Mac|Life Graphics and Multimedia RSS Feed

Could Flash Be Coming to the App Store?

J Keirn-Swanson — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 02:21:41 -0500

It could be in some form or other, if comments made by Adobe's Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch, prove to be true. According to Lynch, a full-featured version of Flash for mobile devices will arrive before year's end.

The ability for the iPhone to process Flash-based graphics, animation and movies could be a huge step for the devices. At this stage, there are a number of apps with the same level of interactivity as Flash. But any device that only sees the HTML side of the web is half as good as it needs to be. (At least until sites begin supporting HTML 5 and unified codecs, but that's another argument entirely.)

Lynch's comments were echoed by Ted Patrick, Adobe's Senior Manager of Developer Communities at a company event for analysts. As a whole, all of Adobe's comments, from their prediction of full-fledged Flash for iPhones (Apple depending, of course) to their embrace as a culture and a company to a partly crowd sourced model, were reasons to celebrate.

So will Adobe Flash based applications eventually arrive on our iPhones, taking more advantage of the accelerometer and location-based functions, before year's end? Or will many online surfing adventures continue to end in little cubical boxes alerting us to missing plug-ins?

Only time will tell, but this is a rumor making rounds with credible sources and the potential to be a real game changer. The App store might just be about to get even more interesting.

Autodesk Mudbox 2009

Autodesk — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:14:27 -0500

Autodesk® Mudbox™ software is an advanced, high-resolution, brush-based 3D modeling software built on a unique sculpting paradigm. This production-proven digital modeler has been designed from the ground up to address the needs of professional modelers working in the film, game development, design, and visualization industries.

REQUIREMENTS: Apple® Mac OS® X 10.5.5 operating system or higher, Intel®-based Apple® Macintosh® computers, Qualified graphics card can be found on www.autodesk.com/mudbox-hardware, 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended), 650 MB free hard drive space (2 GB recommended), Ethernet adapter or wireless Internet card, Mouse or qualified Wacom® tablet, DVD-ROM drive

To download a demo copy of Autodesk® Mudbox 2009 (141MB), click here.

Graphics and Multimedia: Full Software List

The Software Vault — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:47:16 -0500

Here's a list of all the demos, trials, freeware, shareware, and donationware in the Graphics and Multimedia section of the Software Vault. Check back often to see what's new and what's been updated.

Just click on any software title for more information and a download link.

Sponsors:

Art Text 1.2.5 demo - Where Text Becomes an Art

iScrapbook 1.6.0 trial - Design and print beautiful scrapbooks in minutes.

Klix 1.0 demo - Recover photographs from damaged or uncooperative media cards and cameras.

Lineform 1.3.2 demo - Here's the ideal tool for vector based diagrams and illustrations.
OmniGraffle 4.1.2 trial - Easily create diagrams, family trees, flow charts, org charts, layouts, and more.

Snapz Pro X 2.1.2 shareware - A powerful, versatile, and easy to use screen capture solution for Mac OS X.

Editors' Picks:

Line Form 1.5 demo - Fast, lean and Universal, Lineform offers powerful features in an uncluttered interface that’s designed to help you get work done!

Billings 2.5 trial - Time and expense tracking has never been so easy.
ButtonDesign 1.5 trial - Create buttons, and easily update styles and templates as your design changes.

Charmas 2.0 shareware - Get out of the font jungle with this app.

CoverScout 2.3.4 demo - You have the music, now get the album covers.

DiscLabel 4.1.2 demo - Create, print, and share professional-looking CD labels, jewel case inserts, and DVD covers.
LightWave 3D v9.2 trial - Discover the tremendous power of this Emmy-award-winning 3D app.
FontDoctor 7.3 demo - Got font problems? Not anymore.
FontNuke 1.10 freeware - Clear troublesome font-cache files quickly and easily.
FotoMagico 1.8 demo - Build professional-looking slideshows to best present your photos.

