To create a reflection map from a clone source
1 Open an image or create a new image to use as the reflection. If you want to approximate the reflection from a curved surface, apply the Image Warp effect. 2 Choose File menu gt Clone Source gt filename . 3 Select the area that you want to be reflective. 5 Choose Edit menu gt Paste in Place. A new layer is created. 6 On the Layers palette, select the layer, and click the Create Layer Mask button Q. Using a layer mask simplifies the process because the layer mask exactly matches the shape of...
Working with Bezier Lines
The paths used to create shapes are known as Bezier lines. They can be straight or curved, and they consist of anchor points connected by line segments. When the path is a curve, wings extend from the anchor points. The wings are represented by a straight line and are tangent to the curve. The wings have control handles on them. By dragging the wing handle, you can change the curvature of the line segment. Paths can be modified by using anchor points and wing handles. Shapes can be open with...
Spacing Controls
When a brush stroke uses a dab-based dab type, Corel Painter creates the stroke with a series of dabs. By adjusting the spacing between those dabs, you can control the continuity of the brush stroke. The Spacing slider controls the distance between brush dabs in a stroke. The Min Spacing slider specifies the minimum number of pixels between dabs. If you don't want a continuous stroke, you can adjust the Min Spacing to create a dotted or dashed line. Each dot or dash represents one brush dab....
Working with Reflection Maps
A reflection map is an image mapped onto a texture to produce the illusion that it's reflecting light from the surrounding environment. You can use the reflection map pattern to quickly apply a realistic reflection. In most cases, a reflection map makes your texture look like chrome or polished metal. Before left and after right applying a typical reflection map. Before left and after right applying a typical reflection map. You can use either a pattern or a clone source image as a reflection...
Info Ejw
The Squeeze slider controls the shape of the brush dab. Settings shown are 100 left and 25 right . Examples of Squeeze used to create a Calligraphy effect with a Pen brush The Angle slider controls the angle of an elliptical brush dab and the length of the ellipse. You use Angle controls with Circular and Captured dab types. The Angle slider controls the angle ofan elliptical brush dab. It is significant only for dabs with Squeeze settings under 100 . Angle settings shown are 90 top and 45...
Working with Watercolor Brush Variants
The Watercolor brush variants produce natural-looking watercolor effects. All Watercolor brush variants, except Wet Eraser, interact with the canvas texture. Stylus pressure affects the width of the brush stroke for all Watercolor brush variants except Wet Eraser. Increased pressure widens a brush stroke less pressure narrows a stroke. Refer to Dab Types on page 205 for more information about Watercolor Dab Types. You can adjust the Water controls when you have selected a Watercolor brush from...
Working with Digital Watercolor
The Digital Watercolor brushes paint directly on both the Canvas layer or a default layer so you can create effects similar to those of Watercolor brushes without using a separate layer. The watercolor behavior of Corel Painter 6 has been integrated with Digital Watercolor, which allows for the dynamic adjustment of the wet fringe. Corel Painter IX and Corel Painter 8 handle digital watercolor differently. Corel Painter 8 can open any Corel Painter IX file containing digital watercolor, but the...
AutoSave Scripts
When you create an image, Corel Painter records all the operations you perform. This recording is known as a background script and is saved on the Scripts palette. The Auto-Save Scripts preference governs how long Corel Painter saves background scripts before deleting them. To reset the Auto-Save Scripts preference Mac OS Choose Corel Painter IX menu gt Preferences gt General. Windows Choose Edit menu gt Preferences gt General. 2 Specify the number of days for which you want Corel Painter to...
Using Channels and Layer Masks to Create Texture
Corel Painter lets you produce surface texture based on an alpha channel or a layer mask. You can use this method only if your image has a saved alpha channel or a layer with a layer mask. When you choose a channel, the texture is applied around the edges of the channel so that the area it covers appears raised. When you choose a layer mask, the layer mask is used to determine the boundaries of the texture. In this case, texture is applied to the edges of the layer mask. Refer to Working with...
To fill an area of an image
If you want to fill only part of an image, select the area of the image you want to fill. If you want to fill a layer, select the layer on the Layers palette. If you want to fill an alpha channel, select the channel on the Channels palette. If you want to fill the entire image, make sure there are no selections. 2 Choose Effects menu gt Fill, or press Command F Mac OS or Ctrl F Windows . 3 In the Fill dialog box, enable one of the following filling options Corel Painter uses the current color,...
