Computer Graphics Programs

One of the most commonly asked questions in the Computer Graphics forum -- as well as many of the other art-oriented forums-- is "What program should I use to color my art?"

I got sick of answering it, so I made this page. Please feel free to contribute your own additions, as this is by no means a comprehensive list.

FYI, the password for the sub-pages is "zongo". I'm just too lazy to go through and unpassword protect them.

I'm working on revamping this list and giving each program it's own Wiki. If you use these programs, please go to their individual Wiki and write reviews and post example images! Especially if it's blank -- that means I haven't gotten to it yet =) Please send me a message if you'd like the password to the undeveloped wiki-pages.
-[Sheepy]

---

Basic Information

http://graphicssoft.about.com
This is a great resource. Go here for tutorials and information about a slew of graphics programs.

http://www.google.com
No, I'm not kidding. Google is your friend. Whatever you need a tutorial for, type it in here and I guarantee you will get some good hits.

http://en.wikipedia.org
This is an online encyclopedia, and an excellent resource to learn more about the types of CG programs out there. Try looking up "raster graphics," for instance.

The Big Guys

Corel ( http://www.corel.com ) and Adobe ( http://www.adobe.com ) are the leaders of the 2d graphic arts industry. They make Photopaint and Photoshop for bitmap editing, and Draw and Illustrator for vector. Both are aimed at professionals, but Corel's newly released (as of February 2004) Draw Suite 12(which comes with both programs and then some) will put less of a dent in your pocket book at $349 retail. Both companies have free trials available on their websites. Corel also makes Bryce, a 3d program, and Painter, a program which tries to simulate the effects of physical media. I don't know if Adobe makes anything similar.

3d Renderers

Truespace 3 is free:
http://forms.caligari.com/forms/ts3all_free.html

And Maya3d recently released a free personal edition, too:
http://www.alias.com/eng/products-services/maya/maya_ple/siggraph.shtml

Blender is totally free, but awkward to learn:
http://www.blender3d.com/

Bryce is a relatively cheap alternative to the big 3D programs out there.
http://www.metacreations.com/products/bryce4/

Poser is a 3D modeler for figures. Comes with a set of human figures and various positions and clothing.
http://www.curiouslabs.com/

Soft Image has now a cheap home-edition of their 3D program
http://www.softimage.com/

Ulead Cool3D at $49.95, Cool3D has loads of customizable samples, and ability to render to vector.
http://www.ulead.com/cool3d/

Swift 3D a 3D modelling/animation software designed specifically to output to Flash.
http://www.erain.com/

Bitmap(Raster) Editors

Corel Photopaint

Painter (CG) a professional grade, natural media simulating graphics program.

Adobe Photoshop

The Gimp takes some getting used to, but it is an excellent, free program.
http://www.gimp.org

Jasc Paint Shop Pro is a cheaper alternative to the big boys:
http://www.jasc.com

Adobe Elements is a cheaper and partially simplified version of photoshop.

ArtRage a sweet, free, natural media simulator.
http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html

Pixia
http://park18.wakwak.com/%7Epixia/index.html

IrfanView is a multipurpose media viewer. With the plugin pack, this program will open nearly any raster, vector, video, sound, or text file for viewing. Also very easy to batch-convert/rename large quantities of images.
http://www.irfanview.com/

Vector Editors

Macromedia Flash, Fireworks and Freehand
http://www.macromedia.com
CorelDRAW
Adobe Illustrator
Quark Express
SWiSH http://www.swishzone.com/ - This is a great little program for creating .SWF flash files. You can even output to AVI movie format. Its fairly easy to learn. I paid $49 for version 2.01 a few years ago and have loved it ever since. You can download a limited time preview of the full version program from their website.