Is using Posterize cheating?

[leo_7]

I'm trying to do value studies, but I have a really hard time seeing the different values. Is it okay if I use posterize and the eyedropper to help with seeing and using the right values, or will that hinder my development?

[Pubic Enemy]

I've done a lot of contrast bumping and eyedropping myself, so I'm probably biased, but I don't think it's cheating. It certainly won't allow you to paint like Justin Sweet in a week. Trying to learn by eye alone is probably better, but if you're mainly doing digital painting, eyedropping may actually be necessary to get a really good sense of HSV/RGB/whatever color space you're using.

Also, after you do it for a while, you will have a good enough intuition for it that you'll be able to guess colors more-or-less correctly without eyedropping. So, I say that you should use your own judgement and do whatever seems most practical and helpful for your goals. Almost nothing you do will actually hinder your development. There isn't a straight and bump-less road you can take in this kind of thing.

[JosephCow]

My issue with that is that there's lots of different ways to posterize an image. It's not necessarily going to group the values in the best manner and that's not necessarily something you want to imitate. Nothing wrong with experimenting with it just to get an idea, but generally you want to make thise kinda of decisions about the relationships yourself. That being said, do whatever makes sense to you.

[darktiste]

I'm trying to do value studies, but I have a really hard time seeing the different values. Is it okay if I use posterize and the eyedropper to help with seeing and using the right values, or will that hinder my development?

I consider the eyedropper tool as checking tool will study. For example if you want to know if as green is more blue or yellow you pick the eyedropper.But let say you are working on a piece but for time sake you use the eyedropper to selected a color you already put down.Here you have two scenario.One is a situation where you are learning the other is a situation where you are working.It can be hard to understand what is a study if you recently started but it basically what the intention are.Are you trying to learn or are you trying to save time?You can't save time if you don't know how something work...it not cheating to use someone color but it doesn't teach you anything if you only use other people color because you never develop a taste of your own.

Here what i suggest you do with the eye picker.

First you estimate the color than you pick a brush and try to color the closest to the reference.Then to correct your assumption you take the eye picker pick the brush and lay down the color next to your estimate.What i mean by that is you let your eye picker color selection menu open to see where the color shift.

One thing is sure you can't cheat value but you can color pick all you want.But if you don't understand color you won't understand why a color feel nice next to an other or why it hurt to look at or why there certain color mix in a color you though was pure.

The only person who can hinder you is yourself it what you do with the tool that change if they serve you or hurt you.

You won't have amazing color just because you color pick you will only have a color palette you won't gain the person understanding or the person technic using those tool.  There is so much more to the fundamental than color that really i wouldn't make a big deal out of. It just a tool it not a magic wand.

Posterizing as no much value in my eye. It might help you get a bit better at seeing value grouping but it observation that make you good at value estimation not a computer .Posterizing is a filter and because of that it can make the artwork look computer generated something that might not always be wanted.

If you have eye but don't want to use them it fine no need to be the best in color you can make black in white art no problem but you will limit yourself by how much you use those tool and if those tool are taken away from you it might be an handicap that might hurt by how much you rely on those tool .The general rule i think most give when it come to tool is use the tool if you have it but don't make excuse that you don't have the tool.Meaning rely on as little tool as possible when learning but as a professional use all the tool you can if it make it better and quicker.

[leo_7]

Thank you all for the helpful replies.