SketchBook Pro 6

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on November 16, 2009

SketchBook Pro 2010 provides a sleek system for sketching art ideas. With a simple set of tools and realistic results, artists of all types will gravitate toward this tool.

The program's simple and professionally designed interface allowed us to jump right into creating our art. We never needed to access the Help file's instructions because everything was at our fingertips. Useful items were organized in a sleek toolbar that took up a minimum of space and allowed for a very large canvass, which we loved. We used our cursor to select our brush type and color, which was really nothing special. It reminded us of any other painting tool we've tested. The brush and pen strokes we made with our mouse were realistic, though these strokes also didn't seem to improve upon the competition. To be fair, the product description recommended using a digital tablet and accompanying pen, but we were only able to test it with a mouse. SketchBook Pro provides a nice feature that lets you view and edit photographs, though you can only change the size and angle. While we had a tough time making slick drawings with our mouse, we're sure that a digital pen would offer a lot more control and freedom.

SketchBook Pro 2010 is limited to a 15-day trial period. It installs desktop icons without permission. This worthwhile program's sleek interface and its capability to work with a digital tablet and pen make it something we recommend.