Fast bruch for covering large area

[Jinbrown]

Try working in three stages, calculating backward from the final dimensions and Resolution (ppi) to the first stage. For example, if the final image is to be 2000 x 2000, 300 ppi:

First stage - 500 x 500 pixels, 75 ppi - block in large areas of color.

Second Stage - Resize to 1000 x 1000 pixels, 150 ppi - block in large details.

Third stage - Resize to 2000 x 2000 pixels, 300 ppi - paint fine details and clean up.

Those numbers can be, of course, altered to suit your image.

Some testing should be done first to ensure your brushstrokes will resize upward and look as you intend them to look.

[John Keates]

Hi Jinbrown

Yeah, I do often work like that but my compositions are often improvised and have big changes at the end so I can't always down res without loosing detail.

I guess I could have down res'd the image and then imported the bg layer back in but it is debatable wheter that would have solved the problem in this case. Hmm.... maybe I had better just lear patience.

Overall though I am loving painter. I just discovered the smeary wet sponge - great for blury backgrounds.

[Jinbrown]

You haven't said which brush variants you're using, or even which Painter version, and that might help give us some more ideas to speed things up.

In the meantime:

Go to Edit > Preferences > General and uncheck the Brush Ghosting box.

Also, if it's available for the brush variant you're using, go to the Brush Controls palette's Size section/Brush Controls' Size palette/Brush Creator's Size section and adjust the Feature slider a little to make the bristles less dense and to speed up the brushstrokes. You'll have to experiment to find a happy medium between faster brushstrokes and too little bristle density.

If you can, Group and Collapse Layers, or Drop them to the Canvas.

Close the Eye icons for other Layers you don't need to see.

Go to the Sticky thread at the top of this forum and read the thread named "Keeping Painter 6, Painter 7, and Painter 8 Running Smoothly". If you're using Painter IX, ignore the part about deleting the Pre-built Brush File since it now has an automatic limit of 200 MB, the idea being we don't have to delete it. Most other suggests should apply to Painter IX and if you're not sure, just ask.

Close all other programs while working in Painter.

Only have other images open while you need them open.

Close Painter every so often, and even reboot now and then. Sometimes that gives Painter an extra burst of energy, so to speak.

Oh! If you have Painter IX and if it's available for the brush variant you're using, go to the Brush Controls palette's General section/Brush Controls' General palette/Brush Creator's General section and adjust the Boost slider a little to make the brushstrokes faster.

More suggestions will be posted if I think of anything else.

[Timefly]

another thing, again depending on your type of brush, is to keep the min. size of the brush at 100%, this seems to be very healthy for fast brushes.

Cheers

T

[John Keates]

Thanks for the replies guys,

I am using painter IX and I have tried the boost slider. I am looking for an alternative to photoshops airbrush so the feature slider wouldn't apply (I have mostly been playing with the digital airbrush).

So far, I am finding that the quickest route is to go into photoshop for this kind of job so I will look into the other suggestoins keenly.

Thaks again

[John Keates]

I just had a break through (of sorts), I found that the airbrush was only slow on the base layer (canvas). It seems that the canvas is a watercolour layer and I can't find a way to convert it into a standard layer.

It is still slow when I unhide the other layers.

I tried copying the bg to another layer but painting there is slow also.

Any suggestions?

[John Keates]

Ok, I have been playing about some more and have found that brushes are much slower when I am using 'pick up underlying layer'. It would be odd if the canvas has this set as it is the lowest layer but I can't think of what else could be causing it as the slow down is the same.

When I turn 'pick up underlying layer' off, :EDIT: some brushes such as oils fade to white. This is odd as I would expect them to fade to transparent even if I am not picking up the underlying layer (as is the case in photoshop) It should be possible to implement this without any slowdown.

Am I missing something?

I am really liking many aspects of painter and have orderd a copy but I am starting to worry about the speed thing.

[Jinbrown]

I just had a break through (of sorts), I found that the airbrush was only slow on the base layer (canvas). It seems that the canvas is a watercolour layer and I can't find a way to convert it into a standard layer.

The Painter Canvas is not a Layer at all, and certainly not a Watercolor Layer. Watercolor Layers are created and used above the Canvas only, and only Watecolor variants can be used on Watecolor Layers.

If you meant to paint on the Canvas and got a warning message saying, "Only Watercolor brushes can be used on Watercolor Layers." you must have been using a dry brush variant and had a Watercolor Layer highlighted in the Layers list.

When we use Digital Watercolor variants, there's an invisible wet layer on the Canvas as long as the Digital Watercolor paint remains wet. Even when it's wet, dry brush variants can be used on the Canvas and not affect, or interact, with the wet Digital Watercolor paint. If we do want a dry brush variant to interact with Digital Watercolor paint, we must first dry the Digital Watercolor paint by using one of the following:

Ctrl/Command+Shift+L

Layers palette menu > Dry Digital Watercolor

Layers menu > Dry Digital Watercolor



It is still slow when I unhide the other layers.

If anything, opening the Eye icons for other Layers would slow things down, not speed them up, as Painter now has to display all of them.


I tried copying the bg to another layer but painting there is slow also.

Any suggestions?
Working with large images and Painter's more complex brush variants, you're going to have problems with speed sometimes, even if Painter IX has solved this with many of the brush variants.

[Jinbrown]

Ok, I have been playing about some more and have found that brushes are much slower when I am using 'pick up underlying layer'. It would be odd if the canvas has this set as it is the lowest layer but I can't think of what else could be causing it as the slow down is the same.

As you can see, the Pick Up Underlying Colors box is located on the Layers palette. When it's checked, and depending on how the particular brush variant's controls are set up, brushstrokes made on any and all Layers will pick up underlying color (color below the Layer being painted, whether that color is on one or more Layers, or on the Canvas, or all of the above).

I would suppose that when this box is checked, slowdown is due to Painter having to do more calculating.


When I turn 'pick up underlying layer' off, :EDIT: some brushes such as oils fade to white. This is odd as I would expect them to fade to transparent even if I am not picking up the underlying layer (as is the case in photoshop) It should be possible to implement this without any slowdown.

If you're using a brush variant with blending or smearing charactistics brushstrokes will have white edges when painted on transparent areas of a Layer.

Since blending and smearing characteristics are mainly controlled in the Brush Controls' Well palette or in the Brush Creator's Well section, one solution is to move the Resat/Resaturation slider all the way to the right.

Another solution is to change the Layer's Composite Method to Gel or Multiply. However, this will make your brushstrokes transparent and darker and affect color below that Layer's brushtrokes, making those colors darker.


Am I missing something?

• Experience

• Practice

• Reading the User Guide or Help > Help Topics to understand how Painter's brush variants work and how the brush controls work.


I am really liking many aspects of painter and have orderd a copy but I am starting to worry about the speed thing.
You'll learn how to work around the slowness issues like other artists do.

Try to Group and Collapse Layers when you can.

Drop Layers when you can.

Learn the brush controls so you'll know how to adjust brush variants for maximum speed.

Save frequently in a numbered series of files and close Painter every hour or so, even reboot to give Painter and your system a break.

Close other programs while working in Painter.

Good luck,

[John Keates]

Hi Jinbrown,

Thanks for all the words of wisdom.:thumbsup:

I think I will sit down and read through the manuel before posting again. I have previously only used photoshop 6 so there is quite a jump and lots to learn.

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.