Searching For The Best Digital Art Software

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Best digital art software in Painter Essentials Software

In this article, we go over just a few digital art software titles that are the best for beginners who want to learn this style of art.

Almost all of these programs can be downloaded but only a few actually come with a software disk.

Another thing to note is a drawing or graphics tablet may be needed to achieve the best results. Using a mouse is possible but a lot more difficult.

One great thing about all these art programs is the tutorials not only provided by the software companies but also online video training can be found easily making it possible for beginners to learn the ins and outs of each art software.

If you do not own any of these programs then be sure to read the label to ensure you are getting the full program and not just the upgrade.

Clip Studio Paint Free Trial

Editor’s Top Picks

Our top choices couldn’t be more diverse.

Overall Best Digital Art Software

Create realistic styles of artwork in multiple mediums.

Corel Painter 2021

Corel Painter 2021

Best Digital Art Software For Animation

Geared more for 3D animations and Comics in multiple mediums.

Clip Studio Paint EX

Clip Studio Paint EX

Keep reading for my short reviews on some of the best drawing and art software brands in digital art, photography, and animation that are the most popular picks among professional artists.

Create stunning 3D models for games

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Best Digital Art Software Reviews

Working digitally with drawing and painting was a very fun learning experience for me. Using the diverse selection of tools and learning what each tool does takes me hours just on the beginner’s version of Corel Paint (Corel Painters Essentials 7).

This is the tutorial version and most affordable to prepare you for the actual paint program. To get the most out of any of these programs a drawing tablet should be used as it is easier to use a pen to make precise strokes rather than the mouse.

Corel Draw Essentials 2021

1. Best Digital Art Software for Artists

Graphic design and illustration have made huge steps as technology had evolved over the years. There are more options for artists today than ever before.

With thousands of brushes and textures right at your fingertips, the need to go get those art supplies is nearly nonexistent.

Corel Painter 2021

Corel Painter 2021

Pros:

  • Uses graphics card for improved brushing
  • Works on Mac and PC
  • More refined tools
  • More organized user interface
  • Offers a huge variety of mediums and brushes
  • Create brush sets
  • Built in tutorials

Cons:

  • Need a decent processor and gpu to run more efficiently
  • Expensive
  • Fairly steep learning curve

This is a very popular digital art software and could very well be the best choice among professional digital artists. Capable of producing the most organic feeling for paintings and drawings.

A little heavy on the money side but excellent value makes me want to get this one. Corel has come a long way.

Over 900 brushes and built-in tips and tutorials will provide hours of learning materials for you to really get the feel for this software’s capabilities.

The new brush accelerator is nice if you have a powerful enough computer to run it. This seems to be a performance option you can choose inside the software.

Best for the more experienced to the professional artist familiar with Corel Painter. Good thing there is Corel Essentials for the beginner. 


2. Best Affordable Photo Editing Software

Photoshop might be the best photo editing software for professionals but what if you need something that’s not so hard on the finances. That is why I chose the next digital art software as a more affordable alternative.

Corel Paintshop Pro Ultimate

PaintShop Pro Ultimate 2021

Pros:

  • Affordable price
  • One step photo fix
  • Supports Vector Drawing
  • Convert still life to animation
  • More tools than Pro Version
  • 8 more features added since 2019

Cons:

  • Windows only
  • Lacks in some areas that are noticed if you have used Photoshop 

Corel is getting better with their photo editing software which makes this a possible alternative to Adobe Photoshop.

This is a window’s only program and is a one-time payment versus Photoshop’s monthly subscription.

Corel Paintshop has come a long way and is fast becoming a go-to photo editing tool. Seems to work best if used together with photoshop since one software has some features the other may lack.

If you already have Paintshop you can upgrade for an even better price than buying making it more expensive for the beginner.


3. Best Digital art software For Manga and Comics

If you like to draw manga or comics and want a way to animate your drawings then this software might be what you are looking for.

With all the learning tools for the beginner included with this software as well as a large number of videos on YouTube, you will be creating your own animations in no time.

