Corel Painter vs GIMP: Which One Is Better in 2024?

Corel Painter and GIMP are essential tools for businesses and designers, offering unique features that cater to different needs. We'll compare Corel Painter's professional painting capabilities with GIMP's versatile image editing to determine the best option for your creative projects.

A Quick Overview of Corel Painter and GIMP

What is Corel Painter?

Corel offers professional graphics software for designers, including products like CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, Painter, PaintShop Pro, VideoStudio, and WordPerfect.

Corel Painter provides a vast library of brushes and handles blending digital mediums effectively. Its realistic painting experience sets it apart from competitors.

What is GIMP?

GIMP is a free and open-source image editor available for multiple operating systems, including GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows. It allows users to modify and distribute its source code.

GIMP offers advanced tools for photo retouching, restoration, and creative composites. Its open-source nature allows for extensive customization and integration with community-created scripts and plugins, setting it apart from many proprietary image editors.

Features of Corel Painter and GIMP

Similarities

Corel Painter and GIMP share several key features that make them both powerful tools for digital artists and designers. Despite their differences, they offer similar functionalities that cater to a wide range of creative needs.

• Both provide extensive brush libraries and tools for digital painting and image editing.
• They support various file formats, ensuring compatibility with other software and workflows.
• Each offers tools for photo enhancement and correction, making them versatile for different types of projects.
• Customization and extensibility through plugins and scripts are available in both, allowing users to tailor the software to their specific needs.
• Both are used by artists for creating original artwork and by designers for producing graphic design elements.

Differences

Corel Painter and GIMP each offer unique features that cater to different creative needs. While Corel Painter excels in providing a realistic painting experience, GIMP stands out with its open-source flexibility and extensive customization options.

• Realistic Painting: Corel Painter offers highly realistic brush strokes and blending capabilities, which are not as advanced in GIMP.
• Open-Source Flexibility: GIMP is free and open-source, allowing users to modify and distribute its source code, unlike Corel Painter.
• Cross-Platform Availability: GIMP is available on multiple operating systems, including GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows, whereas Corel Painter is primarily designed for Windows and macOS.
• Photo Manipulation: GIMP provides high-quality photo retouching and restoration tools, which are more advanced compared to Corel Painter's offerings.
• Customization and Plugins: GIMP supports extensive customization through third-party plugins and scripts, while Corel Painter focuses more on built-in features and does not emphasize plugins as much.

User Interface and Usability

Corel Painter's user interface is designed to mimic traditional painting tools, offering a realistic experience with a vast library of brushes. Users find the interface intuitive, particularly appreciating the blending capabilities. However, the software can be overwhelming for beginners due to its extensive features and options. The overall usability is high for those familiar with digital painting, but it may present a steep learning curve for new users.

GIMP's user interface is feature-rich, catering to a wide range of tasks from photo manipulation to graphic design. While it offers extensive customization through plugins and scripts, the interface can appear cluttered and less intuitive for new users. The user experience is flexible, allowing for tailored workflows, but the overall usability may be hindered by its complexity and the need for additional setup.

GIMP's user interface and usability are less straightforward compared to Corel Painter.

Collaboration

Corel Painter does not emphasize collaboration features, focusing instead on providing a realistic painting experience with a vast library of brushes. The software lacks specific tools or integrations that facilitate teamwork, making it less suitable for collaborative projects. Users may find it challenging to work together on the same project without additional software or manual file sharing.

GIMP, while offering extensive customization and integration with other software like Scribus and Inkscape, also does not highlight collaboration features. The open-source nature allows for flexibility, but there are no built-in tools specifically designed for teamwork. Users might need to rely on external methods to collaborate effectively.

Neither Corel Painter nor GIMP stands out as particularly better for collaboration.

Corel Painter and GIMP Pricing

Corel Painter offers a range of pricing options, including a 30-day subscription at $19.99 per month and a 365-day subscription at $139.00 per year, which averages to $11.58 per month. A one-time purchase is available for $429.00, currently discounted to $249.00. Discounts and promotions are frequently offered, making it more affordable for long-term users.

