Review: PostworkShop by Xycod
October 26th, 2010 | Published in Featured, Reviews, Software Reviews | 10 Comments
The interface for PostworkShop is clean and intuitive.
If I were into posting pompous axioms and slogans on this blog, I guess one would be “The image is everything.” How you created it is secondary. We’re not media chauvinists around here. (I’ve kind of stated my “manifesto” on this topic here, if you’re interested.) Not everyone knows how to perform magic with a pencil or a paintbrush, or even a digital stylus. And that’s one of the wonderful things about making art on the computer: it enables everyone to be creative–even those “who can’t draw a straight line.” (I can’t do that either, but I do enjoy painting.) A case in point is a relatively new piece of software available for free for the Mac and the PC, called PostworkShop. It allows anyone to create, play, and just plain have a ball with images. It’s purpose is not to “replace” humans as painters. Nor is it meant as a shortcut for lazy artists. Yes, it is one of those push-a-button filter programs that have, perhaps, given digital art a bad name. But it’s quite powerful and deep, with a huge potential for improvisation and innovation.
PostworkShop comes in three flavors: Free, Artist, and Pro. Free is, well, free, and comes with 50 presets. The Artist version is $49, and the Pro is $99. Both of these come with over 350 presets, called styles. But the presets are just a starting point. You can modify them and save custom versions. You can create whole new styles and upload them to share with the community. There’s a node-based editor which I assume allows you to really dig in and come up with unique stuff, but so far I’ve just been exploring the preset styles. Some of the styles are just so-so, but others are truly extraordinary. If you’re looking to add a great look to your family photos, go ahead and download the free version; you’ll be amazed at what you can do with a few clicks.
You can upload your own brushes to PostworkShop, which is one of the ways you can create truly unique styles. All versions work with layers, and layer blending modes, much like Photoshop. So you can combine the effects of two or more styles together, resulting in an unlimited number of possible permutations. The interface is a bit different, but there are excellent tutorials and videos available online. It took me about an hour to get comfortable with the basics. Those under 50 would probably take considerably less time!
PostworkShop does a good–and sometimes great–job replicating real-world artistic looks, such as watercolor, pen and ink, etching, and painting. It also has a bunch of photography filters to play with. The program seems to follow the contours of objects in the photo, or at least takes it into consideration. Most of the filters that come delivered with Photoshop don’t do that: they just apply the same effect across the whole image. PostworkShop leaves some areas blank, such as a blue sky. The $200 Snap Art 2, from Alien Skin, applies the same effect evenly across the image, like Photoshop’s filters, regardless of the subject. The results of Snap Art’s filters are, I think, quite unimpressive, and none of them look convincing. I’d suggest you save your money and give PostworkShop a try.
PostworkShop is available here for download. (Full disclosure: I am not an affiliate, though they did give me a free copy to evaluate.)
Here’s a gallery of images I created this afternoon with PostworkShop. There are three original photos, each followed by variations.
October 27th, 2010 at 6:12 pm (#)
Thanks, Bob! I’d probably never have heard about PostworkShop if you hadn’t written this article. I downloaded the free basic version, and might well upgrade once I’ve had a chance to evaluate it. It looks very capable.
October 28th, 2010 at 12:56 pm (#)
Thank you for this! It helps a lot in my current project.
Kepp up the good work!
October 28th, 2010 at 1:51 pm (#)
Diana and Jenna –
So nice to hear! I thought it was a great new program, so I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying it, too. Thanks for commenting.
-Bob
November 29th, 2010 at 10:14 pm (#)
Hi Again Bob,
How do you think PostworkShop compares to FilterForge version 2? They’re both node-based editors, right? I already own FilterForge, so I’d hate to buy PostworkShop (I downloaded the free version) if it’s not different or better.
Also, have you tried Dynamic Auto-Painter, and if so, how does it compare to GMX-PhotoPainter? For that matter, how do both/either of them compare to the autopainting feature of, say, Corel Painter Essentials? (I own Painter X, but I’m not very experienced with it to know what it can do in this respect.) Again, I don’t want to buy software that duplicates something I already have or am thinking of buying.
Thanks!
Diana
December 2nd, 2010 at 4:15 pm (#)
Hi Diana-
I’ve spent a little time (very little) exploring FF2, and it seems to be just as slow as FF1, which I find makes it unusable. I’m sure it’s a very powerful program, and lots of people are doing great things with it, but it is just too time consuming, for me at least.
Postwork Shop is similar, but not nearly as powerful as Filter Forge. It is more of a dedicated art program than filter generator. It gives you very impressive results very quickly. I like the art affects in PostworkShop better than GMX photo painter. There’s a lot more variety in the effects created than with GMX. And I think they look more convincing than GMX or SnapArt, for that matter. Not too impressed with SnapArt.
And PostworkShop is so reasonably priced, I think you’d be glad you added it to your “tool belt.”
The autopaint feature of Corel Painter is like watching a filter run, in slow motion, one stroke at a time. It’s like watching grass grow. The results are not very good, and I’ve spent hours trying.
I guess it all depends on what you’re looking for, what you need the software to do for you. Hope you found this at least somewhat helpful!
-Bob
December 4th, 2010 at 1:42 am (#)
Very helpful, thanks! I’m going to pay for the upgrade from the free PostworkShop Basic Edition to their Artist Edition.
I agree, faster effects are better, especially when you’re experimenting with various options.
I like a lot of the SnapArt effects, but that’s too pricey for me, especially when there are good alternatives.
FilterForge is powerful, but there are just too many choices amongst the thousands of filters (many of which aren’t relevant to my digital painting, anyway). I still like it, but it can be overwhelming and a time vampire.
Keep those reviews coming, Bob! I’m always discovering something new, thanks to you.
Diana
March 6th, 2011 at 11:18 am (#)
hi,
I have written an extended review and tutorial for this program, covering the current version together with its use in conjunction with Photoshop. The article is now published, here: http://tinyurl.com/4mwwdlo – see p.20.
In addition a much expanded new release of PostworkShop will be available shortly (inclusive of a 64-bit version, and a plug-in mode of operation).
best,
John
March 6th, 2011 at 12:47 pm (#)
John –
Thanks for the information! A good, thorough review. Thanks for passing it along.
-Bob
March 6th, 2011 at 4:11 pm (#)
Thanks Bob. (I should have written that I found PostworkShop from the initial post you made right here. Gracias.) My next plan is to review the new, upcoming release, also for Tim ONeill’s magazine, at the very earliest opportunity.
For a while last year I had a hope that Adobe would “split-off” their painting modules from Photoshop CS5 and make a “Lightroom for painterly folks” (i.e., Paintroom!). But, it could be that Xycod will cover some of the same applications zone via their framework.
best,
John
March 8th, 2011 at 9:49 am (#)
Bob, and all,
The public 2.0 beta program is now available from the PostworkShop website.
I’ve had the use of a pre-release (alpha) version for the last week – while the coupling into Photoshop is somewhat tighter now (as a plug-in, for example), PostworkShop is also a lot more capable as an independent program (particularly as regards masks and a painting-by-hand feature).
There is v.2.0-dedicated tutorial material available.
best, and enjoy,
John