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image-editor posts

Filed under: Desktops, Software

Pixelmator 1.4.1 brings noise filter, Pixelmator Learning with it

Our friends over at Pixelmator have released a new update, and while it's not quite as big as their point versions, it does add a few new features and a nice online guide to the program. The main new feature in-app is a noise filter that allows users to add random specks and pixels to an image, creating a little more realism and mess to whatever shapes they're working on. But the bigger addition is out-of-app: they've created an online Learning database with tutorials, tips, and lessons on how to make the most of the image-editing app. There's actually quite a bit of stuff there now, from text and video tutorials to even third-party tutorials submitted by users. If you are interested in learning more about how to use Pixelmator, definitely give it a look. They've also updated the user manual, too, so if you haven't seen that in a while, that's worth checking out as well.

There are also a few performance updates and bugfixes -- here's the list if you want to check it for something you're interested in. I still don't see my personal issue on there: it seems like whenever I switch between the Spaces on my Mac that hold iTunes and Pixelmator, the OS doesn't want to stay put -- it keeps jumping back to the iTunes Space while I'm trying to work on Pixelmator. Of course that might be an iTunes issue, but hopefully the Pixelmator team is looking into it.

Other than that, it's still a great app for editing and resizing images, and at $59, is definitely cheaper and simpler than investing in a big Photoshop suite. The 1.4.1 update will show up automatically for current users, and the app can be downloaded as a free trial from their site.

Filed under: Software

Acorn 1.2

Acorn, Flying Meat's easy to use image editor, was updated to version 1.2 over the weekend. Acorn is the perfect image editor for me: it is easy to use, quick to launch, and it tries to guess what I want to do with an image and does it for me (that's what I call service!).

New in version 1.2 are:
  • "Last filter" command for applying the same filter over and over again
  • support for JPEG 2000 images (they are like JPEGs only 2000 times better)
  • smarter Trim command makes trimming even easier
  • a host of bug fixes, UI refinements, and small features all listed here
Acorn requires OS X 10.4.9 or higher, and costs $49.95. 1.2 is a free upgrade for registered users.

Filed under: Multimedia, Software

Iris public beta available

Image editors are for the Mac are suddenly popping up everywhere. There's Pixelmator and Acorn, and this month Nolobe has released the public beta of Iris...only three months overdue.

So what happened? It's a terrible story, actually, as a fire put everything on hold for the developers. The good news is they're back at it and you can test Iris out for yourself. One of the things that makes Iris unique is its single-window interface (Image editors typically display palettes).

When you've got several images open, they're displayed in a row at the bottom of the window (see image above). It take some adjustment if you're used to a palatte-driven application, but nice and snappy.

Remember, this is a beta, so expect bugs and don't use it for mission-critical files. Iris will retail for $79 when it is released but can be pre-ordered for $39.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Apple, Leopard, Developer

An overview of Leopard for developers


If you haven't seen this roundup yet, Matt Gemmell's huge list of everything Leopard can do for developers is pretty amazing. It's a bit on the technical side, but worry not-- about 1/4 of the way down the page you'll think that this is a list only for developers, and if you keep scrolling you'll start to see that (somewhere around the "HUD windows" part) Apple has broken open almost all of their interfaces to developers of all makes and models. Everything from menus to date formatting is updated in Leopard's developer applications, and there's lots of "freebies" that will make even smaller programs better-- icons and images, an image editor, and a built-in grammar checker can all be easily implemented in any Leopard apps.

As hot as this operating system is (and yes, despite the problems that folks are having with it), the really good stuff is yet to come. When talented programmers and designers get their hands on these tools, then we'll really see why it's so great to be a Mac user.

Thanks, Tony!

Tip of the Day

Holding the Command key (aka the Apple key) and pressing Tab will cycle through your open applications. It's easier to Cmd-Tab if you are Copy (Cmd-C) and Pasting (Cmd-V) to and from various applications.


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