To be honest, I really don't need digital paint software aspect features at all (I mean impossible mechanics with traditional art supplies). Leave that job to other software. I hope Escape Motions listens skilled, veteran traditional artist and close the gap between Rebelle(digital software) and traditional painting. That's why I chose Rebelle over anything else.
I appreciate video and agree with all points. I used Krita previously and transitioned to Rebelle a few years ago. I upgraded from Rebelle 5 Pro to 7 Pro, and overall it felt like a step backwards. It really needed 4-6 months of more development time. Despite that, I've been addicted to painting because of Rebelle, so it's not all bad. My main gripes have been the strange design decisions. For example the tilt mode lock, pressure curve override, impasto, and texture needed to be adjusted 70% of the brushes. As for metallics and structures, I don't see why I'd ever need them. Metallics look nice in motion but the end product is a still image, and structures are just opacity masks and we already have those. Your solution for adding texture to brushes looks great, I'll have to try it! The brush configuration is better than it was in 5, but it took some investigation to figure out how it works despite being familiar with these sort of systems. They seem to be a bit strange, and documented incorrectly or not at all, for example with scattering and smudge. What I've loved the most is the new color palette, and non-destructive workflows. I moved from color sliders entirely to mixing colors from a palette of pigments, which I feel like has deepened my understanding of color. The clipping masks and filter layers have allowed me to transition entirely to Rebelle rather than having to switch back to Krita for larger more complex illustration work. My hope for the future is that the developers take a moment to reflect, and that Rebelle 8 focuses on some of the less cohesive systems and focus on delivering a finished product, but personally unless I can get a deep discount again I'll probably stick to 7 until a few months in. Just some thoughts I wanted to share. Thank you again for the video!
@Floatharr - Hey, thanks for taking the time to share such a comprehensive set of thoughts. That is brilliant & much appreciated. It really helps me to hear what other people think. I agree, the last few years they have been trying to make it more of an illustrator's tool and broaden its usefulness and appeal. And I get that. But I think for digital "traditionalists" like me that just want a natural painting experience the last few versions have been a bit of a challenge! Thanks again.
Great review. I agree with all of your points. Metallics sounded exciting, but its a novelty. Structures were meh. The software was buggy. And you've got a lot of great feedback. Plus I hate having to pay full price every time there is a new version. But... I'm happy with this purchase. I like the new ruler tools. The smudge tool is awesome. But most of all, I love the revamped brush creator. I used to use different software because every brush engine has its own benefits. But now, I can make any brush I want, making everything else obsolete. So I exclusively use Rebelle because of this release. The watercolor is unchallenged. Rebelle's real pigment is the best. The thick paint is on par with anything else. The nanopixel canvases are cool, and one of my favorite things are the brush modes: paint, paint and blend, blend, erase. Switching modes without having to create new brushes, is the thing. Its the best workflow.
Hi @gurujot951 - thanks for the comments. Yup, I agree, it still has a lot going for it, and it is still my number one tool on the PC (Infinite painter for android). I am very focused on the thick textured paint for my style and the way it works in relation to the textures is not good overall. Hopefully they will continue to improve, but it is challenging just now.
I initially had the same opinion that you had regarding the mixer palette, but then I realized that I like to move my mixer around. However, I think giving the option to allow for them to be docked together would be nifty!
@posefile8873 Yeah, maybe just having it as an option would be ok. I wasn't sure about the new grouped dock with all the colour options but I have quickly grown to like having a single panel for those.
I have Rebelle 5 and was thinking about upgrading to 7. Your video and the comments below have helped me to decide to wait, maybe infinitely. Especially as I read that there is not an existing user discount to upgrade.
I was a beta tester for a couple of earlier versions, I felt they struggled to meet the release date with v7 and the community on their forums pressured them into releasing something they surely could not of been happy with.
@WhittledWoodWorkshop - Yeah, it's a good point, thanks - people are obviously keen to get their hands on the new version, especially if they have pre-ordered it, but it did feel to me that that was mainly the result of such a heavy marketing campaign with the "early bird" discounted purchases. How do you find v7 to use for your stuff?
I haven't really had a chance to spend a significant amount of time with it since release but I am getting some free time back now which is why I started watching your channel a bit more, in hindsight I feel they should of delayed the release, I was as keen as anyone to get my hands on it but the feedback and reviews are more damaging for a buggy release than it would of been for a delayed release, it shows integrity to say "nope, sorry, its not ready and we have standards", they could of offered free papers or something as a compensation maybe, I do feel the papers are a little overpriced anyway, personally. I do find the constant re-installing every 2 weeks a bit of a pain. Did the integral update check get removed? I don't get an update notification and find myself relying on emails from EM or manually checking. I believe I tested on v3 and v4 but simply didn't have time to dedicate to it to make me feel I was contributing to its development. I too worked in IT for many years, PC engineer for PC World in the 90's moving to Unilever working with their Honeywell beasts in their oil refineries. Did that for over 20 years.
Coming from a traditional painting background myself, I can see how layer filters could be off putting, but I always utilized them as sort of separate ‘post painting’ adjustments. Similarly, if you’re working in the field of illustration, being able to separate your shadows and highlights onto separate layers and then adjust them with separate layers filters and/or masks is a godsend when working with non artistic clients who make ridiculous requests: “Uh….. could you make all the sHaDoWs mOrE rEdDeR… derp-de-derp?!” And then the inevitable: “I changed my mind, could they all be more YeLLoWiSh bLuE?! (Uh… do you mean green?). No… more bLuE-iSh yEllOw…”. 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🫣🫣🫣🙄🙄🙄
@posefile8873 I can feel your pain ... Yeah, that's a fair point, for illustrative work I can totally see the advantage of flexible post-production tweaks.
@TobiasSteiner You are welcome. In terms of stability, 7.1.1 has been a huge improvement and has some improvements to stencils & structures UI that allow them to be moved more easily. Still has other issues I raised, but I am at least able to use it more consistently now which is good.
Tip on how to get your paint only on the canvas bumps: in the brush creator > on the paint tab > next to "paper texture contrast" there is a little button icon. click on that and choose "light texture" instead of "auto". That should only paint on the bumps of the texture. Inversely, if you choose "dark texture" that only paints on the dips of the texture. If you lower your brush pressure and loading, you can limit the paint to only paint on the very tip tops of your textures.
