Best Illustration
CLIP STUDIO PAINT PRO, The #1 Comic & Manga Software Worldwide, is the most efficient and advanced all-in-one solution for drawing, laying out, illustrating and publishing manga and comics. Designed specifically for illustrating manga and comic art, specialized features provide a complete solution all in one program. Frame-by-frame animation - features include adjustable timeline, onion skinning display and light table for creating seamless transitions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I found that drawing in paint tool sai is still far smoother than doing so in this program, and coloring, and shading, and etc. I still haven't figured out how to zoom in on the model but you can click and drag to move or rotate parts of the "doll" to get a pose you need. Well their website has you covered with a literal BUTTLOAD of individual and brush sets taht you can easily install into the program."
"Update 1 month later : I keep finding more and more reasons to love this program, its half the price of SAI but arguably stronger engine, there's so much power packed in this application, even if you don't use it, it's very easy to get into and fiddle with to learn the controls. If you are on the fence on finding an application for your digital drawing needs, this is a tough one to pass up on, I think most people who digital paint shy away from this thinking its only for manga, the brush engine and customization available in this application will more than cover your doodly needs!.I've only scratched the surface of what it has to offer from what I read and see on online tutorials, yet offers so much with the standard tools available from the get go."
"The learning curve is easy and if you get stuck there are many tutorials."
"No more awkward lines! Still easy to use, Has extra features that Sai tool did not have, and plethora of resources made by other users that adds expandability of the tool! If you are looking for a good paint tool that doesn't break your bank or cause awkward sensation while drawing, Clip studio paint is worth a try."
CLIP STUDIO PAINT EX is the world's leading comic and manga creation software and delivers powerful art tools for every manga and comic artist. Built in special effects, tones and tools give artwork a unique style and professional look.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I know I am her mother, but I do try to be very objective, especially since I do not want to give her any false encouragement which would be discovered once she left the comforts of home. Giving any child false hope does not serve them well in the long run. She is very happy with this program and spends her free time designing and creating, building her skills and starting a portfolio."
"It has features that Photoshop lacks for Illustrating, such as the stabilizer and screen tones, making it much better to work with."
"I have used a couple of drawing softwares before and this one is great for the price if you get it when it's on discount (is on discount quite often), it's still pretty nice even without the discount to be honest."
"Much better than the Pro program."
"Great paint, animation, & manga software."
"Has a little learning curve, but once you get familiar with the program, you can let your imagination go wild and create some amazing art."
"I have tried MANY MANY art programs and this is by far the BEST one."
"Teenage daughter loves it!"
System Requirements. Windows: Windows 7, XP Home Edition (Service Pack 2), Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2) , Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Ultimate., [XP] Intel Pentium Processor or AMD Processor 500MHz or higher (1.0GHz and more is preferred. ), [XP] 256MB RAM minimum (512 MB or more recommended); [Vista] 512MB RAM minimum (1.0 GB RAM or more recommended. Manga Studio EX 4.0 offers thousands of screen tones, professional coloring tools, built in 2DLT and 3DLT rendering capabilities, advanced vector tools and image filters. Choose from large library of built-in word balloons and enter and edit the text for your entire story using the Story Editor in Manga Studio EX. The 2DLT Rendering function in Manga Studio EX allows you to convert images into customizable screen tones with just one mouse click. Use the 3D Line and Tone Rendering feature to convert 3D objects to backgrounds and props for your comics. Save time and increase your productivity with customizable Manga Studio tool palettes. Choose from over 3,000 screen tones or create your own. Import 3D objects and easily transform them into tone and line drawings by using the 3DLT Rendering function. Manga Studio EX 4.0 allows you to create professional, ready to publish manga and comics. Convert them to line and tone data and use them as backgrounds and props for your drawings. Quickly distort images, adjust hue and saturation, or add rain and sparkle effects to your artwork. Advanced Text Input Manga Studio EX now allows you to enter text directly on your page using a standard text tool. Adjust the size, color and angle quickly using the sliders to create an almost unlimited number of unique effects. Manga Studio EX 4 is full of powerful, cutting edge features for Manga and Comic artists: Thousands of screen tones, professional coloring tools, advanced vector tools and image filters, and more.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I had read the earlier reviews about the serial number not working for a small number of individuals, but I bought the product anyway because I'm seriously considering purchasing ex5 when it comes out late this summer. My serial number didn't work either, but don't fret! I'm not going to give you the link, as that simply doesn't seem appropriate, but I will tell you to do a search that has the name of the software and the words "serial number" in the search terms."
"Illustrator and Photoshop are both excellent tools, and they've made progress as far as in-app sketching and drawing goes, but neither one can do what Manga Studio 4 EX does. As I mentioned, some of the conventions are file-keeping are a bit confusing at first, but the performance overall is such that I have ZERO complaints. Not too excited about that, having just spent $60 on this version license, but if I continue to be as happy as I am with the results, I don't think that expenditure is going to sting too much. Considering the strength of this program and remembering how expensive other tools were, this is a bargain at three times the price."
"Installed quickly and without the verification problems that I have from my Manga Studio Ex 5 (which I have all sorts of issues with)."