Clip Studio Paint EX

Clip Studio Paint EX 2021

Pros:

  • Great for comics
  • Easier to learn than some other programs
  • Multiple brush styles and mediums
  • Good value for the money
  • Turn photos to line art
  • Too many features to list

Cons:

  • Little higher priced
  • License for only 2 devices(not so bad)

Research shows this software to be a very professional tool for comics and manga. There is a pro version that is a little cheaper but I chose this one because you get the ability to create an entire comic book if you wanted to. Animation is another awesome feature.

I was very impressed with this digital art software. Though it is geared more for comics a lot of the other features for drawing and painting are in there letting you create paintings in different mediums and on various textured papers.

Easier to learn due to all the learning tools from books to video tutorials built into the software.


4. Best Drawing Software for Beginners

I remember getting Corel Draw back in the early 2000s and remember how difficult it was to navigate or just to draw a line. I do not think this is a problem today since Corel has its own line of essentials software to teach you the ropes of their flagship software Painter.

Corel Painter Essentials 8

Painter Essentials 8

Pros:

  • Brushes feel natural
  • Realistic results
  • New assortment of brushes
  • Pressure sensitivity
  • AI for human touch
  • Covers more art mediums
  • Mac & PC versions available

Cons:

  • Unable to create brushes
  • Designed mostly for beginners

Corel gears its Essentials to beginners making this an excellent choice for someone getting started in digital art. In 8 there are a lot of added features for a very affordable cost. Supported on pen tablets with pressure sensitivity.

Once you learn this you can graduate up to Corel’s flagship painter programs and be able to use them more efficiently.

This digital art software lets the new digital artist get a taste of what the pros are using in the more expensive Corel apps.

Misses some features such as creating and saving different brushes but overcomes this with a large library of brushes to choose from.


5. Best Free 3D Software

If you are looking for free 3D digital art software then look no further.

Daz 3D Animation Software

Become a 3d animator with DAZ 3D

Pros:

  • Free 3D Software Suite
  • Large 3D Modeling asset library
  • Free weekly model downloads
  • Game animation tutorials
  • Rendering preset and engines

Cons:

  • Only the Animate Lite version is free
  • Animate 2 is Free for 30 Days

With Daz 3D building a gaming environment could not be easier. With the huge library, you can access 3d models of animals, creatures, people, costumes, animations, and poses.

This free software is one of the most popular online and has plenty of tutorials to guide you through if you are new to 3D Animation.

Build entire scenes and then animate them with some of the free 3d model downloads that are available every week.

There is so much more here than I have time or room to go through in this mini-review so check it out and I am sure you will be just as amazed as I was with this free software.


Beginners Guide To Some Of The Best Digital Art Software

There are many things to consider before buying an art or drawing program, especially for the beginner. There is free digital art software readily available online that can be used to get a basic idea of graphics programs.

These tend to be more user-friendly and make great starter programs. One that is really popular today is Krita.

But when it comes to buying a digital art or sketching program care needs to be taken as prices can be somewhat high.

Below are some handy guidelines you should consider that will help you to make sure you are buying the right software as these programs explore a fairly wide range of mediums and artistic styles.

Time

When I received my first drawing tablet it came with graphics software and I was blown away with all the different tools that these programs had to offer. There were so many tools in fact that learning each tool I realized was going to eat up a lot of time.

There are so many things inside these types of art programs that it becomes easy to wander around the program and accomplish nothing. One thing that will help you manage your time with learning is the tutorials that can be found on sites like youtube.

Price

Some digital art software can get expensive which can make for a risky buy for someone new to this type of art medium.

Luckily there is not a shortage of learning tools online for the beginner. Some art software is paid for monthly as a subscription or a one-time payment.

Some software is only available via download format while others offer a hard disk. While having a disk is nice for a hard copy it is still better to install through a download to ensure receiving the most up-to-date version.

Sometimes downloads are cheaper also.

Laptop Or PC

All the digital software in this review requires a computer to run the programs. I personally recommend a mid-range graphics card at the very minimum, especially for the 3D animation software.

Some of these titles work on less so be sure to read the system requirements before buying as this could get costly.

