Filed under: Software, Internet Tools
Graphic Converter 6 released
Graphic Converter from Lemkesoft is an arguably under-appreciated photo editor and basic organizer for Mac OS X. Provided free on some (maybe all?) Macs that Apple ships, it is a quietly powerful app for performing a good number of photo editing and basic retouching, and it even includes a basic photo organizer á la iPhoto, Lightroom or Aperture. For even more features, Lemkesoft just released a new v6 of Graphic Converter, bringing a long list of new and updated features, including:
- a save for web option
- basic layer support
- 'go to photo position' in Google Earth
- rulers for measuring various aspects of images
- support for Microsoft's new free-to-use HD Photo image format that rivals JPG
- compatibility with the Leopard beta
- and a ton more
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
David said 7:53PM on 7-26-2007
It's actually only bundled with the "Pro" Mac's, which is a bit annoying since I have a MacBook.
but it is a very nice program
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Alan said 7:55PM on 7-26-2007
AFAIK, it didn't come with my Macbook, so you can correct the article on that point.
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Ondra Soukup said 8:04PM on 7-26-2007
My MacBook Pro (2.2GHz bought very few weeks ago) doesn't have it bundled.
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andrew said 8:48PM on 7-26-2007
My first gen MBP doesnt have it either. so, yeah. might want to edit that only SOME macs have it =)
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Marcos said 9:25PM on 7-26-2007
Under-appreciated?
Maybe to the kids that are new to the platform (i.e. those who'd say "Font/DA Mover??? What is a Font/DA Mover????"), but I'm pretty sure that almost any person who's been using a Mac for a while would name GraphicConverter as the most important shareware in the history of the platform.
If you disagree, I'd love to hear which one you think it is.
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Joshua Ochs said 2:32AM on 7-27-2007
A program with a great feature set, but an abysmal interface. Menus are sprawling and fairly disorganized, same for the huge masses of preferences. Quite simply, the interface reeks of System 6. Yes, 6. As a result I use it only for opening/converting files, and slideshow.
People have been begging for an interface refresh for years, but as far as I can tell the developer has turned a deaf ear. I registered when it went universal, but I won't upgrade until the interface gets a MAJOR overhaul.
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shadownight said 10:22PM on 7-26-2007
It's "à la iPhoto", not "a là iPhoto". A nitpick, I know, but I need to defend the use of my mother tongue ;)
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artifex said 11:56PM on 7-26-2007
shadownight: using your mother's tongue for what? Indefensible!
Just kidding.
Yay! Free update for the bundle buyers! The dialog that pops up also says the update's free for anyone who bought it Jan 01, 2007 or later, except for auctions or bundles (!)
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Adrian said 4:21AM on 7-27-2007
Graphic Concerter isn't bundled with new Macs anymore. I had it on my Powerbook G4 but it's missing on my MacBook Pro.
IIRC, Apple stopped bundling Graphic Converter all together at that time.
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Justin said 8:49AM on 7-27-2007
It came with my power mac g5 quad and I've used it on quite a few occasions, once I figured out what it was exactly.
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Scott said 9:32AM on 7-27-2007
I use Graphic Converter to browse folders of images, crop here and there, and do some basic conversions and file renaming--probably about 10% of its features. It seems like more stuff I don't use has been added, rather than refining the basics. Is there any reason to upgrade?
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cheez said 10:49AM on 7-27-2007
My brand new MBP doesnt have it either >.<
Is there an option to just preview an image without going to edit mode? I mean like ACDSee?I thinking of buying that app..looks like i found an ACDSee app for my mac...I wish this was bundled on my MBP tho.
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Pewter Tankard said 12:53PM on 7-27-2007
My new MBP didn't come with Graphic Converter on it either, presumably since a trial of Aperture is now pre-installed (what was that about Hi-I'm-a-Mac...and-I'm-a-PC-loaded-down-with-pesky-trial-software?).
What with iPhoto and Aperture on the same hard disc, it's not hard to see why this s/w has been left out. I did take advantage of the MacUpdate bundle so I'll definitely give this a go, at least before deciding whether Aperture is worth my hard earned cash.
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Michael Sternberg said 2:14PM on 7-27-2007
Joshua Ochs -- right on the mark!
As capable as this app is, I was hoping it would get a much-needed UI face-lift in the new release. With OSX being around since how many year now, this app still looks a lot like Classic, mouse cursors, window animations, and even file requesters.
More importantly, this app simply tries to be too many things at once, so the UI is overloaded to the point of being ugly: the toolbar for an image holds a mixed bag of sliders and miscellaneous buttons, the preferences pane has so many categories that it needs a scroll list, and the context menu on a displayed image needs vertical scrolling, too. Where is the elegance?
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marcosmalo said 3:41PM on 7-27-2007
Meh. Still doesn't do email.
j/k
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Tim said 6:21PM on 8-09-2007
GC is a workhorse application, by far one of the best values out there. Its unfortunate that they didn't clearly state that version 6 is a paid upgrade now.
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