New ParticleShop Brushes Bring More Magic To Your Images [Tech Tuesday]

January 17, 2017

By Theano Nikitas

Back in August, 2015, I wrote about a cool new plug-in from CorelParticleShop. Designed to provide photographers, artists and designers with unique brushes, ParticleShop was a hit with its multiple effects and ease of use. Along the way, Corel added more brush packs, layers and grew the plug-in’s capabilities. Now, Corel has announced a new core brush pack of 11 brushes with an emphasis on more natural looking media.

Best of all, it’s free for current users adding to the current brush pack that came with the original software. You’ll need to update the program to take advantage of the new brushes and the technology to run them, though. (New users will get the new brush pack as the default.)

ParticleShop logo-enhanced

I’ve only been testing the new brushes and technology for a short time, but the software is fast, fun and, perhaps more importantly, will likely inspire you to add a creative touch to your images, even if you’re not a fine-art photographer.

While Corel released a number of new optional brush packs, it sounds like we’re in for even more frequent creative brush updates—perhaps as frequently as one a month. At the same time as the update, Corel has released six new brush packs that are powered by the new Dynamic Speckles and F-X Effects brush technology. Their names give you a sense of what to expect: Impression, Blenders, Expressive, Grunge, Nature and Creepers. If you’re a wedding photographer, Creepers may not be the perfect choice, but definitely look into Impression, Blenders, Expressive and maybe Nature, too.

Here are some thumbnails to give you an idea of what’s available with the new brush packs:

Courtesy of Corel ParticleShop

And here are a few samples of what’s possible—from dreamy to grunge:

(c) Karen Bonaker Dynamic Speckle Impression Pack, courtesy of Corel ParticleShop

© Karen Bonaker, Dynamic Speckle Impression Pack, courtesy of Corel ParticleShop

(c) Leonard Lopez Core Pack; courtesy of Corel ParticleShop

© Leonard Lopez, Core Pack, courtesy of Corel ParticleShop

Photoshop ParticleShop Panel; photo courtesy of Corel ParticleShop

Photoshop ParticleShop Panel; photo courtesy of Corel ParticleShop

 

Corel ParticleShop is a cross-platform software and is very affordable at $50. It comes with a starter pack of 11 brushes; new brush packs can be purchased for $30 each, so you can pick and choose the styles you’ll use most often. It’s one of my favorite creative plug-ins—I love exploring the different options and having these creative tools provide more than enough inspiration to jump start a journey into creativity.  Check out the samples and tutorials on the ParticleShop site. Also be sure to check out the tech specs to find out which programs and processors are needed for compatibility.

Related Links:

Wedding Magic and Layer Editing Added to Corel’s ParticleShop

Brushes and Paints and Textures, Oh My!