@gurujot951 thank you - yes, I was aware of that. In 6 I found most brushes had to be inverted to feel natural. The problem in 7 is that whichever setting you use - light, dark or auto, it sometimes works and sometimes feels inverted, depending on the paper. It feels (like many other things) like they haven't fully finished implementing it - why isn't auto correctly picking up the top surface for all papers? It is a potentially good feature that feels incomplete :-(
Rebelle would be my perfect painting software if it had the ability to create Impasto like effects that Artbang has. Regarding the "photoshopification", I believe the developers said their ultimate goal was to create a software that is a marriage between traditional and digital, but they're doing it in a direction that isn't the way I prefer.
@jealousyofthesun - I will be doing a video soon on how to get better (thicker) impasto with Rebelle. What is Artbang? I haven't heard of that. Do you mean MediBang Pro?
I meant artrage, you can see a tutorial of their impasto here. Some people do export from rebelle and finalize in artrage. ruclips.net/video/j-ChGTU-6zE/видео.htmlsi=V3QJY8rM6ZYXPy2n
@@flyableheart Thanks. Yes I use ArtRage Vitae occasionally. It can certainly do some thicker impasto. I have been keeping an eye on it - it doesn't seem to be under active development any more - been a while since the last version was released.
Companies that ship bugs: I'm forced to wait until late cycle before upgrading. Hope they understand that, because I'm sure they'd rather have the money at release.
@ritzenhauf - I think that is completely understandable. With hindsight, I am slightly less comfortable with having promoted Rebelle ahead of launch. I am just doing an update for Rebelle version 7.1.X - it is much improved
Game and productivity software companies used to hire enough quality testing to release solid product. Relying on customers to do it is shady. We've paid enough.
1. Metallic Paint - Don't care, will not be using 2. Layer Filters - Don't care 3. Color Panel - I do like the color panel a lot. 4. Brush Creator - time will tell 5. Structures - seems like a gimmick, don't care 6. Paper Surfaces, I liked the existing papers just fine. I like the Ruler tool. I like the paths for SVG imports.
@Jason_Carnes Thanks for the comments. What do you use to create paths? It isn't something I have used so far. Interested to know what do you use it for?
@@BasementPicasso I understand that Rebelle is first and foremost a realistic painting software. But the Path tool opens up possibilities into Design work, like logos and other illustration type designs that are typically dominated by Illustrator/InDesign but lack the powerful brushes that Rebelle brings to the table.
Hi @carles_carbonell . I really like your work by the way! I am using 7.0.6. When I click on a structure it makes that one active and all others inactive. You can have as many structures as you like in the structures window, but only one is active at any time. In the beta version you could layer them and have multiple structures active simultaneously. That has been removed. Hide appears in two places - right click in structures panel, or on the burger icon. I tested this today and the structure broke - it was sort of there but wouldn't unhide again. So for me, it is a buggy, inconsistent, mechanism that only produces a flat 2d pattern, sadly, but I see you can make use of it, so that's good!
@@BasementPicasso It's very clunky to be honest, but it's doable (more than one at once). Also there's currently some bugs, depending on which surface you are using. I guess EM are aware of that, because they stated on their Forum that they are working in tweaking the structures/stencils/paths system. So, it will be fixed. At this current state, better stay only with one structure. I don't agree with your opinion about structures usefulness. But that's very fine. BTW I agree on almost all things you said in your opinion, I appreciate your workaround about Metallics, I also like to use one layer as much as possible. What I most agree with you is about Brush Creator enhancements. It's truly amazing.
@@carles_carbonell I think the best bit is the community with people like you and me that genuinely care about the product and want to see it move forward! I am very glad you get value out of structures. If they added a toggle to allow 2d or 3d structures, it could work really well for me as well! 🙂I think it reinforces my comment about "early-access" - these are features that are in development. A sophisticated software delivery would allow you to toggle on/off "experimental" features on top of a stable base release. There is an increasing use of the community as beta-testers which may start to backfire on them.
@raquelbigby5501 - I don't do anything at the moment that uses paths or vectors so I couldn't really comment. I only ever use fills as the very first action so a layer has paint to mix into. I don't use them during painting. The patterns provided look too sharp and digital so not sure if I would even use those at the start, but I might have a bit of play to see. Are you able to make use of either?
I am still playing with it, and I am finding that patterns need to have a way to resize them. I am a long time Corel Painter user, so it would be nice to see a pattern creator added. @@BasementPicasso
@Dajante Good question. There is a detailed comparison list at www.escapemotions.com/products/rebelle/about. That might help see if there are enough features to upgrade for full price, otherwise maybe wait for a sale (there was one prior to launch). Early version of 7.0 were pretty unstable, but 7.1.X has been a big improvement (not perfect) but good. I have 6 & 7 installed but only ever use 7 now.
Maybe you have better luck than I do with Rebelle, but I have version 7 and it's done nothing but crash. I haven't been able to complete even one illustration on it. Opened it today for the first time after installing the most recent update and literally drew one circle and the software crashed.
@@willfenholtart Yeah, that is not good. What version are you on - wondering if a completely fresh install might help? Have you contacted Escape Motions Support?
@@BasementPicasso Windows 64 bit version 7.1.4. Just upgraded to 7.1.5 today so maybe it’ll be better but not really holding my breath, and no never contacted support.
Thanks. Filter near useless as they apply to all layers below AND affects the canvas....should apply only to the layer chosen with option to all below. UI in places a bit awkward. Still fun and usefull today even with its foibles. I appreciate fast response to fix bugs...even tho some bugs should not have gotten thru and have to be fixed layer.
@doug.s6289 Yes, applying to a single layer might make more sense indeed - good idea! Yeah, Rebelle is still my main painting tool and is fun when it isn't frustrating - but the balance is shifting for me.
I overall am happy with 7.1.0 version update. Yeah, still a long way to go. Me myself participated in reporting all the bugs and glitches, I'm glad devs solve them as soon as they can. Reb 7 is ok. I stilll miss some reb 6 elements, but I also like some Reb 7 elements. To me it's hard to tell which one works better if I have to choose between these two versions. Thank you for such a fantastic overview and analysis.
Agreed with everything on this video !!!! THEY ARE IN A HURRY to put the product out and do not work on all the problems it has, and then SCREW US, HAVING TO INSTALL, REINSTALL adding stuff over stuff in our computers...C'MON GUYS !!!!
