For all those who are passionate about drawing from the computer there are a series of programs with which we can get the most out of our ability and our imagination, especially if we use a graphics tablet. Therefore, today we are going to talk about SketchBook Pro , a program with which you can draw, color and illustrate with professional results.
What is SketchBook Pro
SketchBook Pro is a great program belonging to Autodesk , which has millions of users worldwide. It is aimed at all those who have a true passion for illustration and digital drawing. It has a very intuitive and easy to use interface that we can customize to our liking with all the tools we need. It has a warehouse of more than 190 different types of brushes, such as pencils, brushes, airbrushes, inks, etc., that we can customize as best suits us, incorporating textures and shapes.
With this application we can maintain a digital drawing experience very close to natural drawing, which makes it an ideal tool for making all kinds of illustrations, drawings and sketches.
The application will allow us to work with a limited number of layers with blending and grouping modes. We will also have the possibility to import and export PSD with layers, making it compatible with other tools such as Photoshop.
Among its functions, the predictive line stands out, which we can use to smooth the lines and correct the basic shapes of circles, rectangles and triangles. In addition, it has four dimensions of symmetry of up to 16 sectors to create perfectly symmetrical designs with each other.
We will have all kinds of rules, elliptical guides and French curves that fit us so that we can make drawings with great precision.
Navigating SketchBook Pro
When we first start SketchBook Pro we will find a quick start guide , where it will show us its most outstanding features, such as the Brush Panel, Color wheel, gap, symmetry, Guides, Brush management, Gradient fill, Warp, FlipBook and Outlook tools.
Once the quick guide is viewed, we access the main menu where we will find marker menus with quick access to all kinds of commands and tools. In this way it achieves a better optimization with digitizing tablets, so that we can experience a feeling very close to natural drawing. In addition, if we click on the space bar , a disc will appear so that we can navigate and scroll quickly throughout the canvas.
The tools that appear by default are the most commonly used tools such as airbrushes, erasers, smudge brushes, fill tools, markers, and definition brushes. We will also find drawing modes, so that we can quickly and accurately trace both rectangles, circles and lines.
From here we can also customize our brushes, adjusting characteristics such as their size, pressure sensitivity, rotation or opacity. It is also possible to export and share brushes individually or together.
We will also have layers of editable texts , where we can insert types and annotations, as well as configure the system fonts and basic settings. We will have full control over the layers, adjusting their visibility and transparency, with different layer combination modes.
Download SketchBook Pro
SketchBook Pro is a completely free program that is available for both Windows and Mac OS computers, as well as Android and iOS mobile devices. We can download it from this link and it will provide us with the possibility of enjoying all its functions for drawing, illustrating and coloring.
Besides, it is possible to subscribe monthly for 13 euros per month. It also has a subscription for periods of one and three years for 115 and 309 euros respectively. In this way, we will have access to all of their technical support and online resources, from where we can obtain all kinds of help, tutorials and learning videos. Therefore, unless we are interested in tutorials or technical support with the free application, we can take advantage of all its features without paying.
Alternatives to SketchBook Pro
As alternatives to SketchBook Pro, we can find another series of applications for both drawing lovers and illustration professionals.
- Corel Painter : is a drawing and illustration tool for graphic designers, photographers and lovers of digital drawing in general, compatible with Windows and Mac OS. It is priced at $ 429 and has a trial version that can be downloaded from its website .
- Krita : is a digital painting program for professionals. It is open source and completely free, being compatible with Windows, Mac OS and Linux operating systems. You can download it from its website.
- Paint.Net : is an application oriented for pixel art drawings, photo retouching and digital drawing. It has a Freeware license, making it completely free and compatible with Windows computers. We can download it from here .
- Paintstorm Studio: is a professional digital drawing software, compatible with Windows and Mac OS computers, as well as iPad. It costs $ 19.99 and has a free trial version that can be opened up to 30 times. It can be downloaded from their website .
- MediBang Paint Pro : This is a program for creating comics and digital illustration. It is compatible with Windows and Mac computers, as well as Android and iOS mobiles. It is a completely free tool that we can download from here .
