Corel Painter

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Painter

Corel Painter X
Developer:	Corel
OS:	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Use:	Raster graphics editor
License:	Proprietary
Website:	www.corel.com

Painter is the name of a raster graphics software package used to create natural-looking artistic images using a computer. Originally available on the Macintosh, it is now also available for Windows. Using a graphics tablet, the user is able to create remarkably realistic images freehand, with the package simulating a wide range of classical effects such as watercolor and oil paints, as well as a wide range of unique effects and filters. Resulting imagery can be printed on any printable media including paper or canvas.

Painter was originally developed for the Macintosh system by Mark Zimmer and Tom Hedges, founders of the Fractal Design Corporation. Zimmer and Hedges had previously developed ImageStudio and ColorStudio, both image-editing applications, for Letraset. John Derry joined Zimmer and Hedges during the release cycle of Painter 1.2. Derry had gained previous paint software expertise at Time Arts, a developer of the early desktop-based paint applications Lumena and Oasis. Fractal Design later merged with RayDream, then with MetaTools to become MetaCreations. Metacreations sold off all their creative interests and ultimately became ViewPoint; makers of the ViewPoint Media Player frequently packaged and silently installed within adware packages such as AOL Instant Messenger. Painter was temporarily rebranded Procreate Painter during its transition into the Corel Suite of applications, and is now wholly owned and marketed by the Corel Corporation.

In 2005 Corel released Painter Essentials 3, a third-generation replacement for Fractal Design's Dabbler, which was a scaled-down version of Painter developed for home users.

As of 2007 Painter is currently at version Painter X, which is priced at US$419 and a Limited Edition Paint Can at US$499.

On 28 February 2007 Imagine Publishing launched the Official Corel Painter Magazine [1], the only magazine in the world dedicated to the Corel Painter software.

Painter X Limited Edition Can

1 Trivia
2 References
3 External links
4 See also

Painter once came packaged inside an actual paint can. With the release of the tenth version of Painter in February 2007, Corel offers a Painter X Limited Edition Paint Can at US$499.

Painter's vector-based twin was called Expression, which after the breakup of Fractal Design Corporation was bounced around company to company in much the same way, eventually finding itself in the hands of Microsoft under the code name Acrylic. Microsoft Expression beta is currently (2006) available on Microsoft's website as a free download.

Mark Zimmer is named in an Apple patent filing as the inventor of the company's method for developing and deploying a resolution-independent graphical user interface. As of January 2007, such an interface was not yet available on Apple's or any other mainstream computing platform.