Thank you for this review. Im currently considering buying Rebelle. Your evaluation of paper textures and structures was interesting. It seems to me these are a little gimmicky too and essentially like flat masked texture layers. I understand how that would cause problems and compete with 3D brush effects. Creating your own impasto texture seems like a good compromise and even being able to save these layers as paper textures or structures would be a good option. Im not completely turned off though. I like the ability to create brushes, create realistic painting effects and mix realistic pigments. I am torn. I have a real thorn in my side about A.I. and software companies that seemingly don’t care about process, careers and stealing creative work or charging outrageous subscriptions. So I’m right behind any software that strives to bridge the gap between traditional art and digital tools while respecting traditional and ethical aspects. Its difficult though as they require investment and commitment to compete with big established software with persuasive marketing. That might swing it for me though.
Yes I completely agree. At the moment Rebelle is still the leading natural media software and still the main tool that I use on the PC. I hope they address the issues with 7. Even with 7.0.7 it still feels like it is in early access, but it can still produce some excellent results
Thanks for the honest review. I agree with your review almost exactly. Metalics is gimmicky - but I wonder if the gimmick will lead to better development in the future. Especially thinking about the improved glare and light source over canvases. In traditional art, I never used metalic material anyway, but I knew serval artist that did. I would really love to see a tutorial video on how you created your brushes and control them.
@AndrewAdcock Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I agree, it would be great if we got a proper canvas lighting system. I have some older brush tutorials, but I will need to do an updated one for version 7. I am going to wait a little until I am confident the program is stable with less chance of features changing! I will put it on my video todo list :-)
Just FYI, since I see your comment is from a month ago, they've recently been pushing out some tutorials on their channel about brush creation and adjustment that I have personally found extremely helpful as a newbie. They aren't the typical rushed demos of yore, but go more in depth about the different settings and controls.
I keep coming back to Rebelle because I love what they're trying to do with this software but it never runs for more than 5 minutes before crashing completely. I just don't have the patience to deal with something this unstable. I first purchased Rebelle about a year ago and have downloaded numerous "bug fix/crash fix" updates that have been released in that timeframe but none of them seem to make any difference. It's buggy. It constantly crashes. Right now it's absolutely not worth a purchase.
@impostersyndromeart sorry to hear that - yes, sounds like you are having an even worse time than me :-( I have found 7.1 onwards to be more stable although still with the occasional crash, but I can get multi-hour sessions usually without issue.
To me, most of the new features feel like gimmicks, not actual controls to help improve the painting experience. I'm disappointed that there was no implementation of any type of dynamic color control for brushes similar to Painter or Photoshop. It seems as if many of these effects are nothing more then layer effects, which makes it more difficult to work with. I've used layer effects in PS for years and they have their place, but not to be hyped as new features. If they are going to depend upon layer effects for things we need more control in applying them. Overall, I have reverted back to v6 for now which I use mainly for watercolor. Most of my other painting or drawing I do in Photoshop. I've used PS since the beginning and while I have my complaints with Adobe at times, PS just works with continuous updates both for fixes and features.
@chuckdefiore225 Thanks - it's interesting to hear from a Photoshop user's perspective. Yeah, what you say makes complete sense. "Photoshopification" is the root of the problem for me. Focus on genuine unique natural media simulation.
I really wish they would concentrate on the natural media, I think Rebelle's watercolor is the best I've tried and I do a lot of watercolor work. I feel the oils are decent, but their implementation of adjustment layers, some masking functions seem to be incomplete. Since I paint in a representation style with an emphasis on realism, I just find the tools and brushes in PS serve me better. I am certainly not giving up on Rebelle, but don't try to duplicate PS functions. They are not and never will be as good as PS in those areas. They have areas they should concentrate on and work to improve the good start on natural media that they've made. Work on the actual painting experience and drop the gimmicks.
the comments look as if the author of the channel has never worked with real art materials... perhaps he has never really worked with real materials or simply wants to get some other properties that seem more plausible to him... for example, Some paints, when interacting, roll off a surface treated with another paint... on wood, paint can be absorbed deeply, leaving the top fibers unpainted - this depends on the resins and density of the wood structure, and gypsum generally absorbs water-based paints. but does not absorb oil...
@mozartwa1 Been doing art on and off for over 30 years which was obviously completely traditional in the early years and is now about 50-50. I make a lot of textures traditionally and then incorporate them into the digital work, either as canvas or brushes. I studied traditional oil materials and techniques making complex glazes with carefully controlled drying times that could be washed into the hollows of impasto for fantastic effects. I wouldn't claim to know how every paint or medium interacts with every surface, and I completely agree with you that there are a lot of different results. I can only comment from my experience and provide feedback to Escape Motions through various channels to help them develop their software.
@@BasementPicasso As for me, all digital technologies have the same problem with brushes - they don't look like brushes with their real behavior. Rebelle is no exception (in relation to oil and acrylic - watercolor does not count). besides, anyone, even someone who is not very knowledgeable, can distinguish between acrylic and oil visually. but in digital this is impossible. In digital form, acrylic and oil are indistinguishable. Liquid oil does not flow like watercolor. it flows differently. The consistency of the paint matters when applied to the canvas - it will either be on the surface or will be in the recesses - depending on the solvent. and brushes in oil are much more varied in behavior - both depending on the bristles and depending on the strength and speed of the stroke. It seems to me that if the concept is more realistic in imitation of natural paints and canvases/paper, then there are more important points in working on the program than such nuances as the ones you cited. brush and paint (their properties) are more important than paint and canvas. Regarding color, it’s strange that there are no color harmonizers. this is an obvious omission. As for the interface, I believe that you should strive to be as simple and intuitive as possible.
@@mozartwa1 Very insightful, thank you! I pretty much agree with everything you say. I had high hopes for Rebelle 7, but I have really struggled with it for various reasons. It feels like digital paint simulation is falling away. There is no Corel Painter 2024. Artrage Vitae came to nothing. Realistic app hasn't been touched - Rebelle seems to be the only thing that is trying. I keep hoping something new will emerge, but it doesn't look promising, particularly with the pace of AI. I suspect in the coming months I will be gravitating back to traditional painting
@@BasementPicasso Despite everything, rebelle is a really good product. perhaps the best in terms of the sum of its properties. digital is good for endless sketches of traditional forms of drawing - no need to worry about deteriorating materials and producing waste. otherwise unrealistic programs are more honest. they legitimately occupy a place in digital creativity
Basic things Rebelle lacks and I wish they would fix these basic things before adding features. No bottom drop/accumulation of water and pigment to continue with lighter tone. Colors do not dry with lighter tone. Mop is really, terrible. Washes, an essential part of watercolor, are horrible. Color mixing is a joke. Spatter is very limited. The opacity of the paint is too confusing. They really should make it so that only adding water affects opacity. This would be a big step towards improving the app. Now, it's all over the place, from the brush creator to granulation. Dry brushes are not random enough. Dry brushes, an essential part of watercolor, are useless in Rebelle. Opacity and visual settings are reset every time you switch a brush. Very annoying. Where are all the brush shapes hidden, for example the flat brush's template? If Expresii had better canvases and some more granulation/flocculation, it would give escape motions a run for their money. I swear if I see water color drips on one of their marketing videos (Hi Justin) I'm going to be ill. I have gone back to Corel and traditional.
