MacWaves MUG
Meetings Notes - April 12, 2000
Announcements
Family Resource Associates (FRA)
Jim Marzano, a BCUG member and SIG coordinator, asked if we could announce something about the following at the MacWaves meetings.
Jim volunteers for a non-profit organization called Family Resource Associates (FRA) in the Tech Connection group. Tech Connection volunteers prepare used computers, both Wintel and Mac, for distribution to disabled people. Tech Connection needs volunteers who can work with Macs, mostly the hardware - troubleshooting, installing, etc. - to get the computers in working order and then load applicable software. People have donated Macs, and there's a backlog because they don't have enough Mac technical expertise to get them worked up to distribute.
FRA is located at 35 Haddon Ave. (near Rte. 520 and 35) in Shrewsbury. Tech Connection volunteers meet most Friday afternoons, sometimes Saturdays. Anyone interested in volunteering or knowing more can call Jim, 747-6125.
MacWaves Survey Results
Web Site Updates
Misc Mac News
Topic: Low-Priced Graphics Software
Issues to consider when selecting:
- main focus of software/best used for:
- photo retouching
- bitmap painting
- object drawing
- rendering for the web
- selection tools
- creation tools
- graphical user interface (GUI)
- plug-ins support?
- supported file formats
- cost
- stability
- MacOS support
- Requirements
- disk space
- mimimum RAM
- virtual memory compatible
ColorIt!
No longer must users jump between many different programs, or purchase a fistful of plug-ins to create powerful graphics optimized for print or web use--Color It! 4.0 contains everything needed in one simple, easy-to-use program. Color It! is an award-winning, fully-featured image editing program that opens a wide variety of file formats, offers 16 levels of undo, and supports pressure-sensitive tablets and Photoshop-compatible plug-ins for scanners and filters. A customizable tools palette, animated GIF and image map creation, clipping paths, levels, curves, CMYK four-color separations, and a bevy of built-in filters including ones to remove scratches, dust and red eye are just some of the powerful features. Ideal for smaller RAM configurations, Color It! runs in as little as 3 megabytes of RAM. Work with existing images and photographs, scan in new ones, or create original works of art from scratch. Easily manipulate and blend images in ways limited only by your imagination!
- Create, view & edit animated GIF files, all without leaving the program!
- Work with a Wide Variety of File Formats including GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, PICT, PostScript, Photoshop, PhotoCD and more
- Up to 16 Levels of Undo makes experimenting or correcting mistakes easy!
- Use Photoshop 3.0- compatible plug-ins, like Alien Skin's Eye Candy and Xenofex.
- Scanner Plug-in Support (including TWAIN) so you can scan directly into Color It!
- Create and Edit Web Image Maps for clickable graphics linked to other Web locations
- Optimize GIF files with minimized color tables and/or picture data only to create smaller files for faster downloading
- Clipping Paths permits placing irregularly-shaped images in publishing programs like QuarkXPress or Adobe PageMaker without the background visible
- Auto-Save on Scan/Import for batch importing of image from digital cameras or scanners
- Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support adds a new level of creativity and control
- Low Memory Requirements: Runs in as little as 3 MB of RAM
- Improve Images with Levels, Curves, Unsharp Masking, Auto Contrast and Auto Enhance
- CMYK Four-Color Separations for process color printing with register and crop marks
- Create Vivid Linear or Radial Gradient Blends containing up to 16 colors
- Create Your Own Tool Sets load a palette with multiple copies of tools (such as brushes, with different sizes, shapes and opacities). Assign any tool to the Wacom stylus eraser
- Paint with Patterns and Textures as easily as solid colors, and create your own patterns
- Kernel Brush Tool applies convolution filter effects with any of 24 different brush shapes
- Catalog your image files for quicker browsing and retrieval
- Export documents with clipping paths.
- Remove scratches, dust, red-eye effects & more with Color It! 4.0's new built-in filters
- Quickly create client- and server-side image maps for the Web by simply defining shapes around parts of your image!
