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"Best Program" for turning images (renders) into paintings and Paint

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  • TaozTaoz Posts: 10,248

    Ghosty12 said:

    One unfortunate thing is that, Topaz Labs have now gone down the subscription route with their software, just like Adobe. 

    I don't mind subscriptions if they have a fallback license like e.g. JetBrains - whenever you have paid for a year (a year ahead or monthly) you can keep the version which was available when you started/renewed the yearly subscription.  If you continue without interruption the subscription price lowers the 2nd and 3rd year, after which you stay on the 3rd year price.  

  • infernalinfernal Posts: 21
    edited November 10

    SimonJM said:

    paulawp (marahzen) said:

    I bought the current DAP and am trying it out.

    Bought or subscribed to? I looked a day or so back and was not able to find a purchase option. 

    On the DAP page at https://www.mediachance.com/dap/index.html the buy now button is at top left. No subscription! It's $89 USD plus tax.

    Edit: Button is on top RIGHT. Oops.

    Post edited by infernal on
  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 6,067

    infernal said:

    SimonJM said:

    paulawp (marahzen) said:

    I bought the current DAP and am trying it out.

    Bought or subscribed to? I looked a day or so back and was not able to find a purchase option. 

    On the DAP page at https://www.mediachance.com/dap/index.html the buy now button is at top left. No subscription! It's $89 USD plus tax.

    Edit: Button is on top RIGHT. Oops.

     Thank you for making me go back and look again - I think I got turned around between the Topaz stuff now being a subscription

  • Griffin AvidGriffin Avid Posts: 3,815

    This thread is like a super-flashback machine to a time when adding a bit extra to a Daz render was the desire.

    I loved PhotoDonut and once they closed down, I couldn't find the damn serial or get access to the store-bought style presets.

    I remember there being a hundred different approaches.

    Photoshop Filters/Actions/Add ons

    Filter Forge (or any other plug-in suite)

    Dynamic Auto Painter (Which I still use)

    Topaz Studio

    Studio Artist 5

    Redfield Plugins

    Pixel Art Workshop

    GRFX Studio

    Suites like Akvis and FotoSketcher

    * Man, I still have desktop shortvuts and have no idea what the program does.

    I did a workshop for finding your own style- and how to use a combo of things to find that unique it factor.

    There's a bunch of that in the Comic Creator series.

    https://www.daz3d.com/catalogsearch/result?q=drew+spence

    Now, in 2025/2026, with the arrival of AI, I suspect most are experimenting in that direction.

    -------------

    I think I need to change the third C in the three Cs of being an artist from Content to Consistent.

    As getting consistent results is paramount- and still difficult for AI to do.

    I don't think these options ever go out of style, no pun intended.

     

     

     

  • paulawp (marahzen)paulawp (marahzen) Posts: 1,714

    I just feel a little pull lately to take largely photorealistic Daz output and do something more arty with it. That's what I was doing in the year between my discovery of Artbreeder and coming to Daz - creating characters via Artbreeder and producing standardized artistic representations of them with Photoshop filters. 

  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 8,048

    I remember a version of fotosketcher being pretty good too.  That software may be on a previous computer. will have to check.  

     

    Things have change significantly in the last 3 years. 

  • memcneil70memcneil70 Posts: 5,284

    infernal said:

    SimonJM said:

    paulawp (marahzen) said:

    I bought the current DAP and am trying it out.

    Bought or subscribed to? I looked a day or so back and was not able to find a purchase option. 

    On the DAP page at https://www.mediachance.com/dap/index.html the buy now button is at top left. No subscription! It's $89 USD plus tax.

    Edit: Button is on top RIGHT. Oops.

    Thank you for the link, but I was dismayed to see it is a Windows only product. I really wish there were ones usable on Mac/Windows so a user with both systems didn't have to learn two different programs.

    Mary 

  • memcneil70memcneil70 Posts: 5,284

    I went and bought DAP and installed it on my Windows 11.

    First thank you all.

    Second, I am amazed and enthralled. I love the interface and the number of preset options and then I started to look at all the tabs. Yeah, learning curve but what fun!

  • Griffin AvidGriffin Avid Posts: 3,815

    Well, don't forget to return and share your journey and what you get.

    AND, you can always layer the output to control the amount of (each) effect and your original render.

  • CWRWCWRW Posts: 104

    FWIW I did a whole calendar of "renders" that I wanted to be more painterly back in 2018- here is the calendar: https://www.zazzle.com/the_spirit_of_equus_calendar-158680452329528413

    I used Filter Forge BUT the big thing I did also was try (and then use) SEVERAL different filters in Filter Forge, save the Filter Forge "renders" as separate files and take them all in Photoshop and overlay them over my original render (do any "fixing" of your render before running any of the FF filters on it) in different manners (ie: hard light, soft light, lighten, screen, and so on) and mess with varying opacities of each layer. Youc an also do subtle erasing of areas as well on each layer to have some details more crisp and more softer. You can get some VERY nice effects that way with some playing around.

    Here is one image from that calendar:

     

    PrairieWinds.jpg
    1191 x 900 - 180K
  • Griffin AvidGriffin Avid Posts: 3,815

    Great technique ideas and that calendar is incredible.

  • paulawp (marahzen)paulawp (marahzen) Posts: 1,714

    CWRW said:

    FWIW I did a whole calendar of "renders" that I wanted to be more painterly back in 2018- here is the calendar: https://www.zazzle.com/the_spirit_of_equus_calendar-158680452329528413

    I used Filter Forge BUT the big thing I did also was try (and then use) SEVERAL different filters in Filter Forge, save the Filter Forge "renders" as separate files and take them all in Photoshop and overlay them over my original render (do any "fixing" of your render before running any of the FF filters on it) in different manners (ie: hard light, soft light, lighten, screen, and so on) and mess with varying opacities of each layer. Youc an also do subtle erasing of areas as well on each layer to have some details more crisp and more softer. You can get some VERY nice effects that way with some playing around.

    Here is one image from that calendar:

     

    That's really nice! 

  • CWRWCWRW Posts: 104

    Griffin Avid said:

    Great technique ideas and that calendar is incredible.T

    Thanks so much! Have fun playing with those techniques!

  • CWRWCWRW Posts: 104

    paulawp (marahzen) said:

    CWRW said:

    FWIW I did a whole calendar of "renders" that I wanted to be more painterly back in 2018- here is the calendar: https://www.zazzle.com/the_spirit_of_equus_calendar-158680452329528413

    I used Filter Forge BUT the big thing I did also was try (and then use) SEVERAL different filters in Filter Forge, save the Filter Forge "renders" as separate files and take them all in Photoshop and overlay them over my original render (do any "fixing" of your render before running any of the FF filters on it) in different manners (ie: hard light, soft light, lighten, screen, and so on) and mess with varying opacities of each layer. Youc an also do subtle erasing of areas as well on each layer to have some details more crisp and more softer. You can get some VERY nice effects that way with some playing around.

    Here is one image from that calendar:

     

    That's really nice! 

    Thanks so much!

  • wolf359wolf359 Posts: 3,929
    edited November 16

    So much has advanced in the technology since this thread was started.

    I no longer even use  programs & 3D assets for my comic & graphic novel creation

     

    Post edited by wolf359 on
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