Operating System

Many programs only run on certain operating systems and versions of those operating systems. Most of the software on this site overcomes some of these issues through updates.

Care should be taken to make sure all compatibility problems are or can be solved before buying.

Equipment Needed For Digital Art

Digital Stylus in hand

There are many options on equipment to make your life easier when running some digital art software. I go over some briefly below.

Stylus vs Mouse

The mouse is a very hard tool to use when trying to draw or paint on screen making the lines jerkier and less smooth. I recommend a stylus for overcoming this issue which can incur more cost when beginning in digital art.

Styluses or digital pens come with a wide variety of functions and some can be programmed for specific functions within the program itself. They also have different capabilities based on the price paid.

Graphics VS Drawing Tablets

There are decent varieties of drawing pads and tablets out there to help create artwork on your computer screen. Prices go from affordable for the beginner to very expensive for the professional illustrator.

Digital Art or Drawing Tablets:

Generally more affordable but take a little getting used to due to the pen being on a pad rather than the actual piece you are working on. 

If you are a beginner you can check out my review of the Wacom Intuos S tablet specifically designed for beginners.

Digital Display or Graphics Tablets:

These give the ability to draw straight on your artwork on the screen itself which helps the artist to adjust from traditional methods to the digital era more easily.

This can be more costly than the drawing pads but is much easier to use.

Memory

Some digital art programs require more modern processors and graphics cards to run more efficiently without lagging.

So if you are running an older machine you should try older versions of the program you are interested in to avoid compatibility issues.

What Style Of Digital Art Interests Do You Have?

Knowing what style or medium you are stronger in can help you to decide what digital software best suits you.

Many digital art software targets specific types of art mediums such as oil painting or watercolor painting while others offer more flexibility which gives you more tools and options to learn different mediums.

Some art programs are just 2 dimensional while some are 3 dimensional.

Maybe you are wanting a photo editor to edit your own photos.

I highly recommend finding the best digital art software that compliments your artistic strengths as this will help ensure you like the software you bought and helps speed up the learning process.

I have read some reviews where it seemed like the buyer was not well informed as to what type of software they were buying and were disappointed with their purchase.

Digital Art Programs Q & A

Here we have listed some common questions asked across the internet from people just like you.

1. What Software Is Best For Digital Art?

Photoshop is still considered to be the best digital art software among professional graphic artists. Even though it is a subscription-based program it is still very popular today. Photoshop is also considered to be the industry standard for graphic design and digital art.

2. What Is The Best Free Digital Art Software?

Though there are many free art programs to choose from the most popular seems to be Krita. Daz 3D Art Studio is coming up the ranks at a steady pace and is also good for beginners in digital art.

3. What do Artists Use For Digital Art?

As with most things with art adequate tools are needed to achieve the best possible results. Artists can use anything from a drawing pad to a graphics tablet to create digital art.

Both types need or come with stylus or pens that are pressure sensitive. Software is needed when using these tools.

4. What Software Do Concept Artists Use?

Programs like Corel Painter and Photoshop are 2 of the most popular software titles used by concept artists. For manga and comics, Clip Studio is the go-to art program which is also considered to be a great animation tool to breathe life into your graphic art.

5. How Much RAM Is Needed For Digital Art?

Although 4 gigabytes of RAM is sufficient to run most lite graphics software, 8 gigabytes and up is recommended for the best results. Graphics can eat up your RAM especially if you are running more than one digital art program at a time.

This can result in delays of on-screen applications and possible freezing up entirely which would require a full restart of your device.

My Choice For Best Digital Art Software

To tell you the truth I would like to have any one of these programs. There are so many features inside each of these products that I have not even come close to scratching the surface of any of these.

For this reason, I will be creating more detailed software reviews on each individual product in the future.

Corel Painter 2021 is my choice because it hits the criteria artists are looking for in the industry and is a good middle of board software.

This makes for a well-rounded digital art program. Updates and brush packs are some great features that will help improve your experience for a long time to come.

Thanks for reading and I sincerely hope these short reviews helped you get a better understanding of this popular niche in art.


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