@nicolaskrinis7614 Yeah, I can sympathise with a lot of your frustration. I agree that opacity / transparency is a dark art at times, it frustrates me as well. It is possible to bake opacity and visual settings into a brush as well as specific colour. The brush creator is very comprehensive, but not intuitive now. I have seen expresii but never used it - yeah more competition would be good. Like you I am gravitating back to more traditional work as well :-)
@@BasementPicasso Thanks for the reply :) I think that a lot of people fell for it thinking that wow, these are real drips, and it should perform the same as the real deal. By the time I figure out how to get the same effect with digital as I do with traditional, the intuitiveness and spontaneity is gone. I have tried loose architectural on rebelle, but do I ever struggle. One thing we tend to forget, is the nuances of watercolor are huge. How much water a mop brush can hold, the springiness of synthetic vs sable/squirrel, etc. Last but not least, I don't think I'll ever understand how to hold/use a pen like a brush. To all those who produce beautiful art with rebelle, hats off, I just can't do it.
@@nicolaskrinis7614 Yeah the drips look great in videos but it is the subtlety that matters. I am increasingly rating art packages on how much they get out of your way. How intuitive are they and how little interface do you need. Anything else just pulls you out of the flow.
@@BasementPicasso Agree 100%. A brush, pigment, water, and a cloth, would work like a charm. The rest is all needless. I should also mention that I am a big fan of yours :)
@@nicolaskrinis7614 Thank you. That is genuinely appreciated 🙂 I really appreciate when people take the time to share their thoughts. I am interested to know the challenges that others face or what works best. It gives me ideas and helps me both in my own art and with content on the channel. So thanks again!!!
They really. Need to make it a stand alone version in 2024 for iPads. I thought Apple was slow when realizing artists needs. But escape motion is really next level slow. Artists are on the go and don’t want to carry around a large device. Apple has finally understood when will escape motion step up… or will they ever?
@RobertSharmaOfficial A very good point - completely agree mobile apps would be fantastic. I have tried AstroPad for iPad and SuperDisplay for android that allow you to work on the tablet at home but it is a little fiddly and nowhere near as fluid as a native app. They are a relatively small team and the framework they have used is not easy to port to mobile. Hopefully one day though!
For heaven's sake people use NATURAL media. DRAW for Christ's sake! Express yourself. Be individual! DON'T rely on software that purports to be an emulation of natural media. If you DRAW with EMOTION and FEELING and SOUL you are an ARTIST. If you rely on software that invites you to create so called 'Art' by perpetually using the 'back' button to support your lack of skill you are demeaning the artists who have spent a lifetime learning the skills to express their emotions about whatever the subject is. Why use a support that MECHANISES and continuously FAILS to convey the INTIMACY and SOULFULNESS of a REAL ARTIST???? Sorry REBELLE you are decrying and roboticizing the HUMAN SPIRIT. Leave it alone. You are encouraging laziness. That is NOT what ART is about. It's bad enough with AI taking over... and if that isn't a demonstration of laziness, I don't know what is...
@Peter-oc8qc so I am with you on the AI art - typing a few words in and getting a picture is lazy and soul-less. But even then, as part of a workflow, for exploration, I think it has value. As someone that has been learning art for 35+ years, 50/50 traditional/digital, my experience has been that digital art programs largely take a lot of the same skill in terms of composition, colour, structure, value, edge control etc. Having been looking at a medium sized tube of cadmium red for well over £400 as part of my own shift back towards traditional art, I think there is also a lot of considerations in terms of accessibility and freedom that digital art offers. My nieces love to draw on my computer - they ask to do it every time they visit, so I think there is plenty of room in this world for both to exist. Nobody is taking traditional art away from you. I am gravitating back to traditional because I think AI will ultimately devalue digital art, but mainly because digital just doesn't emulate the feel of reel texture and materials (yet). I hope it continues to get better - but I like having the choice to do either.
Wholeheartedly agree with your take on this. I've called them out on this version many times but you have die hard members who are clueless about the fact that it's a simple money grab now.
Yes, I do have a concern that it becomes a "paper-engine" to sell more papers in a similar way the Corel painter became a brush-engine to sell more brushes.
Too much meat on fire (cit.) Too many things started and left in alpha, but advertised as new and essential. It would be better to focus on having a truly stable release and only then start adding new mechanics. Furthermore, many of the things added in rebelle 7 are essentially useless to me. As said by @arielwind04 they would do better to focus on aspects that bring traditional painting together with digital painting. Imho Sorry for my English
@thronnorht4413 I completely agree - I would rather have fewer features that were robust, fully tested and working together coherently, and more focus on the traditional side of things
To be honest, I really don't need digital paint software aspect features at all (I mean impossible mechanics with traditional art supplies). Leave that job to other software. I hope Escape Motions listens skilled, veteran traditional artist and close the gap between Rebelle(digital software) and traditional painting. That's why I chose Rebelle over anything else.
@arielwind04 I completely agree but I wonder if we are just a dwindling market. I hope they focus more on the traditional simulation.
@@BasementPicasso >'market' Yes, I'm aware of it, so have no complain about current state of Rebelle. I was just saying.
I appreciate video and agree with all points. I used Krita previously and transitioned to Rebelle a few years ago. I upgraded from Rebelle 5 Pro to 7 Pro, and overall it felt like a step backwards. It really needed 4-6 months of more development time. Despite that, I've been addicted to painting because of Rebelle, so it's not all bad.
