OTTAWA, Feb. 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Introducing Painter® Essentials™ 6, the newest version of the complete, entry-level digital art studio from Corel. Designed for hobbyists, photo enthusiasts, and anyone who wants to start creating incredible artwork, Painter Essentials 6 is based on the industry’s most powerful Natural-Media® painting technology, Painter®.

Say hello to Painter Essentials 6 — the most natural way to get started and grow as you explore painting, illustration, and photo art. With powerful and intelligent photo painting tools, Painter Essentials 6 will help you transform any photo into a masterpiece in no time! Create out-of-this-world artwork from scratch using unique and incredible brush technologies that give your work an extra special pop. The Mirror tool makes it easier to quickly sketch or paint complex characters and designs in perfect symmetry.

“All too often, new users face a tough choice when looking at art software – either it’s too simplistic and limited or ultra-powerful with a significant learning curve,” said Chris Pierce, Product Manager for Digital Arts at Corel. “With Painter Essentials 6, we’re changing all of that with an easy-to-use digital art studio built with the pedigree of the industry’s most realistic painting technology. You’ll be amazed with how quickly you will be able to create incredible works of art. And if you wish to graduate to something more advanced, the professional power of Painter is a natural transition as your skills and needs grow.”

With a new, easy upgrade path to the professional-grade Painter that’s ready when you are, Painter Essentials 6 is the natural choice to learn, experiment, and grow as a digital and photo artist. Offering a simplified work environment with an easy-to-navigate and out-of-the-way interface, Painter Essentials 6 delivers powerful painting and drawing tools that are perfect for anyone who wants to get started with digital art. Refine your skills and learn the fundamentals of different art styles thanks to a rich collection of in-app instructional tools designed to guide new artists throughout the creative process.

Highlights of Painter Essentials 6 include:

• Natural-Media that mimics reality: Become immersed in an exciting collection of Natural-Media brushes and canvas textures. Craft masterpieces with stunning reality using authentic dry media like chalks, pencils, and pastels, or realistic wet media including oils, airbrushes, pens, watercolors, and more.
• Smart photo painting: Transform photos into masterful paintings using powerful cloning and photo-painting tools. Simply clone images by dipping a brush directly into the photo or let the Auto-Painting palette rapidly paint a photo using your choice of brush and media. Produce incredible photo art with ease using the powerful SmartStroke™ brush technology that follows lines and contours within the picture.
• Signature Painter media types: Create out-of-this-world art with Particle™ brushes that spring, flow, and glow, or make unforgettable marks with visionary Pattern Pens that command attention with multilayered brushstrokes to add an extra special pop to your work.
• Valuable symmetry tools: Paint in perfect symmetry with the Mirror painting tool and create beautiful mandalas using the Kaleidoscope tool. These intuitive symmetry tools will ensure the final composition is both proportional and dynamic.
• Pressure sensitive memory: When painting with a drawing tablet, take advantage of full pressure-sensitive control of every brush, allowing you to recreate the look and sensation of painting with traditional media. Splay the bristles or exhibit a paper texture using the stylus to control each stroke.
• Built-in learning resources: Access helpful tutorials and workflow tips from the new intuitive and interactive Welcome Book. Discover a gallery of inspiring Essentials artwork or visit the award-winning Corel Discovery Center for in-depth webinars and more.
• Build your brush collection: Enjoy support for new, custom-designed brush packs. Expand the creative possibilities of Painter Essentials 6 and enhance your artistic experience by adding exciting technologies like Dynamic Speckles and even more Particle brushes — all available directly within the new Welcome Book. Plus, take your whole collection with you when you’re ready for Painter!
• Incredible speed: Watch your brushes blaze across the canvas faster than ever before. Manage memory-intensive operations like working on large canvases, zooming, rotating, and working with layers – all at the top speed you require for efficiency and productivity.
• Photoshop friendly: Preserve colors and layers with ease when transferring files between Photoshop and Painter Essentials 6 while working on either a 64-bit Mac or Windows. Best of all, you can own Painter Essentials 6 outright—no subscription required.
• Built for Windows 10 & macOS: Painter Essentials 6 is ready for action on the latest hardware whether you’re running macOS High Sierra or Windows 10.
• Easily move to Painter as you master your skills: Designed to grow with you, Painter Essentials 6 offers an easy upgrade path to Painter, the world's most realistic digital paint program for professional artists .