To adjust pressure tilt and bearing when using a mouse
1 On the Stroke Designer page of the Brush Creator, click Mouse. A 100 setting uses maximum pressure. A 90 setting simulates a stylus that is perpendicular to the tablet. A setting of zero indicates that if a stylus were in use, it would be pointing left. To see the effect of the tilt setting, use the Fine Spray variant of the Airbrush category.
To convert a fractal pattern to a texture
1 On the Patterns palette, click the palette menu arrow and choose Check Out Pattern. The pattern is displayed in a new image window. 2 Choose Effects menu gt Tonal Control to adjust image elements such as brightness, contrast, and luminance. 3 When you're satisfied with the tonal balance, choose Select menu gt All. 4 Choose Window menu gt Library Palettes gt Show Papers to display the Papers palette. 5 Click the palette menu arrow and choose Capture Paper. 6 In the Save Paper dialog box, set...
Creating Fractal Patterns
The Make Fractal Pattern command is a pattern generator that creates interesting landscapes. These topographic patterns can be filled with color, or even embossed using a paper texture. When you create fractal patterns, the following options allow you to fine-tune your creation Size sets the exact size of the tile you are creating. If your computer has a lot of memory, you can make a large file with a high resolution. Depending on how much memory your computer has available to Corel Painter,...
Choosing a Cloning Method
You can turn almost any brush into a cloner variant by setting its method to Cloning in the Brush Creator and choosing the Cloning method subcategory appropriate to the intended media style. Because the cloning methods use a full set of pixels from the original document for each brush dab, you get a truer copy of the original than you might by using the Clone Color button. Unlike the Clone Color option, the cloning methods preserve the original image texture in the clone. Cloning methods are...
Working with Floating Objects
You can make a selection on a layer using the Rectangular Selection, Oval Selection, Lasso, or Magic Wand tool. Selections on layers function in the same way as selections on the canvas you can use them to constrain brush strokes, to isolate an area of the layer for applying an effect, or to choose an area of the layer to cut or copy. For more information about working with selections, see Selections in the Help. By default, when you move a selection, only the selection marquee moves, not the...
The Color Info Palette
The Color Info palette shows the HSV and standard RGB values for the selected color. Corel Painter can also display RGB values in decimal format. These values can be adjusted by moving the sliders, or by typing new values in the corresponding boxes. You can also use the Color Info palette to enable the Clone Color option. For more information on clone color, see Using Clone Color on page 288.
Cropping Images
You can remove unwanted edges from the image with the Crop tool. You can adjust the ratio of the cropped image and choose to maintain the aspect ratio. 1 In the toolbox, click the Crop tool tq. 2 Drag inside the image to define the rectangular area you want to keep. You can adjust the rectangle by dragging a corner or any of its edges. 3 When you're ready to execute the crop, click inside the rectangle. - To constrain the cropping rectangle to a certain aspect ratio, enter values for the width...
To express a gradient in an image
1 Open the image you want to use. Select part of the image, or use the entire image. 2 Choose Window menu gt Library Palettes gt Show Gradients to display the Gradients palette. 4 Click the palette menu arrow, and choose Express in Image. 5 In the Express in Image dialog box, adjust the Bias slider to define how the gradient is mapped. Corel Painter replaces the colors in the image with the colors in the gradient, based on matching luminance. In Corel Painter, paper textures, gradients,...
Water Controls
Water controls work with Watercolor layers. A Watercolor layer is automatically created when you apply a stroke with a Watercolor brush. The layer can be edited from the Layers palette. Wetness controls the dilution and the spread of paint. As Wetness is increased, the resulting stroke expands over a larger area, eliminating the appearance of brush hairs. The Witness slider controls the dilution and spread of the paint. Settings shown are 0 top and 40 bottom . The Witness slider controls the...
Creating Seamless Tiles
Patterns are created by repeating a rectangular image tile across an area. To develop patterns, you create images that will be tiled. Ideally, those images must tile seamlessly. That is, the eye should not be able to distinguish tile edges. Corel Painter provides ways to help you generate images that will tile easily. The wrap-around colors feature lets you paint off one side ofan image and onto the other side. The wrap-around colors feature lets you paint off one side ofan image and onto the...