- Mix paint and pasted images together with different effects using Color It! 4.0's new paint transfer modes.
- Much, much more!
Print Explosion
The Fun and Easy-to-Use Graphics Studio Designed Exclusively for the Macintosh.
Looking for the perfect greeting card, sign, banner or other unique item? Let Print Explosion show you the way with more than 4000 professionally-crafted designs. Now it's easy to create truly stunning projects with that special personalized touch, saving time and money in the process.
You can do it all without ever leaving your Macintosh. Print Explosion's easy-to-use interface will guide you through the process from concept to finished product in a matter of just minutes!
Print Explosion is ideal for first-time publishers and professional designers alike because it contains rich graphics, layout features and text effects not found in many programs at ten times the cost.
Best of all, because Print Explosion was designed by Macintosh users for Macintosh users, you'll always feel right at home as you turn out sensational projects.
Look What You Get!
- 4000+ Professionally Crafted Designs You Can Print on Any Paper
- 50,000 Premium-Quality Graphics
- Includes 1200 Photos, 1000 Fine Art Images and 500 TrueType Fonts
- 500-Page Printed Catalog
- Includes More than 2000 Greeting Card Designs
- Templates for Avery, PaperDirect, and Idea Art Paper Products
- Hundreds of Dazzling Text Effect Combinations
- Dozens of Special Effects for Graphics
- Works with all Macintosh-Compatible Printers
Unbeatable Variety!
- Easy-to-use software to create Greeting Cards, Signs, Banners and More
- More than 2000 Ready-Made Greeting Cards
- Matching Letterheads, Envelopes and Business Cards
- Hundreds of Label Designs, All Compatible with Avery Products
- Unique Crafts and Party Sets
- Plus, Signs, Posters, Banners, Certificates, Postcards, Invitations, Announcements, Flyers, Cover Sheets and More!
Fast, Easy and Convenient!
- Import Virtually Any Graphics File, Including EPS, PICT, TIFF, JPEG and GIF
- Scan in Family Photos and Other Artwork Using Print Explosion's TWAIN-Compliant Scanning Technology
- Print Your Own Custom Font Catalog
The sky's the limit with Print Explosion. Print Explosion is the fastest, easiest way to create professional quality:
- Greeting Cards
- Signs & Posters
- Flyers
- Banners
- Certificates
- Calendars
- Invitations
- Labels
- Letterheads
- Envelopes
- Business Cards
- Fax Cover Sheets
- Report Covers
- Postcards
- Party Sets
- Gift Tags
- Bookmarks
- Crafts
- And More!
Graphic Convertor 3.8.2
GraphicConverter converts pictures to different formats. Also it contains many useful features for picture manipulation.
Key features of GraphicConverter:
- Imports about 130 graphic file formats
- Exports about 40 graphic file formats
- Batch conversion with additional action
- Slide show
- Browser
Corel Draw 8LE
Now you can preview the award-winning power of CorelDRAW™ 8 for Power Macintosh® without being limited by time-sensitive trial software. Discover an incredible collection of tools for illustration, page layout, photo editing and painting with CorelDRAW 8 Limited Edition for Macintosh. Available as a free download or in value-priced CD-ROM format, this exciting version is a comprehensive solution for Mac® users who want immediate functionality and don't require all the features of the full CorelDRAW® package for professionals. With Live Effects, professional color management features and outstanding compatibility, CorelDRAW 8 Limited Edition for Macintosh delivers exceptional creative freedom.
Designed specifically for the Mac® OS, CorelDRAW™ 8 Limited Edition for Power Macintosh® provides professional graphic designers, illustrators and desktop publishers, as well as graphics enthusiasts, with a comprehensive collection of tools for vector illustration, page layout, graphic design, image editing and raster/bitmap creation.
