Feedbacks on Paint Mixer Tool from an Illustration point of view

[paolo.limoncelli]

Hi,

I want to move these feedbacks out from the the Auto-Cleaning feature now that the thread has been fixed.

I realised it was the wrong place so sorry if I made confusion there... 😖

These are some digressions I've collected about this tool, coming from both users and personal experience.

I think Paint Mixer has an impressive potential but I'm still struggling in making credible and usable brushes for this one... 😅

Probably there are some wrong expectations from my side, but using it "as is" it still looks more like an "advanced" blender or "Pixel Mixer" than a painting tool (to me at least...).

 

The behaviour of the Strength slider is clearly non-linear

It seems to start acting as a paintbrush close to the end of the ramp

 

 

In order to make it more credible you need to paint into a filled layer, so it needs a "one layer" approach for illustrations.

Also, using tablets only Nozzles Interpolation and "Geometry" Jitters work properly.

Maybe HSL Jitters or Wet Edges are skipped by design, but Flow's variation does nothing at all (both Jitter and its context bar value).

Sub Brushes > Erase mode do not work too.

Basically almost 80% of tablet's dynamic looks disabled and the only parameter which rules interaction (Strength) does not have its Jitter and needs to be changed manually.

A user suggested to decrease spacing... But with the smallest spacing possible on macOS it is even worse.

 

 

This video is made painting on an empty layerIn the video below you can see a different tool (larger nozzle) and background colour (opaque layer)

 

No great changes also you can spot other issues such as the "blocky" effect or the mixing that happens "before" crossing colour areas.It is true that I'm not a photo retoucher, and AP is "photography-first" so for sure its behaviour is useful for these channel and frequency separation tasks/workflows.

For sure illustration is still perfectly feasible...

But speaking as an illustrator, I find it still hard and "confusing"... Also it requires a totally different design strategy.

Maybe this happens because of my forma mentis and when I read "Paint Mixer" I think of "colours" rather than skin smoothing or similar tasks... 

Am I approaching the tool from the wrong point of view?

 

 

[Red Sands]

On 3/15/2023 at 12:46 PM, paolo.limoncelli said:

Maybe this happens because of my forma mentis and when I read "Paint Mixer" I think of "colours" rather than skin smoothing or similar tasks... 

Let us consult ChatGPT:

Q: what does paint mixing mean in software

ChatGPT answer:

Quote

 

In software, paint mixing refers to the process of combining multiple colors or shades to create a new color. This is commonly used in graphics and design software, where users can select different colors from a palette and then adjust their values to create a custom color.

Paint mixing in software can be done in various ways, such as by adjusting the levels of the red, green, and blue (RGB) components of a color, or by adjusting the hue, saturation, and brightness (HSB) values. Some software also allows users to mix colors using a color wheel or by entering precise numerical values for each component.

Paint mixing in software can be a useful tool for designers, artists, and anyone who needs to create custom colors for their work. It allows for greater flexibility and control over the final result, and can save time and effort compared to physical paint mixing.

 

I don't know who would be surprised by this answer and definition. I can't imagine anyone other than the two of us having a different understanding of paint mixing?

[paolo.limoncelli]

I spoke about retouching tasks because other users described this tool as perfect "as is" in that context.

I'm pretty sure it is true, but about pure and simple illustration let's imagine the following scenario: a yellow loaded brush, crossing a cyan area, without releasing the tip/click.

Now two extreme cases.

If Autoload and Autoclean are OFF 

It will pull green and keep it green, the "amount of green" is based on strenght.

Any new stroke will start with a greenish colour then gradually fade away, until "Load Brush" is clicked again.

If Autoload and Autoclean are ON

It will pull green and then paint yellow again, based on strenght.

No need to manually load.

 

This is what I'd expect...

But it barely acts this way within a 8% range of the entire ramp and it does in an apparently erratic way.

What do you think @Red Sands?

[Red Sands]

34 minutes ago, paolo.limoncelli said:

This is what I'd expect...

But it barely acts this way within a 8% range of the entire ramp and it does in an apparently erratic way.

What do you think @Red Sands?

Ah, I understand better now.

In order not to mess things up, I'll step back and just say that I expect tools, terms and tool behaviour to be similar to what one is used to from physical, real-world tools. Unless there are good arguments in favour of different behaviour.

I am one of your customers and I trust your judgement quite a lot, I dare say, though. 🙂 

(Unleashed natural media tools)