My main gripes have been the strange design decisions. For example the tilt mode lock, pressure curve override, impasto, and texture needed to be adjusted 70% of the brushes. As for metallics and structures, I don't see why I'd ever need them. Metallics look nice in motion but the end product is a still image, and structures are just opacity masks and we already have those. Your solution for adding texture to brushes looks great, I'll have to try it! The brush configuration is better than it was in 5, but it took some investigation to figure out how it works despite being familiar with these sort of systems. They seem to be a bit strange, and documented incorrectly or not at all, for example with scattering and smudge.
What I've loved the most is the new color palette, and non-destructive workflows. I moved from color sliders entirely to mixing colors from a palette of pigments, which I feel like has deepened my understanding of color. The clipping masks and filter layers have allowed me to transition entirely to Rebelle rather than having to switch back to Krita for larger more complex illustration work.
My hope for the future is that the developers take a moment to reflect, and that Rebelle 8 focuses on some of the less cohesive systems and focus on delivering a finished product, but personally unless I can get a deep discount again I'll probably stick to 7 until a few months in. Just some thoughts I wanted to share. Thank you again for the video!
@Floatharr - Hey, thanks for taking the time to share such a comprehensive set of thoughts. That is brilliant & much appreciated. It really helps me to hear what other people think. I agree, the last few years they have been trying to make it more of an illustrator's tool and broaden its usefulness and appeal. And I get that. But I think for digital "traditionalists" like me that just want a natural painting experience the last few versions have been a bit of a challenge! Thanks again.
Great review. I agree with all of your points. Metallics sounded exciting, but its a novelty. Structures were meh. The software was buggy. And you've got a lot of great feedback. Plus I hate having to pay full price every time there is a new version. But... I'm happy with this purchase. I like the new ruler tools. The smudge tool is awesome. But most of all, I love the revamped brush creator. I used to use different software because every brush engine has its own benefits. But now, I can make any brush I want, making everything else obsolete. So I exclusively use Rebelle because of this release. The watercolor is unchallenged. Rebelle's real pigment is the best. The thick paint is on par with anything else. The nanopixel canvases are cool, and one of my favorite things are the brush modes: paint, paint and blend, blend, erase. Switching modes without having to create new brushes, is the thing. Its the best workflow.
Hi @gurujot951 - thanks for the comments. Yup, I agree, it still has a lot going for it, and it is still my number one tool on the PC (Infinite painter for android). I am very focused on the thick textured paint for my style and the way it works in relation to the textures is not good overall. Hopefully they will continue to improve, but it is challenging just now.
I initially had the same opinion that you had regarding the mixer palette, but then I realized that I like to move my mixer around. However, I think giving the option to allow for them to be docked together would be nifty!
@posefile8873 Yeah, maybe just having it as an option would be ok. I wasn't sure about the new grouped dock with all the colour options but I have quickly grown to like having a single panel for those.
I have Rebelle 5 and was thinking about upgrading to 7. Your video and the comments below have helped me to decide to wait, maybe infinitely. Especially as I read that there is not an existing user discount to upgrade.
@philiptownsend4026 Happy to help. Hope you can take advantage of a sale at some point :-)
I was a beta tester for a couple of earlier versions, I felt they struggled to meet the release date with v7 and the community on their forums pressured them into releasing something they surely could not of been happy with.
@WhittledWoodWorkshop - Yeah, it's a good point, thanks - people are obviously keen to get their hands on the new version, especially if they have pre-ordered it, but it did feel to me that that was mainly the result of such a heavy marketing campaign with the "early bird" discounted purchases. How do you find v7 to use for your stuff?
I haven't really had a chance to spend a significant amount of time with it since release but I am getting some free time back now which is why I started watching your channel a bit more, in hindsight I feel they should of delayed the release, I was as keen as anyone to get my hands on it but the feedback and reviews are more damaging for a buggy release than it would of been for a delayed release, it shows integrity to say "nope, sorry, its not ready and we have standards", they could of offered free papers or something as a compensation maybe, I do feel the papers are a little overpriced anyway, personally. I do find the constant re-installing every 2 weeks a bit of a pain. Did the integral update check get removed? I don't get an update notification and find myself relying on emails from EM or manually checking. I believe I tested on v3 and v4 but simply didn't have time to dedicate to it to make me feel I was contributing to its development. I too worked in IT for many years, PC engineer for PC World in the 90's moving to Unilever working with their Honeywell beasts in their oil refineries. Did that for over 20 years.
Coming from a traditional painting background myself, I can see how layer filters could be off putting, but I always utilized them as sort of separate ‘post painting’ adjustments. Similarly, if you’re working in the field of illustration, being able to separate your shadows and highlights onto separate layers and then adjust them with separate layers filters and/or masks is a godsend when working with non artistic clients who make ridiculous requests:
“Uh….. could you make all the sHaDoWs mOrE rEdDeR… derp-de-derp?!”
And then the inevitable:
“I changed my mind, could they all be more YeLLoWiSh bLuE?! (Uh… do you mean green?). No… more bLuE-iSh yEllOw…”. 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🫣🫣🫣🙄🙄🙄
@posefile8873 I can feel your pain ... Yeah, that's a fair point, for illustrative work I can totally see the advantage of flexible post-production tweaks.
Blue yellow... blellow.
😄👍
Very helpful. I'll be waiting to upgrade. Thank you.
@TobiasSteiner You are welcome. In terms of stability, 7.1.1 has been a huge improvement and has some improvements to stencils & structures UI that allow them to be moved more easily. Still has other issues I raised, but I am at least able to use it more consistently now which is good.
Tip on how to get your paint only on the canvas bumps: in the brush creator > on the paint tab > next to "paper texture contrast" there is a little button icon. click on that and choose "light texture" instead of "auto". That should only paint on the bumps of the texture. Inversely, if you choose "dark texture" that only paints on the dips of the texture. If you lower your brush pressure and loading, you can limit the paint to only paint on the very tip tops of your textures.
@gurujot951 thank you - yes, I was aware of that. In 6 I found most brushes had to be inverted to feel natural. The problem in 7 is that whichever setting you use - light, dark or auto, it sometimes works and sometimes feels inverted, depending on the paper. It feels (like many other things) like they haven't fully finished implementing it - why isn't auto correctly picking up the top surface for all papers? It is a potentially good feature that feels incomplete :-(
Rebelle would be my perfect painting software if it had the ability to create Impasto like effects that Artbang has. Regarding the "photoshopification", I believe the developers said their ultimate goal was to create a software that is a marriage between traditional and digital, but they're doing it in a direction that isn't the way I prefer.
@jealousyofthesun - I will be doing a video soon on how to get better (thicker) impasto with Rebelle. What is Artbang? I haven't heard of that. Do you mean MediBang Pro?
