Should you use Corel Painter in 2025?

Corel Painter has been my companion for years now, both for my personal experiments and for complex client projects. What always fascinates me is the realism of its digital brushes, which is absolutely stunning.

If you're looking to reproduce the authenticity of traditional painting or drawing—textures, color blending, dynamic strokes—Painter is unmatched. It outperforms traditional vector or retouching tools, offering unparalleled creative freedom for digital illustration.

But this power has a downside: the interface is dense and requires a real investment. For less specific needs in "natural media," its learning curve and complexity can be a hindrance, making it less relevant than more general-purpose tools.

When we talk about Corel Painter, we often think of its immense depth and richness for experienced artists. However, what many people overlook is how valuable it can be for beginners. I've seen people at Easy Web start out with no experience in digital illustration and find their feet very quickly. Thanks to features such as preset brushes that perfectly mimic traditional media, or the "photo-painting" option, transforming an image into a work of art becomes a surprisingly accessible experience.

The tool also offers workspaces dedicated to beginners, simplifying the interface so you aren't overwhelmed with options right from the start. This allows you to experiment without fear, with visual aids such as the composition guide that structures your first sketches. The advantage is that you progress at your own pace, gradually discovering the richness of Painter. It is designed to guide you, step by step, toward more advanced mastery, without ever throwing you in at the deep end.

Let's talk money. The cost of Corel Painter is a crucial issue. In 2025, the tool continues to shine with its perpetual license, a real breath of fresh air compared to the ubiquitous subscriptions. Purchasing the full version represents a significant initial investment. It's an ideal solution for professional designers or agencies that want to equip their teams for the long term, without any surprise recurring costs. For existing users, upgrade prices make updating much more affordable. It's a clear model that allows you to control your creative expenses.

What has always impressed me about Corel Painter is how it emulates natural media. It's not just about copying the look, but recreating the feel. The RealBristle engine, for example, simulates the dispersion of the bristles of a real brush, the way the color spreads and blends. It's the Holy Grail for anyone who wants to recreate the feel of watercolor or oil painting, but digitally. You can really feel the material under the stylus, it's striking.

But Painter is much more than just reproduction. The depth of brush customization is monumental. You can adjust every parameter: paint load, angle, pressure, texture, even how colors dynamically blend on the canvas. That's where its power for professionals lies: creating unique tools for specific renderings. I've seen our designers at Easy Web develop truly distinctive styles thanks to this freedom, far removed from the usual presets.

What has always impressed me about Corel Painter is the incredible power of its brush engine. We're not just talking about variations, but a near-perfect simulation of traditional media—oils, watercolors, pastels... The level of customization is just incredible. You can modify every parameter, from texture to responsiveness, for hyper-realistic results. It's like having a complete digital art studio at your fingertips.

And if you're looking to go beyond the flat, the management of impasto and textures is a real revolution. Painter lets you create physical depth on your digital canvas, simulating the thickness of paint or the roughness of a surface. It's not just visual; the brushes react to this "material," offering a unique tactile sensation that truly elevates your art. It changes everything for works that demand character.