniques associated with certain artists - Van Gogh and Sargent, for example - are especially impressive. To get the best use out of the program though, you need to have a healthy helping of artistic ability.

The fonts used in many of the toolboxes have an arty look to them which makes them look nice but also difficult to read. That makes finding the information you are after tougher than it need be.

The included tutorials give a good introduction to the product and warrant study by less experienced digital artists.

Overall, Painter 7 is an excellent package, pitched towards the semi-professional end of the market. It's likely to be too highly featured for the average home user and this complexity is reflected in the price. If you are serious about your painting though, it's worth a look.Contact
Corel 0800 581028 www.procreate.com

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