sidestepping the hair-pulling and handbag-swinging bonanza

Poser is flawed, there's no denying it. Technically it could do with a big re-think... however, comparing it to some of the arm-and-a-leg-please applications is hardly fair. Pricewise it's a very reasonable and user-friendly application. It has it's shortfalls, but you pay your money...

I have to disagree with the "It looks like a Poser render" being a application-biased comment, even though that may well be how it was intended. A peek into the Poser gallery will often show the same pictures time and time again, and that is more the fault of the artist than the application. * puts on flame-retardant undies*  I don't claim to be an artist, I merely work with the program, so my interest lies primarily in the steps before render than the finished product itself. Sometimes the limitations of the program mean that postwork for a realistic and believable image is unavoidable, which makes un-postworked images of exceptional quality such a rare gem.

For those that strive for realism the comment "It looks like a photo...." is often the greatest compliment, no matter if they work on a pc, with a pencil, or a lump of clay. Poser is just a tool, expecting miracles from it is unrealistic, the real talent ( as always ) lies within the artist themselves.

Michelle