I meant artrage, you can see a tutorial of their impasto here. Some people do export from rebelle and finalize in artrage.
ruclips.net/video/j-ChGTU-6zE/видео.htmlsi=V3QJY8rM6ZYXPy2n
@@flyableheart Thanks. Yes I use ArtRage Vitae occasionally. It can certainly do some thicker impasto. I have been keeping an eye on it - it doesn't seem to be under active development any more - been a while since the last version was released.
Companies that ship bugs: I'm forced to wait until late cycle before upgrading. Hope they understand that, because I'm sure they'd rather have the money at release.
@ritzenhauf - I think that is completely understandable. With hindsight, I am slightly less comfortable with having promoted Rebelle ahead of launch. I am just doing an update for Rebelle version 7.1.X - it is much improved
Game and productivity software companies used to hire enough quality testing to release solid product. Relying on customers to do it is shady. We've paid enough.
@@ritzenhauf Yes, I completely agree - Money first, customer experience second is a bad trend.
1. Metallic Paint - Don't care, will not be using
2. Layer Filters - Don't care
3. Color Panel - I do like the color panel a lot.
4. Brush Creator - time will tell
5. Structures - seems like a gimmick, don't care
6. Paper Surfaces, I liked the existing papers just fine.
I like the Ruler tool.
I like the paths for SVG imports.
@Jason_Carnes Thanks for the comments. What do you use to create paths? It isn't something I have used so far. Interested to know what do you use it for?
@@BasementPicasso I understand that Rebelle is first and foremost a realistic painting software. But the Path tool opens up possibilities into Design work, like logos and other illustration type designs that are typically dominated by Illustrator/InDesign but lack the powerful brushes that Rebelle brings to the table.
You can have multiple Structures at the same time, added to the paper surface. You have to uncheck the "Hidden" setting.
Hi @carles_carbonell . I really like your work by the way! I am using 7.0.6. When I click on a structure it makes that one active and all others inactive. You can have as many structures as you like in the structures window, but only one is active at any time. In the beta version you could layer them and have multiple structures active simultaneously. That has been removed. Hide appears in two places - right click in structures panel, or on the burger icon. I tested this today and the structure broke - it was sort of there but wouldn't unhide again. So for me, it is a buggy, inconsistent, mechanism that only produces a flat 2d pattern, sadly, but I see you can make use of it, so that's good!
@@BasementPicasso It's very clunky to be honest, but it's doable (more than one at once). Also there's currently some bugs, depending on which surface you are using. I guess EM are aware of that, because they stated on their Forum that they are working in tweaking the structures/stencils/paths system. So, it will be fixed. At this current state, better stay only with one structure.
I don't agree with your opinion about structures usefulness. But that's very fine. BTW I agree on almost all things you said in your opinion, I appreciate your workaround about Metallics, I also like to use one layer as much as possible.
What I most agree with you is about Brush Creator enhancements. It's truly amazing.
@@carles_carbonell I think the best bit is the community with people like you and me that genuinely care about the product and want to see it move forward! I am very glad you get value out of structures. If they added a toggle to allow 2d or 3d structures, it could work really well for me as well! 🙂I think it reinforces my comment about "early-access" - these are features that are in development. A sophisticated software delivery would allow you to toggle on/off "experimental" features on top of a stable base release. There is an increasing use of the community as beta-testers which may start to backfire on them.
I am wondering about your opinion on Paths and the addition of Patterns.
@raquelbigby5501 - I don't do anything at the moment that uses paths or vectors so I couldn't really comment. I only ever use fills as the very first action so a layer has paint to mix into. I don't use them during painting. The patterns provided look too sharp and digital so not sure if I would even use those at the start, but I might have a bit of play to see. Are you able to make use of either?
I am still playing with it, and I am finding that patterns need to have a way to resize them. I am a long time Corel Painter user, so it would be nice to see a pattern creator added. @@BasementPicasso
Combine the layers, save as a jpeg, reload the single layer jpeg with the two effect and now use the wet tool. It will work.
Good idea, thanks
I own Rebelle 5. is version 7 worth the $149.99 pricetag upgrade?
@Dajante Good question. There is a detailed comparison list at www.escapemotions.com/products/rebelle/about. That might help see if there are enough features to upgrade for full price, otherwise maybe wait for a sale (there was one prior to launch). Early version of 7.0 were pretty unstable, but 7.1.X has been a big improvement (not perfect) but good. I have 6 & 7 installed but only ever use 7 now.
@@BasementPicassoThanks for the answer
Maybe you have better luck than I do with Rebelle, but I have version 7 and it's done nothing but crash. I haven't been able to complete even one illustration on it. Opened it today for the first time after installing the most recent update and literally drew one circle and the software crashed.
@@willfenholtart Yeah, that is not good. What version are you on - wondering if a completely fresh install might help? Have you contacted Escape Motions Support?
@@BasementPicasso Windows 64 bit version 7.1.4. Just upgraded to 7.1.5 today so maybe it’ll be better but not really holding my breath, and no never contacted support.
Thanks. Filter near useless as they apply to all layers below AND affects the canvas....should apply only to the layer chosen with option to all below. UI in places a bit awkward. Still fun and usefull today even with its foibles. I appreciate fast response to fix bugs...even tho some bugs should not have gotten thru and have to be fixed layer.
@doug.s6289 Yes, applying to a single layer might make more sense indeed - good idea! Yeah, Rebelle is still my main painting tool and is fun when it isn't frustrating - but the balance is shifting for me.
I overall am happy with 7.1.0 version update.
Yeah, still a long way to go. Me myself participated in reporting all the bugs and glitches, I'm glad devs solve them as soon as they can.
Reb 7 is ok. I stilll miss some reb 6 elements, but I also like some Reb 7 elements. To me it's hard to tell which one works better if I have to choose between these two versions.
Thank you for such a fantastic overview and analysis.
You are welcome, thanks for the feedback. Yes, I agree 7.1 is a good step in the right direction - still lots of issues but some big improvements.
Agreed with everything on this video !!!! THEY ARE IN A HURRY to put the product out and do not work on all the problems it has, and then SCREW US, HAVING TO INSTALL, REINSTALL adding stuff over stuff in our computers...C'MON GUYS !!!!