Size Controls
The Size brush feature determines how Corel Painter varies the width of the brush stroke. The range from minimum to maximum is determined by Size and Min Size sliders in the Size area of the Stroke Designer page. Some Size controls work in conjunction with Expression settings. For more information about Expression settings, see Expression Settings on page 262. The Brush Dab Preview Window in the Size area of the Stroke Designer page shows how your changes affect the brush dab. Clicking in this...
To create a rectangle or an oval
1 Choose the Rectangular Shape tool or the Oval Shape tool J in the toolbox. 2 On the property bar, set any of the following attributes the Stroke check box, when enabled, lets you create a shape with a stroke, or an outline. the Stroke Color pop-up menu lets you choose a stroke color if the Stroke check box is enabled. the Fill check box, when enabled, lets you create a shape with a fill. the Fill Color pop-up menu lets you choose a color for the fill if the Fill check box is enabled. Shapes...
Saving Files That Contain Layers
You can save your Corel Painter document in the RIFF format with live layers the layers continue to function when you reopen the file. RIFF is the only format that preserves layers in their original state. If you save a Corel Painter document in PSD Photoshop format, all layers convert to standard Photoshop transparent layers. Photoshop does not preserve groups each layer in a group becomes its own Photoshop layer. For information about grouping layers in Corel Painter, refer to Grouping Layers...
Using Stroke Selections and Fill Selection Commands
The Stroke Selections and Fill Selection commands let you apply mosaic tiles to selections. These features work only with path-based selections created with the Rectangular Selection, Oval Selection, and Lasso tools. You might need to use the Transform Selection command to convert a channel-based selection to a path-based selection when you work with mosaics. For more information, refer to Getting Started with Selections in the Help. Stroking and filling a selection are appropriate only when...
Aligning Layers
You can align layers horizontally or vertically. When you align layers, Corel Painter calculates the destination point for alignment. For example, if you align layers to the left, the destination is the leftmost point of all selected layers. If you align horizontally to the center, the destination is the midpoint between the leftmost edge and the rightmost edge of the selected layers. Next, Corel Painter aligns the corresponding edge of each selected layer's bounding box with the destination...
Cloning a Movie
Cloning from one movie to another is almost like cloning from one image to another. The only difference is that you are cloning from one sequence of frames to another sequence of frames. In this case, by advancing one frame in the clone frame stack, Corel Painter automatically advances one frame in the source frame stack. When you set a movie clone source, the current frame in the clone is matched to the current frame in the source. If both movies are rewound to frame 1, the clone-to-source...
Adjusting Spread
You can adjust airbrush spread in the Brush Creator. Airbrush spread affects how paint spreads out as it is applied. In other words, it sets the size of the cone of spread from the tip of the airbrush or spray can. A good range for the Spread setting is 30 to 40 . Narrow settings for Spread and Angle can cause problems. Combined with a very tilted stylus, a narrow setting for Spread can cause paint to be deposited away from the cursor. You can vary the edges of the paint sprayed from an...
Working with the Impasto Layer
When you use an Impasto brush, you paint on a virtual Impasto layer that accumulates depth information as you paint. The Impasto layer is not part of the layer hierarchy and does not appear on the Layers palette. The Canvas layer holds the depth information for the entire image, including any additional layers. When the Impasto layer is active, it also shows how the Impasto Lighting affects your strokes. To activate or deactivate the Impasto layer To activate the Impasto layer, click the...
Using a Stylus or Mouse
When you reach for a wide, flat brush, you expect the stroke you make to depend on how you hold the brush. A stroke using the face of the brush comes out wide. A mark using the edge is narrow. Faint with the face of a flat brush for a wide stroke use the edge for a narrow stroke. Faint with the face of a flat brush for a wide stroke use the edge for a narrow stroke. Corel Painter produces realistic brush strokes that fade in and out change width, tilt, and angle and penetrate based on the...
To set color variability in HSV mode
1 On the Colors palette, choose a main color. 2 Choose Window menu gt Brush Controls gt Show Color Variability to display the Color Variability palette. 3 Choose In HSV from the pop-up menu. 4 Adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Value sliders to control hue, saturation, and value ranges for color variability Moving the Hue slider to the right increases the number of hues in the resulting brush stroke. These colors are the ones adjacent to the selected color on the color wheel. Moving the Saturation...
