Black Ink Review Summary

A highly customizable brush engine with a lifetime purchase, yet plagued by frequent crashes, paid DLC features, poor communication, and a steep learning curve.

Highly customizable brush engine: Users consistently praise the brush engine's vast customization options, including parametric controls, custom brush creation, and a node-based editor. The ability to create and download countless brushes is a standout feature.

User-friendly and intuitive: Multiple reviews note that the application is easy to learn and use, with an uncluttered and beautiful UI. The intuitive interface appeals to both beginners and experienced artists.

Powerful and unique painting tools: Reviewers describe the app as a slick, innovative painting tool that offers a distinct drawing feel compared to other programs. It is particularly suited for technical-minded artists seeking novel creative possibilities.

Versatile for various artistic styles: The software excels at both realistic and non-realistic artwork, including illustrations, sketches, and doodles. Users appreciate its flexibility for multiple creative applications.

Affordable alternative to Photoshop: Compared to Photoshop, the software is seen as a cheaper option without a subscription model. Users appreciate the cost savings and intuitive interface as an alternative.

Feature updates are paid DLC: The 2023 update is a paid DLC, not free, which many users find unfair, especially those who bought early or during beta. This paywall includes basic features and bug fixes, alienating loyal customers and breaking earlier promises of free updates.

Frequent crashes and instability: The software crashes often, with reports of random crashes, crashes when performing complex tasks, and even losing work on save. Instability is a major concern, rendering the tool unreliable for serious projects.

Poor developer communication: Developers are slow to respond, with years-long silence on bug reports and requested features. Users feel abandoned, with no updates or fixes for critical issues, leading to loss of trust.

Not beginner-friendly: The interface is complicated, with no adequate tutorials or documentation, making it hard for new users. Even experienced artists from other software find the learning curve steep due to non-standard shortcuts and unclear tool functions.

Insufficient brush selection: Out-of-the-box brushes are limited, with few satisfactory options and a lack of essential brushes like airbrush, smudge, and blending tools. Customization is difficult and often requires scripting, creating a high barrier for users from other programs.

Procedurally generated customizable brushes: The brush engine is procedurally generated via math modules or shader language, allowing for deep customization of parameters like pressure, speed, and direction. Users can craft unique brushes that produce effects traditional tools cannot.

Node-based non-destructive workflow: Multiple reviews highlight the software's node-based, procedural, and non-destructive workflow, which allows for dynamic adjustments and complex layer systems. This appears to be a core selling point, offering flexibility similar to 3D modeling tools.

Graphics tablet support: The software supports professional graphics tablets and pressure-sensitive styluses, with some brushes being tilt-sensitive and pressure-sensitive. This indicates a focus on professional digital artists.

Brush-specific drawing program: The tool is fundamentally a brush-focused drawing program, with a simple interface centered on brushes and layers. Some compare it to making a collage on paper, focusing on line and shape creation.

GPU-intensive requirements: The software is GPU-intensive and requires a graphics processor, with rendering handled by the video card. Canvas size may be limited by system RAM and cache speeds rather than GPU, but performance depends on hardware capabilities.

Good performance on capable hardware: Users with powerful hardware report smooth performance, even with complex brushes and large canvases. This suggests the software performs well when hardware requirements are met.

Performance issues on weak hardware: Users experience lag and unusable performance on laptops and systems with low-end GPUs, such as Intel integrated graphics. This highlights a lack of optimization for lower-spec devices.

General instability and bugs: Users describe the program as buggy and unstable, with various issues occurring across multiple computers. This suggests persistent underlying bugs that affect overall user experience.

Launch failures after updates: The software fails to launch on some laptops, particularly after Windows 10 updates. This indicates compatibility issues that prevent the app from starting in certain environments.

Import issues with file types: Importing certain file types, like PNGs, can cause crashes or produce artifacts. This points to specific bugs in file handling that disrupt workflows.

Mixed overall recommendations: Reviewers are divided, with some giving strong recommendations while others advise against purchase. This indicates the software's polarizing nature.

Discouragement and warnings: Some reviewers outright discourage purchase, advising to avoid the software or wait for development. These warnings are based on stability and value concerns.

Suggest alternative software: Several reviewers recommend alternatives like Krita, Clip Studio Paint, or Photoshop instead of this product. This reflects dissatisfaction with the software's value.

Demo recommended before purchase: Multiple reviewers advise trying the demo to gauge the software's suitability. This is especially helpful for assessing stability and features.

For tinkerers and enthusiasts: The software appeals to those who enjoy experimenting and tinkering. It is recommended for hobbyists and enthusiasts rather than professionals.

Community fair range: $20.00 - $30.00.

Game completion: 4000.0h.

The software requires overcoming a learning curve, but after adaptation it becomes intuitive and offers powerful tools, indicating that fun is achieved after early friction is resolved.

Friction: learning curve; shader language complexity; cumbersome color selection; steep learning curve for power users.

Unlock drivers: becoming familiar with intuitive interface; accessing powerful tools and brush possibilities; using tutorials and updates; understanding shader language.

Experimental Concept Artist: Loose, experimental, using brushes for concept sketches and abstract creations. Motivation: Creative exploration and generating new ideas through unconventional tools. Stance: buy.

Skeptical Professional: Precise, multi-layered, complex compositions requiring robust layer management and integration. Motivation: Professional quality and production efficiency. Stance: no buy.

Enthusiastic Sketching Hobbyist: Casual, joyful sketching and painting for personal enjoyment. Motivation: Enjoyment of the drawing process and creative expression. Stance: buy.

Steam Deck: No relevant feedback was provided. The submitted text compares drawing software across platforms but contains no references to Steam Deck, Proton, launcher issues, battery drain, or any other technical barrier on the device.

Monetization: User feedback focuses on dissatisfaction with a paid DLC update, citing unclear descriptions and a perceived paywall for new content. However, the monetization model is standard one-time DLC, not microtransactions or pay-to-win. No evidence of predatory practices was found. The score remains low as traditional DLC cannot push above 20 per the scoring criteria.

Paid 2023 update controversial: The 2023 update is structured as paid DLC or an upgrade, which has sparked criticism from existing users who feel it charges them for essential features and bug fixes. Some reviewers find the one-time payment acceptable compared to subscription models, but others see it as poor value for long-time buyers.

Compared to Photoshop: Multiple reviewers compare the software to Adobe Photoshop, noting advantages like lower cost, no subscription, better high-resource performance, and superior default brushes, but also acknowledging it lacks many features. Some consider it a viable alternative for certain tasks.

Development still ongoing: The software is described as still in development, often in beta, with updates being infrequent or slow. Some note that while bug fixes come quickly, feature updates are rare, and a major update is anticipated.

Pricing concerns: The price may be considered high for some users, though it is often on sale and is cheaper than many competitors. Some reviewers find it not justified by performance, while others see it as fair.

Community and communication: Developers communicate through Discord, Steam, Facebook, and forums, and they are responsive to community feedback. However, some users could not find them on Twitter, and monetization plans were not initially communicated clearly.