MS Unveils Beta of New Image Editing Program

[BJ_M]

or how MS is telling adobe to get lost -- much as apple did ...?


"CNET is running a story about Microsoft's new photo editing software, Acrylic. The new program is based on Expression, which Microsoft purchased in 2003. From the article: 'Microsoft describes the software--currently available as a 77MB free download--as bringing together pixel-based painting and vector graphics features. These capabilities will put the product squarely in the market currently dominated by software maker Adobe Systems with its pixel-focused Photoshop and vector-driven Illustrator products. Acrylic appears to support opening and exporting to Photoshop and Illustrator file formats, as well as other standard graphics formats. In addition, the application appears to be able to export to Adobe's Portable Document Format, or PDF."


http://news.com.com/Microsoft+offers+beta+of+Adobe+rival/2100-1012_3-5740444.html?part...0444&subj=news

[absinthecarolinas]

Gimp, anyone?

-abs

[vitualis]

It may affect the lower end graphics programs like JASC Paintshop Pro more than Photoshop.

As for The Gimp, IMHO, it is inferior and unusable. It may be powerful but it has a UI from hell.

Regards.

[guns1inger]

And stability to match

[Nilfennasion]

At 77MB, that download is going to rule out anyone who doesn't have broadband.

[thecoalman]

As for The Gimp, IMHO, it is inferior and unusable. It may be powerful but it has a UI from hell.

Regards.

That was about my take on the Gimp but I had only looked at that briefly, and having had a quick look at this program my first complaint is you can't dock the toolpanels, can't find anyway to do it. There not even resizable, Photoimpact that I'm using has the major panels docked to the left: tools, quick color adjustment. Selecting a tool brings up the tools attribute panel below the menubar. All other larger panels are either pop-up on mouse click or have a quick link to them. Very clean interface with everthing easily accessable.

One thing I have noticed as mentioned in the article is it exports .AI That feature alone may have an impact on PS for people such as myself who would only need PS for creating AI's. Photimpact won't do it, The Gimp mentions PS images but not AI specifically, I couldn't find what JASC supports.....

As for the download on a 56k, I have downloaded files as larghe as 50 megs on dial up. I don't see why it would be an issue unless someone simply didn't want to wait or your using a ISP that's going to disconnect you.

[Nilfennasion]

or your using a ISP that's going to disconnect you.

You would be amazed how often that happens. Not to mention how frequently downloads get cut off on dial-up. Even in some developed cities in Australia, people get hung up on by their ISPs so often that users frequently complain it obviously is in the ISP's interests to make them call more often.

[vitualis]

I've downloaded both Knoppix ISO and Xandros ISO (i.e., around 600-700 Mb) on dial-up in Australia. And I don't even live in a capital city... and my ISP has a 4 hours limit per connect.

If you're on dial-up, you need to use a download manager...

Regards.

[thecoalman]

You would be amazed how often that happens. Not to mention how frequently downloads get cut off on dial-up. Even in some developed cities in Australia, people get hung up on by their ISPs so often that users frequently complain it obviously is in the ISP's interests to make them call more often.

Well I guess it's time to start complaining, When I was on dial up I'd sometimes foreget to disconnect and it would be on 12 hours later.

[CuCuy]

I'm on MSN dial-up, which automatically cuts me off after six hours regardless of activity.

[Nilfennasion]

1) I don't have that kind of patience. I was born that way, but only diagnosed with something that explains it very recently. But to put it simply, downloading 700MB or 4.35GB via dial-up is not an option. They've certainly fudged moving people away from dial-up, anyway.

2) If you are on an ISP from which you can maintain connection for more than three hours, excellent. I have been on some ISPs in Australia that hang up on you less than thirty seconds after you connect. The ISPs blame the copper wires of Telstra, Telstra denies everything, and the customers get angry. Typical Australian (non)-problem-solving.

3) You can compensate for such problems to your heart's content, too, but I prefer to solve them. I am weird like that. Not that I care what anyone else does so long as it doesn't affect me.

[absinthecarolinas]

I don't guess this program is supposed to eventually be free, eh?

Looks like the beta won't let you save anything except for the program's own file format.

-abs

[vitualis]

Well, I've used dial-up in all sorts of funny places (e.g., on a 9.6 kbit/s phone line in the Northern Territory -- 400 km NW of Alice Springs) and I haven't had a problem with connections dropping out on me for about 5 years.

In general, dial-up is pretty cheap and pretty good in Australia.

77 MB would only require 5-6 hours of download on dial-up and that shouldn't really be a problem for anyone using a download manager. Most ISPs that "auto-disconnect" you still generally give you at least 3-4 hours -- which means only ONE reconnection or at most TWO. If you connect and download overnight it should be ready for you in the morning.

Regards.

[thecoalman]

I don't guess this program is supposed to eventually be free, eh?

Looks like the beta won't let you save anything except for the program's own file format.

-abs

I noticed that too but if you use the export function you can save to AI also.

[thecoalman]

I don't guess this program is supposed to eventually be free, eh?

Looks like the beta won't let you save anything except for the program's own file format.

-abs

I noticed that too but if you use the export function you can save to AI also.

Now that I looked more closely you use the export for saving jpg, gif, png....... There all there and I wouldn't doubt that if you looked in the options menu there may be more.

[absinthecarolinas]

I don't guess this program is supposed to eventually be free, eh?

Looks like the beta won't let you save anything except for the program's own file format.

-abs

I noticed that too but if you use the export function you can save to AI also.

Now that I looked more closely you use the export for saving jpg, gif, png....... There all there and I wouldn't doubt that if you looked in the options menu there may be more.

OK, then. Sweet.

Have you all looked at the included 'samples?' They look pretty nice.

-abs