Yup, the installation management is pretty poor
well done! thank you
You are welcome :-)
Thank you for this review. Im currently considering buying Rebelle. Your evaluation of paper textures and structures was interesting. It seems to me these are a little gimmicky too and essentially like flat masked texture layers. I understand how that would cause problems and compete with 3D brush effects. Creating your own impasto texture seems like a good compromise and even being able to save these layers as paper textures or structures would be a good option. Im not completely turned off though. I like the ability to create brushes, create realistic painting effects and mix realistic pigments. I am torn. I have a real thorn in my side about A.I. and software companies that seemingly don’t care about process, careers and stealing creative work or charging outrageous subscriptions. So I’m right behind any software that strives to bridge the gap between traditional art and digital tools while respecting traditional and ethical aspects. Its difficult though as they require investment and commitment to compete with big established software with persuasive marketing. That might swing it for me though.
Yes I completely agree. At the moment Rebelle is still the leading natural media software and still the main tool that I use on the PC. I hope they address the issues with 7. Even with 7.0.7 it still feels like it is in early access, but it can still produce some excellent results
AND they dont allow you to simply upgrade from earlier versions, like version 3 for example, my case...
Yeah, that is not great - I hadn't appreciated that!
Rebelle 7 Pro is on sale right now for $15 (in case the price was your issue, rather than the upgrade/uninstall-reinstall process).
Thanks for the honest review. I agree with your review almost exactly. Metalics is gimmicky - but I wonder if the gimmick will lead to better development in the future. Especially thinking about the improved glare and light source over canvases. In traditional art, I never used metalic material anyway, but I knew serval artist that did.
I would really love to see a tutorial video on how you created your brushes and control them.
@AndrewAdcock Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I agree, it would be great if we got a proper canvas lighting system. I have some older brush tutorials, but I will need to do an updated one for version 7. I am going to wait a little until I am confident the program is stable with less chance of features changing! I will put it on my video todo list :-)
@@BasementPicassoThanks so much Pete. Your content is really so helpful - much appreciated.
@@BasementPicasso Thanks so much Pete. Your content is really so helpful - much appreciated.
@@AndrewAdcock Thats good to know, Thanks!
Just FYI, since I see your comment is from a month ago, they've recently been pushing out some tutorials on their channel about brush creation and adjustment that I have personally found extremely helpful as a newbie. They aren't the typical rushed demos of yore, but go more in depth about the different settings and controls.
I keep coming back to Rebelle because I love what they're trying to do with this software but it never runs for more than 5 minutes before crashing completely. I just don't have the patience to deal with something this unstable. I first purchased Rebelle about a year ago and have downloaded numerous "bug fix/crash fix" updates that have been released in that timeframe but none of them seem to make any difference. It's buggy. It constantly crashes. Right now it's absolutely not worth a purchase.
@impostersyndromeart sorry to hear that - yes, sounds like you are having an even worse time than me :-( I have found 7.1 onwards to be more stable although still with the occasional crash, but I can get multi-hour sessions usually without issue.
You are running on a Mac I presume?
@@zirconedge7600 No PC. Windows 11, Nvidia rtx 2080
@@zirconedge7600 I’m running on windows 11 13th gen intel core i9 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 32 GB Ram
@@zirconedge7600 I’m on Windows 11, 13th Gen intel core i9, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, 32 GB Ram
To me, most of the new features feel like gimmicks, not actual controls to help improve the painting experience. I'm disappointed that there was no implementation of any type of dynamic color control for brushes similar to Painter or Photoshop. It seems as if many of these effects are nothing more then layer effects, which makes it more difficult to work with. I've used layer effects in PS for years and they have their place, but not to be hyped as new features. If they are going to depend upon layer effects for things we need more control in applying them. Overall, I have reverted back to v6 for now which I use mainly for watercolor. Most of my other painting or drawing I do in Photoshop. I've used PS since the beginning and while I have my complaints with Adobe at times, PS just works with continuous updates both for fixes and features.
@chuckdefiore225 Thanks - it's interesting to hear from a Photoshop user's perspective. Yeah, what you say makes complete sense. "Photoshopification" is the root of the problem for me. Focus on genuine unique natural media simulation.
I really wish they would concentrate on the natural media, I think Rebelle's watercolor is the best I've tried and I do a lot of watercolor work. I feel the oils are decent, but their implementation of adjustment layers, some masking functions seem to be incomplete. Since I paint in a representation style with an emphasis on realism, I just find the tools and brushes in PS serve me better. I am certainly not giving up on Rebelle, but don't try to duplicate PS functions. They are not and never will be as good as PS in those areas. They have areas they should concentrate on and work to improve the good start on natural media that they've made. Work on the actual painting experience and drop the gimmicks.
the comments look as if the author of the channel has never worked with real art materials... perhaps he has never really worked with real materials or simply wants to get some other properties that seem more plausible to him... for example, Some paints, when interacting, roll off a surface treated with another paint... on wood, paint can be absorbed deeply, leaving the top fibers unpainted - this depends on the resins and density of the wood structure, and gypsum generally absorbs water-based paints. but does not absorb oil...
@mozartwa1 Been doing art on and off for over 30 years which was obviously completely traditional in the early years and is now about 50-50. I make a lot of textures traditionally and then incorporate them into the digital work, either as canvas or brushes. I studied traditional oil materials and techniques making complex glazes with carefully controlled drying times that could be washed into the hollows of impasto for fantastic effects. I wouldn't claim to know how every paint or medium interacts with every surface, and I completely agree with you that there are a lot of different results. I can only comment from my experience and provide feedback to Escape Motions through various channels to help them develop their software.
@@BasementPicasso As for me, all digital technologies have the same problem with brushes - they don't look like brushes with their real behavior. Rebelle is no exception (in relation to oil and acrylic - watercolor does not count). besides, anyone, even someone who is not very knowledgeable, can distinguish between acrylic and oil visually. but in digital this is impossible. In digital form, acrylic and oil are indistinguishable. Liquid oil does not flow like watercolor. it flows differently. The consistency of the paint matters when applied to the canvas - it will either be on the surface or will be in the recesses - depending on the solvent. and brushes in oil are much more varied in behavior - both depending on the bristles and depending on the strength and speed of the stroke. It seems to me that if the concept is more realistic in imitation of natural paints and canvases/paper, then there are more important points in working on the program than such nuances as the ones you cited. brush and paint (their properties) are more important than paint and canvas.
Regarding color, it’s strange that there are no color harmonizers. this is an obvious omission. As for the interface, I believe that you should strive to be as simple and intuitive as possible.
