Paint Studio

T.J. Brumfield | Jul 17, 2009 Entertainment

User rating: (2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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There are some amazing iPhone artists out there. Some were even featured in the New York Times. I’m not one of them. In fact I butcher and do great disservice to stick figures. That being said, Marie wanted a review on Paint Studio. So Marie is getting a review of Paint Studio.

Impetus has put together a simple paint program that is very easy to use. It doesn’t have complex brush types such as Brushes (the app that was featured in New York times, and used to draw a cover for The New Yorker) but it does have a few unique features. It also costs 40% of what Brushes costs.

In Paint Studio, you can start with a blank canvas and simply begin drawing.  Up top there is a work area with a few colors on your palette. There is a color drop tool to pull colors from. The palette button down at the bottom pulls up a color mixer where you can select from 16 million possible colors. I counted them twice to be sure. I do it all for Marie. You select the colors basically by moving around in hue and darkness. And while there aren’t really brush types to create incredible art, there are 4 brush sizes to select from.

Paint Studio does have a zoom feature which is nice if you want to do fine detail work. I haven’t used Brushes (just watched videos) but I’ve read reviews where people lamented the lack of this feature in Brushes.

But maybe you don’t want to start with a blank canvas. This is where Paint Studio really starts to differentiate itself from other apps. You can load pre-generated templates that basically turn the app into a coloring book. You can also use these shapes as stamps in collage mode. Camera roll allows you to take existing images and then paint over them. Camera mode allows you to snap a picture from within the app.

Sadly there weren’t many clip art images to use for templates/collage-stamps. I also would really have liked to see vector shape tools. We’ve come to expect them from MS Paint. Oddly enough I’ve seen a video demonstration of Paint Studio from Impetus on a Nokia device that did feature a paint bucket fill feature, and vector shape tools. I’m not sure why these features didn’t make the iPhone version. Perhaps they will in future releases.

It would also be nice if the art you use for templates or collage stamps were scalable. There are frames for instance, but they are too small to actually use as frames around your photos and paintings.

If you are a skilled artist who wants to paint on your iPhone, Brushes is probably the app you’re looking for. If you want to paint casually for fun, want to paint over your existing images, or give your kids something to color on your iPhone, then Paint Studio is the app for you. The price is certainly right.

iphone_paintstudio_price
Of course a paint program has a bright menu.
Of course a paint program has a bright menu.
I didn't go to collage so I don't know what a collage is.
I didn't go to collage so I don't know what a collage is.

iphone_paintstudio_collage
Indiana Jones and the Templates of Doom!
Indiana Jones and the Templates of Doom!
Select a brush size.
Select a brush size.

I can't color in the lines. This is why I failed kindergarten.
I can't color in the lines. This is why I failed kindergarten.
This app is not responsible for your girlfriend leaving you, or your house blowing up.
This app is not responsible for your girlfriend leaving you, or your house blowing up.


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  • http://www.iphoneappreviews.net T.J. Brumfield

    And again, I want to point out I did this review at a user’s request. We certainly welcome feedback here. If there are apps you want to see reviewed, please let me know. I please to aim. Actually, I am a cyborg programmed to pump out reviews quickly, and to answer user requests. But as soon as the robot uprising begins, watch out!

  • Agent K

    I’d like to see apps that are unique, ones that didn’t take the idea from another game and just changed it a little. And that have good graphics too. Also, reviews of some racing games if it’s not too much trouble.
    Thank you for all the reviews and work you guys put into the website, this is the only app review website I use and the only one I need.

  • http://www.iphoneappreviews.net T.J. Brumfield

    I’ll definitely check the queue for some racing games. That sounds fun.

  • Phil

    Hi T.J.,
    You sure are pumping out the reviews. It is much appreciated. Since you are asking for suggestions of what to review, I would love to see a comparison of some of the higher end GTD apps. I know this is a “big” category, but if most are like me, it can be almost overwhelming. I want to know if Omnifocus is worth $20, or how the other $10 apps like Things, ToDo, etc. measure up. Or if there are hidden gems that don’t get the notoriety but are worth it and cheaper. I know this is a tall order, so I’m not expecting much, but if you are up to the challenge ;-)
    Keep up the great work!

  • http://www.iphoneappreviews.net T.J. Brumfield

    That is part of the reason I reviewed GPS Kit early on, because it is easier to justify throwing away 99 cents on app you don’t like than $10 or $20. Some of the bigger developers, or developers with more expensive products don’t like to give out promo codes. But I’ll see if I can’t find a few for next week.

  • Michael (Admin)

    I’m a sucker for games with nice graphics! Pretty doesn’t always equal good, but I think it’s a fairly reliable barometer of how much work the developer has put into the app.

  • Michael (Admin)

    T.J. you’re a MACHINE!! I totally believe you’re a cyborg. No human could ever crank out as many reviews as you have over the past two days. :mrgreen:

  • Marie

    Thank you so much for reviewing this!

  • Alex Bussa

    Paint Studio is really a good utility application, its good application to pass time in constructive manner.