Before you purchase software, check with the manufacturer to ensure the product is compatible with your computer’s operating system. (Note that many Windows-only programs can be run on Mac machines with emulation software.) Also, many programs offer a free trial version, or demo, so you can try before you buy.
Tools for Making Art
Adobe Photoshop
$649, Adobe
GIMP
Free, GIMP
Adobe Photoshop Elements
$99.99, Adobe
Corel Painter X
$419, Corel
Poser Figure Artist
$99.99, E-Frontier
3D Virtual Figure Drawing Studio
$27.99, Cloudstars Software
ArtWorks Basic
$49.95, Artellmedia
Tools for Business
Artist’s Butler
$20, LynnSoft
WorkingArtist
$99, Software for Artists
Studio
$795, ArtSystems
ArcherArtist
$95, Archer Artist
Freebies
Virtual Magnifying Glass
A free, open-source screen magnifier
Picasa
An organizing tool that lets you edit and share photos online
OpenOffice
An office suite with a word processor, spreadsheets and multimedia capability
Michael Chesley Johnson is a frequent contributor to The Artist’s Magazine. Read more about artist’s software in the July 2008 issue of the magazine.
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