ArtStudio – Review
By App Type: Uncategorized
Our rating: 
By: Sylwester Los
Version #: 1.0
Date Released: 2010-02-10
Developer:
Price: 3.99
User Rating:
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There are a lot of drawing apps for the iPhone and iPod touch. Recently, we even reviewed one that was developed by an 11 year old. And with the pending iPad release, they’re only going to get more prevalent.
ArtStudio is a much more involved drawing application with a higher price point than many of the others. It could even be described as a lite version of Adobe Photoshop.
You start the app with a blank canvas, and the toolbar is displayed at the bottom. When you tap any of the icons in the toolbar, more controls appear on the side of the application. Pressing and holding one of the first three icons (that have a little gear icon next to them) gives you full-screen window of the functions. You can hide the toolbar with the arrow icon on the far right.
The app provides tons of features including;
25 brushes (pencils, brushes, eraser, smudge tool, bucket fill (simple and smart mode), glow, tube, and airbrush. There is a real-time preview for all brushes- simulated brush pressure- line smoothing, antialiasing, zooming with filtering. Three different drawing modes are also available in the app: free draw with smoothing, free draw without smoothing, and lines.
This is a very full featured application which includes many other features like layer manipulation, customizable color swatches, filters, importing from the iphone gallery, etc.
It has some simple drawing lessons built in, so you can practice drawing various images, and if you mess up, just shaking the device will clear the canvas. You can also save your art work or e-mail it out when its complete.
If I had a complaint about Art Studio, it would be the difficulty with using it on such a small screen. On a more positive note, this program would kick serious butt on the iPad (which the developer says is on its way) and its closest competition would be Photoshop itself. If you’re an artist with four bucks to spare, I highly recommend it.
Quick Take
Value:Medium-High.
Would I Buy Again:Yes.
Learning Curve:If you're familiar with Photoshop, low. Otherwise, somewhat high.
Who Is It For:Art students or enthusiasts.
What I Like:Much functionality. Good layout.
What I Don't Like:Somewhat expensive for my taste. Difficult to use on a small screen.
Final Statement:Overall, a good app to discover your inner Picasso with.
O U R T A K E ...
