Review: Studio Artist 1.5

Today, I have no dreams of being a great artist, but a new program on the market named Studio Artist 1.5 even makes painting a barn fun — provided you're doing it on a Power Mac computer — and the results make it appear as though a "real" artist did the work.

Studio Artist is not your typical paint program. It is, according to creators Synthetik Software, Inc., a graphics synthesizer. Whatever you call it, it is a program that can save tons of time for professional artists or Web site creators who need something more than hum-drum graphics on their pages.

As you might expect, this is not an inexpensive program — $329 — but when you consider the costs a business may endure during a year, it isn't unreasonable, either.

The Operation Control Area (left) is the hub of the program. From here, users can access more than 240 editable parameters and more than 1,000 factory paint tool presets. Presets can be traded among users. Additional presets can be downloaded from the company's Web site. That is only the beginning of what the program has to offer.

Users can paint manually or select a preset and paint automatically by clicking on the "Action" button. The combinations of types of paints, lighting, materials, Quick Time movie brushes, simulated natural art materials, and auto-region generation make painting a breeze.

By combining graphics created in Studio Artist with basic images (such as untouched photos), users can get stunning effects for their Web pages.

While amateurs may have trouble drawing freehand with the tools available, pros will love what they can create with a little imagination and talent.

Raster painting and vector painting are possible, and users can edit vector paths by using the bezier handles, then redraw it as a new raster painting. Graphics can be created in low resolution, then re-rendered at a higher resolution to show the added detail. The program does a good job of compressing the size of graphics. They then can be further optimized in other programs.

Unlike many paint programs, Studio Artist allows users to apply multiple effects within each effect. Further, all operations can be recorded and played back. That comes in handy for two reasons: (1) When users record a session, they can play it back later to give them unlimited undo control; (2) When users want to apply the same effect to more than one graphic, they can use the recording to make the task easy.

Those making Quick Time movies can apply Paint Action Sequences to stills or frames within a movie. All paint processes can be keyframe animated over a specific timeline. That same process allows users to auto-rotoscope a graphic, giving it the hand- painted look.

Want to warp a photo? No problem. Simply select a picture, select a warp setting, and use the mouse to pressure sensitive warp the photo into a face only a mother could love — on someone else's child.

Dynamic interaction includes the afore-mentioned pressure sensitive tools, tilt, orientation, velocity, airbrush, and 4D mouse wheels. Users can also apply interactive kaleidoscope and symmetry effects.

The program also allows users to select regions (including doing so by magic wand), apply alpha channels, masks, and animate all selections.

Studio Artist may not be for everyone — it's price is probably too high for those who don't need it. However, those needing realistic oil, chalk, watercolor, or wet paints will love it, and those features are a mere drop in the (paint) bucket of what's available.

Also, users wishing to make abstract background tiles for use on Web pages can seemingly create as many as they have time to work on without ever duplicating a single one. For those users who have a need for such a program, either to overcome a lack of artistic talent or a lack of time, Studio Artist is a great choice.