AutoDesk has established quite a reputation for itself for its specialized drafting, illustration and photo editing software programs. Similar to Corel Painter's tablet-oriented interface design and functionality, "TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award" winner SketchBook Pro is designed to render traditional dry media methodologies with precise detail in real-time. For that, it does fairly well for itself (granted, with the proper computer hardware). While its brushes, paint palettes and composition features are fewer than those offered by Corel Painter, SketchBook Pro manages to make up for this, in part, by ensuring that the quality and strength of the features it does have are efficient, accurate and, as the name should imply, professional in quality.
Standout Features
- Drawing, sketching and other "dry" media composition features.
- Simple, easy to use interface and workflow.
What SketchBook Pro has, it has in spades. Brush customization? Check. Color management? Check. Annotations, layers, rulers? Check, check and check. Multi-monitor and strong tablet support? Big surprise: check. These features are worth consideration on their own, but, it is when these various elements are brought together that their merit becomes evident. Composition features like "symmetrical" drawing, which mirrors strokes on a horizontal, vertical or simultaneous horizontal-vertical axis make quick work of the early stages of conceptualization and construction, while built-in tools, such as rulers and grid features, help artists and designers refine their work to its brass tacks. Speaking of brass tacks, SketchBook Pro also features seamless, intra-program email integration, making it possible to email finished or unfinished projects and get back to business without having to go through the always-tedious process of formatting, saving and exporting said projects. A check in the "pro" column, to be certain.
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