Creating Compound Shapes
In a compound shape, two shapes are combined into a single shape. The resulting shape takes on the attributes of the shape on the topmost layer. If the shape is filled, any overlapping areas are not filled. Compound shapes can be used to cut a void in one shape using another shape. You can release a compound shape, which reverts it to the original shapes. The rectangle and the oval are combined to create a compound shape. To create a compound shape 1 Choose the Shape Selection tool , hold down...
To add a drop shadow
2 Choose Effects menu gt Objects gt Create Drop Shadow. 3 In the Drop Shadow dialog box, type values in the following boxes X-Offset and Y-Offset specify the distance, in pixels, from the center of the layer image to the shadow. Opacity specifies the degree to which the shadow covers underlying images. Setting Opacity to 100 obscures underlying images lower values create a more transparent shadow. Radius specifies the amount of blur at the edge of the shadow. The radius is half the distance...
Rake Controls
The Rake controls lets you control the sophisticated features of a Rake stroke, which maintains the angle of the brush head as the stroke changes direction. As the brush turns, bristles come in and out of contact with the painting surface. The Contact Ang slider adjusts how much of the brush touches the painting surface in other words, the number of rake tines that touch the canvas at once. The Contact Ang controls determine how much of the brush contacts the painting surface. Settings shown...
To move anchor points
1 Choose the Shape Selection tool from the toolbox y _. 2 Click an anchor point to select it, or marquee select a point by dragging over it. If you want to select several points, marquee select them by dragging over them. All anchor points within the marquee are selected, including those from other shapes. If you want to add to the selection, hold down Shift and select more points. 3 Drag the point to a new location. If you have selected several points, dragging one moves them all.
To cut a shape
1 Choose the Scissors tool from the toolbox ' ij.t j, . . 2 Click where you want to split the shape you cannot click an endpoint . The hot spot of the Scissors tool is where the blades cross. Position the cross on the line. The scissors snap closed momentarily, and two new anchor points are created. The Scissors tool opens and closes to cut the path. 3 Choose the Shape Selection tool from the toolbox, and drag the new anchor points or segments. The new anchor points are on top of each other,...
To choose a hue and color from the Colors palette
1 Choose Window menu gt Color Palettes gt Show Colors to display the Colors palette. If the Colors palette is not expanded, click the palette arrow. 2 Click the palette menu arrow, and choose one of the following Standard Colors to display the Colors palette in its default state. Small Colors to display the small configuration of the Colors palette. If you use the Standard Colors display, drag the circle on the Hue Ring to select the predominant hue. If you use the Small Colors display, drag...
Recording and Playing Back Strokes
Corel Painter will play back any stroke you record, wherever you click in the document window. In this way, you can easily create a series of identical strokes for example, when you create hatching effects. Another way to use a recorded stroke is with Auto Playback, which lets you repeat the recorded stroke at random positions on the page. You can also save recorded strokes for later use. You can play back saved strokes, and you can paint with the data from a saved stroke. This way of working...
Working with the Watercolor Layer
You can transfer, or lift, information from the canvas to the Watercolor layer. This is useful if you want to apply Watercolor effects to a photograph, for example. You can also wet the entire Watercolor layer, which activates a diffusion process that you can control. Unless a Watercolor layer is already selected, a new Watercolor layer is automatically created when a Watercolor brush is applied to an image. The Watercolor layer is represented on the Layers palette by a blue water droplet icon....
Using the Pen Tool
The Pen tool lets you use Bezier lines to create shapes. You can use the Pen tool to draw straight lines or smooth, flowing curves, and you can create shapes containing any combination of straight and curved lines. You can easily adjust shapes after you create them. For more information, refer to Editing Shapes on page 339. You can also convert between smooth and corner points. For more information, refer to Adjusting Curvature on page 342. Clicking creates anchor points connected by straight...
Adding Drop Shadows
Adding shadows to a layer's content can enhance the appearance of an image. You can add a drop shadow to a single layer or to a group. Drop shadows are also helpful for developing Image Hose nozzles. For more information, refer to Preparing Images in the Help. When you add a drop shadow, Corel Painter creates a new layer for the shadow and groups it with the original. This enables you to select and modify the drop shadow layer independently from the original layer.