@@mozartwa1 Very insightful, thank you! I pretty much agree with everything you say. I had high hopes for Rebelle 7, but I have really struggled with it for various reasons. It feels like digital paint simulation is falling away. There is no Corel Painter 2024. Artrage Vitae came to nothing. Realistic app hasn't been touched - Rebelle seems to be the only thing that is trying. I keep hoping something new will emerge, but it doesn't look promising, particularly with the pace of AI. I suspect in the coming months I will be gravitating back to traditional painting
@@BasementPicasso Despite everything, rebelle is a really good product. perhaps the best in terms of the sum of its properties. digital is good for endless sketches of traditional forms of drawing - no need to worry about deteriorating materials and producing waste.
otherwise unrealistic programs are more honest. they legitimately occupy a place in digital creativity
Basic things Rebelle lacks and I wish they would fix these basic things before adding features.
No bottom drop/accumulation of water and pigment to continue with lighter tone.
Colors do not dry with lighter tone.
Mop is really, terrible. Washes, an essential part of watercolor, are horrible.
Color mixing is a joke.
Spatter is very limited.
The opacity of the paint is too confusing. They really should make it so that only adding water affects opacity. This would be a big step towards improving the app. Now, it's all over the place, from the brush creator to granulation.
Dry brushes are not random enough. Dry brushes, an essential part of watercolor, are useless in Rebelle.
Opacity and visual settings are reset every time you switch a brush. Very annoying.
Where are all the brush shapes hidden, for example the flat brush's template?
If Expresii had better canvases and some more granulation/flocculation, it would give escape motions a run for their money.
I swear if I see water color drips on one of their marketing videos (Hi Justin) I'm going to be ill.
I have gone back to Corel and traditional.
@nicolaskrinis7614 Yeah, I can sympathise with a lot of your frustration. I agree that opacity / transparency is a dark art at times, it frustrates me as well. It is possible to bake opacity and visual settings into a brush as well as specific colour. The brush creator is very comprehensive, but not intuitive now. I have seen expresii but never used it - yeah more competition would be good. Like you I am gravitating back to more traditional work as well :-)
@@BasementPicasso Thanks for the reply :) I think that a lot of people fell for it thinking that wow, these are real drips, and it should perform the same as the real deal.
By the time I figure out how to get the same effect with digital as I do with traditional, the intuitiveness and spontaneity is gone. I have tried loose architectural on rebelle, but do I ever struggle.
One thing we tend to forget, is the nuances of watercolor are huge. How much water a mop brush can hold, the springiness of synthetic vs sable/squirrel, etc. Last but not least, I don't think I'll ever understand how to hold/use a pen like a brush. To all those who produce beautiful art with rebelle, hats off, I just can't do it.
@@nicolaskrinis7614 Yeah the drips look great in videos but it is the subtlety that matters. I am increasingly rating art packages on how much they get out of your way. How intuitive are they and how little interface do you need. Anything else just pulls you out of the flow.
@@BasementPicasso Agree 100%. A brush, pigment, water, and a cloth, would work like a charm. The rest is all needless. I should also mention that I am a big fan of yours :)
@@nicolaskrinis7614 Thank you. That is genuinely appreciated 🙂 I really appreciate when people take the time to share their thoughts. I am interested to know the challenges that others face or what works best. It gives me ideas and helps me both in my own art and with content on the channel. So thanks again!!!
The “C Drive” thing is particularly annoying.
Yeah, it's a weird development choice. I have raised it as an issue with them.
They really. Need to make it a stand alone version in 2024 for iPads. I thought Apple was slow when realizing artists needs. But escape motion is really next level slow. Artists are on the go and don’t want to carry around a large device. Apple has finally understood when will escape motion step up… or will they ever?
@RobertSharmaOfficial A very good point - completely agree mobile apps would be fantastic. I have tried AstroPad for iPad and SuperDisplay for android that allow you to work on the tablet at home but it is a little fiddly and nowhere near as fluid as a native app. They are a relatively small team and the framework they have used is not easy to port to mobile. Hopefully one day though!
For heaven's sake people use NATURAL media. DRAW for Christ's sake! Express yourself. Be individual! DON'T rely on software that purports to be an emulation of natural media. If you DRAW with EMOTION and FEELING and SOUL you are an ARTIST. If you rely on software that invites you to create so called 'Art' by perpetually using the 'back' button to support your lack of skill you are demeaning the artists who have spent a lifetime learning the skills to express their emotions about whatever the subject is.
Why use a support that MECHANISES and continuously FAILS to convey the INTIMACY and SOULFULNESS of a REAL ARTIST???? Sorry REBELLE you are decrying and roboticizing the HUMAN SPIRIT. Leave it alone. You are encouraging laziness. That is NOT what ART is about. It's bad enough with AI taking over... and if that isn't a demonstration of laziness, I don't know what is...
@Peter-oc8qc so I am with you on the AI art - typing a few words in and getting a picture is lazy and soul-less. But even then, as part of a workflow, for exploration, I think it has value. As someone that has been learning art for 35+ years, 50/50 traditional/digital, my experience has been that digital art programs largely take a lot of the same skill in terms of composition, colour, structure, value, edge control etc. Having been looking at a medium sized tube of cadmium red for well over £400 as part of my own shift back towards traditional art, I think there is also a lot of considerations in terms of accessibility and freedom that digital art offers. My nieces love to draw on my computer - they ask to do it every time they visit, so I think there is plenty of room in this world for both to exist. Nobody is taking traditional art away from you. I am gravitating back to traditional because I think AI will ultimately devalue digital art, but mainly because digital just doesn't emulate the feel of reel texture and materials (yet). I hope it continues to get better - but I like having the choice to do either.
Wholeheartedly agree with your take on this. I've called them out on this version many times but you have die hard members who are clueless about the fact that it's a simple money grab now.
Yes, I do have a concern that it becomes a "paper-engine" to sell more papers in a similar way the Corel painter became a brush-engine to sell more brushes.
Too much meat on fire (cit.)
Too many things started and left in alpha, but advertised as new and essential. It would be better to focus on having a truly stable release and only then start adding new mechanics. Furthermore, many of the things added in rebelle 7 are essentially useless to me. As said by @arielwind04 they would do better to focus on aspects that bring traditional painting together with digital painting. Imho
Sorry for my English
@thronnorht4413 I completely agree - I would rather have fewer features that were robust, fully tested and working together coherently, and more focus on the traditional side of things