"I found out about Manga Studio EX when I saw another digital artist who I admire using it and thought, "Okay, so these are the same people who made Anime Studio. Now with Manga Studio EX, I can finally get the results I'm looking for. The only thing that disappoints me about this program is the fact that I can't figure out how to export as a transparent .png file, but I can get around that by exporting as a .pse file and saving as a transparent .png from Photoshop Elements. I've realized I've missed out on some really cool features Manga Studio EX 5 has to offer because I purchased this version instead due to the price."
Best Animation & 3D
Anime Studio Pro 11 is perfect for professionals looking for a more efficient alternative to traditional animation.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"You'll also save yourself a lot of time in learning because this one is by far, one of the easiest programs for me to understand and use. You will still have to spend some time learning how to work it, but I highly doubt you'll need to enroll yourself in a college class to understand it."
"Great Software, but have trouble running it on Win 10..."
"I only bought the Debut version because it was cheaper and I wanted to learn Anime Studio's original selling point it's bone feature. I recommend this version over the Debut version of Anime Studio 11 because you will find more tutorials for the bone feature and a webinar for the frame by frame feature."
"The included Tutorial and User Manuals (pdf format) are good and can be accessed in Anime Studio from the help menu."
"Excellent software with great tutorials on their youtube channel."
Best Photography
Platform: PC/Mac Disc. Consider Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan or Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC to get the latest updates, and ensure that the software works with raw files from the newest cameras.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Like several other one-star reviewers I could not find the serial number to install the software, even after over an hour of browsing the Adobe www site and going in circles that always led to having me look on the box or the DVD sleeve."
"There are four new features that are intended to convince version 5 users to upgrade: -Better performance. -Facial recognition. -Panorama merge. -HDR merge. I suspect what people care most about are Panorama and HDR. Here's the good news about these features: The output file for both the HDR and Panorama merge is Adobe DNG (RAW) so you can continue to modify the photo as a RAW film in Lightroom. Every program I've used for HDR and Panorama can only output a JPEG or TIFF even when they can accept a RAW files as an input (and of course, it's a major pain to have to convert your RAW files to TIFF or JPEG for programs that cannot accept RAW). Despite the lack of controls for HDR and Panoramic merge, there's a huge plus to having these features built into Lightroom and having the output file kept in RAW. But if you want the ability to control the process than the upgrade may not be worth it for you at this time (especially if you want that surreal look to your HDR images)."
"I was on the verge of purchasing the Lightroom 6 standalone product when I discovered the following: Adobe is in the process of moving its products to a subscription-only based business model."
Best Home Design
![Sweet Home 3D [Download]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81mqySxP8uL._SS600_.png)
Sweet Home 3D is aimed at people who wants to design their interior quickly, whether they are moving or they just want to redesign their existing home. View the changes in the plan simultaneously in a 3D view, in which you can navigate either from an aerial view point, or from a virtual visitor view point. PC Minimum System Requirements: PC Recommended System Requirements: Processor: Intel Core RAM: 1 GB Hard Disk: 280 MB Video Card: Any Supported OS: Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP. Customize colors and texture of furniture, walls, floors and ceilings.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I say it is freeware because you can go to their home website and download the exact same program and furniture collections for free, but you have to download each and install the program and import the collections. By buying it through Amazon, you get the program and all available furniture collections packaged into one installation program and you provide the developers with a little cash for their efforts. If you can't find an item of furniture or a door or window you need, you can install the free Sketchup Make program, search the Sketchup 3D Warehouse and import any 3D model, or draw your own in Sketchup (steep learning curve, but worth it)."
"This software is not only VERY affordable but easy to use for ALL."
"Before purchasing this though, I played with a few free download program from various vendors ranging in price from $60-$200. I would not expect to use program to turn plans directly over to a builder, but it will save you thousands in architectural fees by laying out your own floor-plan first."
"This includes what we normally think of as furniture (tables, chairs, beds), and also doors, windows, staircases, appliances, cabinets, fixtures, tools and so on.). After a few hours of trial-and-error practice, I was able to produce respectable concept drawings (to show to a contractor) for a home addition, and for separate woodworking workshop and garden tractor garage buildings. The program author lives in Europe, so an American user may notice a few quirks."
Best CAD
Consider Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan or Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC to get the latest updates, and ensure that the software works with raw files from the newest cameras.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"There are four new features that are intended to convince version 5 users to upgrade: -Better performance. -Facial recognition. -Panorama merge. -HDR merge. I suspect what people care most about are Panorama and HDR. Here's the good news about these features: The output file for both the HDR and Panorama merge is Adobe DNG (RAW) so you can continue to modify the photo as a RAW film in Lightroom. Every program I've used for HDR and Panorama can only output a JPEG or TIFF even when they can accept a RAW files as an input (and of course, it's a major pain to have to convert your RAW files to TIFF or JPEG for programs that cannot accept RAW). Despite the lack of controls for HDR and Panoramic merge, there's a huge plus to having these features built into Lightroom and having the output file kept in RAW. But if you want the ability to control the process than the upgrade may not be worth it for you at this time (especially if you want that surreal look to your HDR images)."
"Like several other one-star reviewers I could not find the serial number to install the software, even after over an hour of browsing the Adobe www site and going in circles that always led to having me look on the box or the DVD sleeve."
"I was on the verge of purchasing the Lightroom 6 standalone product when I discovered the following: Adobe is in the process of moving its products to a subscription-only based business model."
