soft ware ?

[MPep]

Ok I know that it has been posted before, but I would like some info and feed back of what you like.
I am looking into, maybe, making my on designs, and importing pictures.Any help would be great!
Thanks in advance
Pep

[Pajaro]

Sooooooo many software's Soooooo little time. I for one use Coyote. Easy to use, but lacks a little on getting the detail I'd like.

[Jediscroller]

Pep,
Everyone has their preferences. For me, I like Corel's products. I use Corel Painter, Paintshop Pro and Corel Draw. I know Andy Deane and Jeff Zaffino (2 of the very best out there) use Adobe products, namely Photoshop and Illustrator. Adobe also has a program called Photoshop Elements which is very popular with designers.

[Arcy]

Most of the major packages have free trials, so you can see which work for you before buying. This is also an area where if you have to ask, you probably don't need the high end software packages: Photoshop Elements or PaintShop Pro will likely do everything you need more easily and for much less than Photoshop or Painter.

Photoshop is generally considered the standard for photo manipulation applications, but it isn't definitively better than the other offerings (warning: here there be religion). One advantage that gives is that there are more books and tutorials available for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements than for the other apps, but those books tend to target photo manipulation and so may not be helpful for you.

There are also several free programs which you can look at. They are usually either limited in features or in usability, but may work well for you and the price is right

Here are some links to look at. Except for paint.net, I believe these are all available on either Windows or Mac.

Free:
Paint.NET - Free Software for Digital Photo Editing
GIMP - The GNU Image Manipulation Program

Trials:
Adobe - Adobe Photoshop Elements
Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 - Photo Editing


--Rob

[MPep]

Thanks all!
Pep

[CharlieDearing]

I don't use ANY programs to design my patterns. I do them on paper. The only time I use a computer in the process is to scan them in and color them in to make them easier for people to see what to cut and what not to cut. In order to color them in I have to zoom in and make sure that the lines I drew are connected everywhere.
When I first started making patterns I tried to do them on a computer but found I could get better detail and pickier detail by doing them on paper. When I say better detail I mean I want the patterns to look good close up as well as from a distance. I won't say my way is the best way, but it is best for me. What kept me doing it that way was so many people telling me they liked the "crisp, clear lines". That was my goal.
In my latest venture of downloadable pattern e-books I had to use a computer to convert them to .pdf format and to me it somewhat took away detail. For that conversion I use Corel Draw x4

[Pajaro]

Charlie, my good man, is because you are a very talented artist. Klutz like me need all the help we can get.

[Fremmed]

Hi Pep,

I use Gimp. Great $ (Free) and I can do what I need with it.

[Arcablue]

For pattern design I'd definately recommend adobe illustrator, as it creates vectored images. Which is awesome since you can resize an pattern to any size and not lose detail. Plus you're completely in control of the shape and thickness and color of the lines.

For generic image editing/other things I recommend Adobe Photoshop; while there's many books focusing on photo manipulation there's a TON of great tutorials online that are easily found by a google search.