Understanding Main and Additional Colors
The color you select appears in one of two overlapping squares displayed on the Colors palette. The front square represents the selected main color. The back square shows the selected additional color. By default, blue is the main color, and white is the additional color. Most of the time, you work with the main color. Don't confuse the additional color with what other graphics programs call the background color. In Corel Painter, the background color is the paper color. The additional color is...
To trace a movie
1 Choose File menu gt Open, and open the source movie you want to trace. 2 In the Open Mac OS or Select Image Windows dialog box, note the movie dimensions and number of frames information under the thumbnail window, and click Open. 3 Create a new movie with the same dimensions and number of frames as the source. With these two frame stacks open, you're ready to trace the source into the new movie. 4 Select the source movie, and click the Rewind button w on the Frame Stacks palette to select...
Rotoscoping
Rotoscoping is the process of painting on a movie, applying effects to a movie, or compositing a portion of the images from one movie with the images of another. This is often done to make the action of a person filmed in one place appear on a background filmed in another. You can also use rotoscoping to remove an element from a video clip, as shown below in the frames from a short movie of an owl on a roost. After the video was captured digitally, it was imported it into Corel Painter, and the...
Changing Gradient Color Hue
Color hue is represented in the Edit Gradient dialog box by boxes located at the midpoints between the adjacent color control points. They allow you to change the hue of the blend within that segment. 1 Choose Window menu gt Library Palettes gt Show Gradients to display the Gradients palette. 2 Click the palette menu arrow, and choose Edit Gradient. 3 In the Edit Gradient dialog box, click a square box above the color ramp bar. 4 Select an option from the Color Hue pop-up menu RGB blends...
The Layer Adjuster Tool
With the Layer Adjuster tool, you can select and work with layers. When you choose the Layer Adjuster tool from the toolbox, the property bar contains options for selecting layers automatically and for changing a layer's position in the hierarchy. For information about selecting layers automatically, refer to Selecting Layers on page 52. For information about changing the layer hierarchy, refer to Changing Layer Hierarchy on page 58. You can also cut, copy, paste, and duplicate layers using the...
Creating an Impasto Effect
You can apply a variety of Impasto brush strokes by using an Impasto brush variant. These brushes simulate different types of depth effects achieved with natural media, such as thick oil paint. You control the Impasto effect by changing the paint thickness, or depth. Refer to Impasto Controls on page 241 for more information. You can control the appearance of depth using the Amount, Picture, Shine, and Reflection settings in the Surface Lighting dialog box. At any time, you can change these...
To set grain position with a script
1 Record a script that applies surface texture or dye concentration to an entire image. 2 Choose Movie menu gt Set Grain Position. 3 In the Set Grain Position dialog box, enable one of the following options Grain Stays Still allows the grain to remain in the same position throughout the movie. Grain Moves Randomly moves the grain as the movie plays. To use this option, you must disable the Record Initial State option when recording your script. On the Scripts palette, click the palette menu...
Choosing Brush Settings
Basic brush controls for size, opacity, and grain are located on the property bar. The property bar may also contain additional controls for the selected brush category, such as resaturation, bleed, and jitter. When a brush is selected and positioned over the canvas, the cursor changes, by default, into a ghost of the brush mirroring size and shape so you can see the area that you're about to paint. This ghost brush provides a handy way to see if a change in size is required. The Brush Creator...
Using Gradients
Corel Painter provides several different types of gradients linear, radial, circular, and spiral. Left to light linear, radial, circular, and spiral gradients. Left to light linear, radial, circular, and spiral gradients. Fill an image selection, layer, or channel. For more information, see Layers on page 43, and Selections and Alpha Channels in the Help. Control a Pop Art Fill effect. Other effects work best when you use a filled mask. For more information, see Applying Pop Art Fill in the...
Impasto Controls
Impasto controls let you create brush variants that give the illusion of depth. For more information about Impasto techniques, see Impasto on page 179. Some Impasto controls work in conjunction with Expression settings. For more information about Expression settings, see Expression Settings on page 262. There are three Impasto Drawing Methods Color, which applies only color, Depth, which applies only depth, and Color and Depth, which applies both color and depth to the image. The Depth Methods...