Corel Corel Painter X

Another new feature, the entertainingly quirky Divine Proportion, is based on the centuries-old notion that shapes with a proportion of 1:1.61803398874989 (also known as the Golden Ratio) are inherently pleasing. The tool overlays a pattern of lines and curves on your canvas to help you lay out your creations according to this theory. It would probably be a mistake to take Corel's claims for the option (which mention everyone from Da Vinci to Le Corbusier) too seriously. But used judiciously, the tool can help you create appealing compositions.

For dual-platform users, it's worth noting that the Macintosh version of Painter X, which is being released simultatneously, is the first one that runs as a native application on Intel-based Macs, so owners of those machines will see noticeably snappier performance than with Painter IX. Both Mac and Windows users will appreciate the fact that the package comes with more extensive printed documentation than the previous edition did.

What's not to like about Painter X? If I had designed it, I would have tried to streamline its interface, which hasn't changed much: Dig into its array of tools, settings, and options, and your canvas may get overloaded with palettes and toolbars. Even as is, though, this upgrade is meaty enough to please professional artists and serious amateurs alike.

Harry McCracken