Graphics Archive

Xara X Vector Graphic Program Released Under GPL

Submitted by ac 2005-10-11 Graphics 56 Comments

"Xara is pleased to announce that it intends to make its flagship graphics product, Xara X, open oource. Xara is also working to bring it to the Linux and Mac platforms. Xara X is the world's fastest and we believe the most versatile graphics software. It's primarily a vector graphics program but is one of the new generation of cross-over products that handles photos and drawings with equal ease."

A First Look at GIMP 2.4

Thom Holwerda 2005-10-05 Graphics 22 Comments

A major update to the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), widely regarded as the leading free software raster image editing program, is scheduled for this month. The 2.4 release is expected to include a number of new features and enhancements to existing features.

Windows XP Gets Some Glass

Eugenia Loli 2005-10-05 Graphics 8 Comments

Stardock has unveiled its first beta of WindowBlinds 5 and with it, glass effects for Windows XP users. Stardock claims that beta 1 of WindowBlinds 5 achieves performance on the same level as the current beta of Windows Vista in terms of delivering glass effects. WindowBlinds 5 also is able to do deliver glass effects on relatively low-end hardware (though it still requires a video card with at least 32MB of video memory).

Top 8 Reasons Why HCI Is in Its Stone Age

Submitted by Anonymous coward 2005-09-06 Graphics 101 Comments

This opinion piece gives 8 reasons as to why HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) is in its stone age. It talks of screen corners, visual attention, the spatial paradigm (oh my...) and much more.

Interview: With Tuomo Valkonen

Submitted by Jens Persson 2005-08-23 Graphics 19 Comments

This week in Arch Linux's news letter there was an interview with Ion's creator Tuomo Valkonen. Ion is a complete desktop environment built on the tiling windowmanager PWM. It uses Lua as an embedded interpreter which handles all of the configuration. It mainly uses the keyboard to access the functions but also supports the mouse for some things.

Microsoft Acrylic Tool

Submitted by ajam 2005-08-23 Graphics 25 Comments

Microsoft seems to be making its move into a market that it's left alone for a long time: It's new software, code named "Acrylic," professional design program that combines pixel-based painting and vector graphics. It is supposed to be somewhat based on the Creature House Expression product Microsoft bought in 2003. There's a new Community technology Preview available.

Future Display Standard Proposed

Thom Holwerda 2005-08-19 Graphics 39 Comments

A brighter picture and less wires are some of the advantages to a new display standard for PCs, TVs and projectors being reviewed by the Video Electronics Standards Association, or VESA. Called DisplayPort, it allows for more colors, better resolution and refresh rates, and connections involving fewer cables.

Macromedia Launches Studio 8

Thom Holwerda 2005-08-08 Graphics 19 Comments

Macromedia Monday announced Macromedia Studio 8, the new version of its suite for Web designers, video professionals and graphic artists to design, develop and maintain interactive online applications and content

Pixen 3 Beta 1 Released

Thom Holwerda 2005-07-25 Graphics 42 Comments

Yesterday, the Open Sword Group released a beta of Pixen v3. "Pixen is the best program for the pixel artist using Mac OS X. Pixen is specifically for small-scale or pixel art; it shines better there than any other application. Not only that, but Pixen carries no price tag: it's open source under the MIT license and absolutely free." As far as I know, this is the only application of it's kind, with no equivelant on either Mac, Windows or Linux.

New “Electronic Paper” Can Bend

David Adams 2005-07-14 Graphics 23 Comments

Fujitsu has developed a new thin film display that maintains its image and color even while being bent. It also contains built-in Nonvolatile memory to keep the image stable.

How To Make Your Linux Desktop Look Awesome

Thom Holwerda 2005-07-13 Graphics 47 Comments

We have heard a lot lately about projects aimed at bringing all that eye candy of operating systems such as OS X to the Linux world. Projects such as Xgl, Enlightenment, and others have given us a glimpse of what’s coming, but what can you do to enjoy a taste of some of the future… today?

Macromedia Flash Player Public Beta

Thom Holwerda 2005-07-12 Graphics 47 Comments

Macromedia has released a beta version of the 8th incarnation of their web content player, Flash. This beta version is only available for Windows and Macintosh.

Photoshop: A History In Pictures

Submitted by Bernt 2005-07-04 Graphics 35 Comments

GUIdebook has an interesting set of screenshots and information about Photoshop. It lists screenshots of various windows and dialogs of all the versions released in the past, for Mac and Windows. Definitely worth a look.

Software Usability Guideline in the Works

David Adams 2005-06-20 Graphics 20 Comments

Badly designed software is costing businesses millions of dollars annually because it's difficult to use, requires extensive training and support, and is so frustrating that many end users underutilize applications, say IT officials at companies such as The Boeing Co. and Fidelity Investments. Despite those problems, most CIOs remain unaware of a 3-year-old standard designed to help IT managers compare the usability of software products.

About the Spatial Debate

Guest post by Dave Feldman 2005-05-09 Graphics 34 Comments

I have written an editorial/analysis about the spatial metaphor and surrounding debate. My perspective is one I've not seen represented much in the debate so far.

A history of the GUI

Submitted by MegaTux 2005-05-05 Graphics 49 Comments

Why did computers come to adopt the GUI as their primary mode of interaction, and how did the GUI evolve to be the way it is today?

Why Global Menubars Are Efficient — A Response

Guest post by Preston Sumner 2005-04-21 Graphics 99 Comments

This is a response to the previous article on global menubars and why they are the preferred way to present menus as opposed to attaching them to floating windows.

Improving Computer Interfaces & Usability

Guest post by Mayuresh Walke 2005-04-21 Graphics 32 Comments

What's the best way to: a. Improve usability in software applications? b. Review usability of existing software? c. Generate, encourage and review new ideas on software UI design? d. Make all this research work freely available to everyone (open source, proprietary, etc.)? e. Connect with all developer groups and individuals out there to share this work with them? Read more to find out.

The Problem with Global Menu Bars

Guest post by Steve [no more info was sent] 2005-04-17 Graphics 174 Comments

I've always found Global menu bars (ala Mac) to be bad usability-wise. They have numerous problems. I've always found that having a single menu bar at the top of the screen as Macs are both confusing and inefficient. Menu bars like that are leftovers from when Mac OS was primarily a single process operating system, and it should have been ditched long ago.

Adobe Creative Suite 2 announced

Eugenia Loli 2005-04-04 Graphics 20 Comments

Adobe today announced the Adobe Creative Suite 2, which includes new versions of Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and GoLive.