A new update to the most realistic watercolor and acrylic painting tool is here! The summer is almost over and despite being so hot we’ve been busy like a bee working on a number of handy improvements for the 1.3 update. When we counted them, we could not believe it - there are more than 40 features and changes in the application!
We redesigned and cleaned the whole interface, split the Tools panel into three separate panels, added Preferences settings, included a Lock layer function, a new Color wheel, modified the watercolor brush and much more. The update is free for all Rebelle users and available for download from our website. We hope you are going to enjoy it as much as we do.
What’s new in Rebelle 1.3
Improved New File dialog - Creating a new artwork will now be easy for those who are accustomed to setting the image size in centimeters or inches. From the 1.3 update, you can set the canvas dimension in pixels, inches or centimeters (no calculator needed anymore :) ). You are also able to choose from a variety of preset paper sizes and save your custom dimensions. In the Select Paper window, you can set the texture visibility and add your custom paper colors.
File Thumbnails - From this version, you can see the Rebelle image file thumbnails in every file browser or file dialog together with an image preview when available.
Redesigned user interface - When you start Rebelle you can see that the interface gets a more clear and slick look, yet it is still intuitive and easy-to-use. We’ve modified the design of all buttons and relocated “Undo”, “Redo”, “Color tracing” and “Mix Color” buttons. We also split the Tools panel into three separate panels - Navigator, Tools, and Properties.
Improved Palette panel - We added a new color wheel and a color palette switch. You can resize the Color panel and its palette to any dimension. The color set is improved too and you can easily sort the colors by time or by hue using the Order by Hue button.
New Preferences panel - You can set a variety of your own Preferences from File -> Preferences. Choose your own custom keyboard shortcuts or set the scaling for the app’s interface. You can also choose whether the New Artwork dialog should open at the start-up or whether you wish the last used color to be applied after choosing a color in the Palette panel (very clever).
Lock layer added - Working on complex compositions in Rebelle will become easier from today. With one of the most user-suggested features, you can now lock any layer to protect it from undesirable changes.
Improved watercolor tool - We’ve changed the behavior of the watercolor brush so that when the brush is small it still retains its opacity and the stroke is not faded.
New ‘Fit to screen’ mode added - This feature will help you fit the canvas to any dimension of the application which is useful when you tend to scale the app’s window more often.
Here is the list of new changes and features in Rebelle 1.3:
User Interface:
- Redesigned UI, Tools panel can be horizontal or vertical.
- Scale interface for Hi-res displays.
- UI icons repainted for high-resolution displays.
- In the New Artwork dialog, you can set dimensions in pixels, cm, and inches.
- Paper Size Presets in the New artwork dialog.
- Fullscreen mode fixed with Esc key.
- Fixed crash when the display is rotated in Surface Pro.
- Preferences added (File -> Preferences).
- Option to set keyboard shortcuts in Preferences.
- Option to show New Picture dialog with paper presets when the app is launched (Preferences).
- Reset Tilt button.
- Tilt amount has zero level point click.
- Hide cursor from the menu.
Palette Panel:
- Palette panel with a new HSL Color wheel.
- Color Picker - pick color reset with the “Esc” key.
- Trace color with various sample sizes (Preferences).
- Mix mode sensitivity (Preferences).
Navigator Panel:
- New Navigator Panel with picture preview.
- The ability to type a zoom level.
- Option to Zoom in / out at the mouse cursor position (Preferences).
- Smooth Zoom in Navigator Panel.
- Fit to Screen canvas.
Layers Panel:
- Lock Layers
- Alt + click on a layer’s “eye” icon makes only that layer visible.
- Layer structure is restored when merging layers.
- Imported image with the alpha channel has 100% opacity.
- Rename layer shortcuts conflict fixed.
Brushes:
- Watercolor brush first flow fixed.
- When painting, sometimes a square texture was visible.
- When smearing, sometimes the smear tool was dirty.
- Fixed airbrush ghosts lines.
- Pastel brush can have user textures.
Files:
- Standard system file dialog for Windows.
- Rebelle file icon thumbnails and image preview in the file browser.
- Open Recent files.
- Iterative Save - useful, when you need a record of the painting process.
- JPG quality can be set from Preferences.
- Drag & drop image and .reb files directly from any internet or file browser.
Papers:
- Texture visibility slider in Paper dialog added.
- Add/Remove custom paper textures and colors added.
- and many other minor fixes…
Grab the fresh 1.3 update from our Download page, it is free for all Rebelle users. If you are still not a Rebelle user you can get your Rebelle license from our website for $59.99 only. If you still hesitate maybe these words from this month’s Advanced Photoshop will persuade you:
“A simple tool that’s fun for beginners and experts alike, Rebelle will show you why you fell in love with painting.”
Let us know if Rebelle succeeded in this mission :)
Your Escape Motions Team