Applications
- CorelDRAW™ 8 Limited Edition - vector illustration and page layout
- Corel PHOTO-PAINT™ 8 Limited Edition - image editing and painting
- Features
CorelDRAW 8 Limited Edition for Power Macintosh focuses on six areas of specific concern to users: ease of use, interactivity, compatibility, integration, Internet capabilities and color management.
Ease of Use
- Live Effects - Change effects applied to objects without starting from scratch. Save time by editing effects without having to re-create artwork again and again
- Interactive tools - Numerous effects like drop shadows, blends, extrusions, fills, transparencies and more can be applied directly onscreen with intuitive controls that provide immediate feedback
- Property Bar - No need to interrupt your work to change settings in dialog boxes. The Property Bar displays the attributes and settings of the currently selected object or tool so that changes can be made onscreen without displaying complex dialogs and palettes
Compatibility
- Customization - Create a unique work environment or adjust menus, toolbars and keyboard shortcuts to look like an application you already know. Save multiple workspace files and choose the one best-suited to a particular project
- Cross-platform file compatibility - Easily exchange files with users of CorelDRAW™ 8 for Windows® 95/Windows NT® and CorelDRAW 8 for Windows NT/Alpha™.
- Compatibility with other graphics programs and formats, including:
- Adobe® Photoshop®
- Adobe® Illustrator®
- QuickTime®
- Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)
- EPS, TIFF, GIF, JPEG, PICT, PCD and many more
- (Users should be aware that file exchange is limited for non-Corel® file formats by reduced open, save, import and export capabilities.)
Integration
- Application integration - Maintain layers when opening and editing Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8 or Adobe Photoshop image files within CorelDRAW 8
- Third-party plug-in support - Support for the Adobe Photoshop plug-in standard means you can use the plug-ins you already own
Interactivity - In CorelDRAW 8:
- Interactive distortion - Add contortions and interesting effects to objects with Push, Pull, Zipper and Twister distortion
- Interactive drop shadow - Generate realistic, transparent drop shadows with complete control over direction, feathering and color
- Interactive gradient fill - Create and modify live fills on screen
In Corel PHOTO-PAINT 8:
- Interactive transparency - Apply transparencies to individual or grouped vector or bitmap objects between layers by adjusting a simple onscreen control
- Orbits - Create unique brush effects by defining the brush nib as a series of orbiting points
- Lenses - Choose from over 20 different lens effects to add incredible visual effects to an image or object
Internet* Capabilities
- Support for popular Internet image formats such as JPEG, GIF, QT and PNG with compression-quality control and preview
- Internet form object support
- Image map creation
- WYSIWYG HTML export using HTML tables or style sheets
- Multi-page document links
Color Capabilities
Professional color management - CorelDRAW 8 Limited Edition for Macintosh uses the industry-standard Kodak Digital Science - Color Management System and standard ICC color profiles to ensure color accuracy during scanning, on screen and when printing. Get the exact color you require with:
- Color Model Pickers - CMY, CMYK, RBG, HSB, HLS, Lab, YIQ, Grayscale and Registration Color
- Palette Color Pickers - Microsoft® Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator®, PANTONE®, TRUMATCH® and user-defined palettes
- Image conversion - Convert a bitmap into a monotone, duotone, tritone or quadtone
- Support for Mac® OS Technologies
CorelDRAW 8 Limited Edition for Macintosh leverages key Mac OS technologies, such as AppleScript®, QuickTime, Apple® Guide, ColorSync®, Macintosh® Drag & Drop and WorldScript®. (Users should be aware that they can open QuickTime VR files but cannot save changes. QuickTime VR movie files can be opened, modified and saved, with some restrictions.)
Competitive Graphic Products
- Adobe Illustrator 8
- Adobe Photoshop 5.5
- Macromedia® FreeHand™ 8
- Macromedia® Graphics Studio™
- Deneba™ Canvas™
- MetaCreations® Painter®
- MetaCreations® Expression™