Automatic performance optimization
To help ensure that you have the best digital painting experience, Painter 2020 introduces the Brush Accelerator. This new utility evaluatesyour system’s processor (CPU), graphics processor (GPU) and memory, and then optimizes application settings to maximize performance.Many Painter brushes can now leverage the computation power of your system’s GPU, using it to deliver faster brushing, as well assmoother document rendering and manipulation. You’ll also get suggestions on how to upgrade system components, as well asrecommendations on which brush categories are most compatible with your computer.
The new Performance panel lets you quickly see whether the currently selected brush can take advantage of your system's multi-coreprocessor, AVX2 or GPU. You can use the names of those performance-boosting technologies as search terms to find brushes that leveragethem. What’s more, Painter 2020 introduces two new brush categories designed with performance in mind — Fast and Simple and Fastand Ornate.
Color selection features
Color-selection controls are more accessible and consistent throughout Painter 2020. Redesigned color ramps in sliders make choosing theperfect color a breeze, and frequently used dialog boxes offer familiar, intuitive color pickers. A new preview takes the guesswork out of howcolors will look together by showing you the new and current colors side-by-side. The temporal color selector now offers the ability to clonecolor, as well as a mode that reconfigures the selector for left-handed artists. You can tailor the Color panel to display only the features youneed, giving you more space to paint. In addition, you can open the temporal color selector by double-clicking the Main or Additional colorswatch in the Color panel. And new harmony options let you choose a color and then use it as the foundation of a set of colors that workwell together aesthetically.
UI elements
A re-imagined UI helps you work faster and more efficiently by giving you quick access to frequently used options. Revamped property bars,flyouts, and palettes for brushes and tools put the most important controls at your fingertips. Intuitive labeling and grouping of propertybar settings reduce the need to open panels, so you have more room to paint. The Library panels have been streamlined to be easier to useand free up screen space when you’re working with papers, patterns, textures and more. When the Brush tool is active, the property bar andAdvanced Brush Controls give you a better understanding of the brush shape and the media that you’re using. The Advanced Brush Controlsbutton now also gives quick access to the General panel. What’s more, Perspective Guides and Mirror Painting are accessible in fewer clicks.
Brush visuals
Enhanced dab and stroke previews are great time-savers in Painter 2020. Improved visuals mean you don’t need to hover over brush strokesto get an idea of what they’ll look like, and it’s easier than ever to distinguish between popular dab types. There’s also a new option todisplay a slimmer, more compact version of the Brush Selector to give you even more painting pixels.
Brush switching and Eraser tool performance
The redesigned Brush Selector bar now includes a button to reactivate your last-used brush, allowing you to rapidly switch between variants.This new feature can also be added to a custom palette or assigned a shortcut key. What’s more, enhancements to the Eraser tool provide asmoother, lag-free painting experience and more customization options.
Layer workflow
Painter 2020 offers a series of advancements to the layer workflow. More frequently used commands have been added to the Options menuin the Layers panel, saving you time. Other enhancements include the ability to lock the canvas, more layer pasting choices, and improvedlayer collapsing and selection.