GIMP, on the other hand, is entirely free and open-source, with no costs associated with its use. The software relies on donations for sustainability, allowing users to contribute financially if they choose. This makes GIMP a cost-effective option for those who need powerful image editing tools without a financial commitment.

Overall, GIMP has better pricing as it is free, while Corel Painter requires a subscription or one-time purchase.

Comparing Corel Painter and GIMP to Piktochart

Piktochart transforms complex ideas into captivating visuals that inform and engage your audience. With Piktochart AI, you can create stunning infographics, reports, and presentations in seconds, perfectly aligned with your brand. No design experience required.

Pros of Piktochart

• AI-Powered Design Generator: Piktochart's AI-powered design generator allows users to create stunning visuals quickly and efficiently, saving time and effort.
• Extensive Template Library: With a vast library of templates for various use cases, users can easily find the perfect starting point for their projects, whether it's an infographic, presentation, or social media post.
• Customization Options: Piktochart offers extensive customization options, allowing users to tailor text properties and view properties, including background color and aspect ratios, to fit their specific needs.
• All-in-One Platform: Combining multiple visual communication tools in one platform, Piktochart reduces the need for multiple subscriptions, making it a cost-effective solution for creating diverse visual content.
• Focus on Accessibility: Designed to be user-friendly, Piktochart makes video editing and content creation accessible to everyone, not just professionals, ensuring that anyone can produce high-quality visuals.

Piktochart's Pricing

• Free: $0 (Free forever)
• Pro:
  • $29 per member/month (billed monthly)
  • $14 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
• Business:
  • $49 per member/month (billed monthly)
  • $24 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
• Enterprise: Custom Pricing (Contact for details)
• Campus: Custom Pricing (Minimum 3000 seats, contact for details)

What Are Others Saying?

Corel Painter Reviews

Overall, users have given Corel Painter a rating of 4.3 out of 5. While many appreciate its ease of use and intuitive interface, frustrations include its high cost and system instability.

"The software is expensive and crashes frequently, which is frustrating." - John D., 3.5/5

"Limited design options make it less versatile for complex projects." - Sarah K., 3.0/5

"The instability of the software can be a major drawback during intensive tasks." - Mike L., 3.8/5

Find more of Corel Painter reviews on G2!

GIMP Reviews

Overall, users have given GIMP a rating of 4.3 out of 5. While many appreciate its free services and photo editing capabilities, frustrations include its steep learning curve and limited design options.

"It sometimes has technical issues like multilayer selection and transformations." - Vishal L., 3.0/5

"I find it more confusing than other items. It is less intuitive." - Devon Courtney T. K., 3.0/5

"Its user interface is a little complex for new users." - Verified User in Market Research, 3.0/5

Find more of GIMP reviews on G2!

Piktochart Reviews

Our users have given Piktochart an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5. They appreciate its ease of use, extensive template library, and the ability to create professional visuals without design experience.

• "Easy to create content even if you're not a designer." - Jessica D.
• "My Go-To for ALL Professional Presentations!" - Jennifer K.
• "Incredibly intuitive design app." - Samuel [SAM] J.

Find more of our reviews on G2!

Why choose one over the other?

Why Choose Corel Painter:

• Consumers who prioritize a realistic painting experience and a vast library of brushes will find Corel Painter ideal. This software is perfect for professional artists and designers who need advanced blending capabilities and a traditional painting feel.

Why Choose GIMP:

• GIMP is the go-to choice for users who need a free, open-source image editor with extensive customization options. It's particularly suited for graphic designers, photographers, and developers who appreciate the ability to modify and extend the software through plugins and scripts.

Why Choose Piktochart:

• Piktochart is perfect for users who need to create professional visuals quickly without any design experience. It's ideal for marketing teams, educators, and small businesses looking for an all-in-one platform to produce infographics, reports, and presentations efficiently.

Corel Painter, GIMP, or Piktochart: Which is the best platform for you?

Whether you're a professional artist, a graphic designer, or someone who needs to create stunning visuals without any design experience, there's a tool for you. Corel Painter and GIMP offer powerful features tailored to specific creative needs, but we believe Piktochart stands out for its ease of use and versatility. With Piktochart, you can transform complex ideas into captivating visuals effortlessly, making it the perfect choice for anyone looking to create professional-quality content quickly and efficiently.