Font Tools 7.0 demo - Good typography becomes easier with aid of this program.
GreatPhoto! demo - The quick and easy way to make digital photos look their best.

HyperImage 1.0 trial - Do you download lots of images from the web? HyperImage is made for you.
iCalamus 1.09 demo - This light-as-a-feather desktop publishing app provides great publishing freedom.
ImageBuddy 3.5.0 shareware - Photo printing on the Macintosh has never been easier or more flexible.
Live Interior 3D 1.4 trial - Design your dream room for your home or office.

MacDraft Pro 5.6 demo - A powerful 2D design, drafting and technical illustration tool in one easy-to-use, package.

Montage 1.2.2 demo - Professional-grade screenwriting software developed exclusively for Mac OS X
OnArtwork 1.0 shareware - Capture CD covers using an iSight, then modify them to your liking.

One-Click Instant Action Droplets trial - One-Click Actions transform digital images into realistic art styles.

PDFpen 3.2 demo - Split, combine, reorder, sign, and augment PDFs with text, image overlays, and watermarks.

Picturesque 1.0 trial - Use a simple, refined, and elegant interface to beautify your images in seconds.

Quicksnap 1.1 demo - A feature-packed screen capture utility.

Slide Show 8.0 demo - Quickly and easily create standalone slideshow presentations and portfolios.
You Control: Fonts 1.2 demo - Fonts can drive you crazy; this app will restore your sanity.

ZeusDraw 1.1 trial - This vector-drawing app's interface is an easy-to-use marvel.

Art Text 1.2.5

BeLight Software — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:45:42 -0500

Art Text is an application to create high quality textual graphics, headings, logos, icons, web banners and buttons. The program implements the latest Mac OS X technologies which allow you to easily modify any texts and vector shapes into a fancy graphic. Use the result with iWork, Microsoft Office, BeLight applications and other programs. Create more compelling business presentations, brochures, flyers, postcards, business cards and Web sites with the program.

REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS X 10.4 or later

To download a demo copy of Art Text 1.2.5 (11.1MB), click here.

Autodesk Maya 2008 Extension 2

Autodesk — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:12:09 -0500

Autodesk Maya 2008 Extension 2 software gives you a whole new level of creative control over polygon modeling and UV texturing. Control is achieved through efficient new selection management features, such as pre-selection highlighting, Tweak mode, and soft select for the TRS tools; an improved symmetrical modeling workflow; and new, precision UV-layout tools. The release also unveils a number of new Maya Muscle features – smart collisions, skin displacement, 14 new weight maps, and support for three new forces – that make it easier yet for animators and technical directors to create convincing character performances through detailed skin articulation and animation.

REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS 10.4.10 or later, G5 or Intel-based Mac, 2 GB RAM, 2 GB free hard drive space, qualified hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics card, three-button mouse with mouse driver software.

To download the personal learning edition of Autodesk Maya 2008, click here.

Updated: iScrapbook 1.6.0

Chronos — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:56:50 -0600

iScrapbook is a digital scrapbook tool designed for both novice and professional scrapbookers. Its assortment of design tools are sophisticated, yet so easy to use that everyone can achieve stunning results. iScrapbook manages the entire scrapbook process from page design to album organization.

iScrapbook will help you get more scrapbooking done in less time with more professional results than traditional scrapbooking.

REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS 10.4 or later

To download a trial copy of iScrapbook 1.6.0 (49.5MB), click here.

New: Line Form

Freeverse — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:44:10 -0600

Fast, lean and Universal, Lineform offers powerful features in an uncluttered interface that’s designed to help you get work done!

Winner of a 2006 Apple Design Award, Lineform is the ideal Mac app for vector-based diagrams and illustrations. Useful features combine with a simple interface to create a wonderfully intuitive artistic process. Lineform has all of the most popular tools, including everything from freeform gradients to compositing effects, enabling you to create the designs you want without getting in your way with “features” you don’t need.

REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher (10.4 for Core Image filters), G3, G4, G5 or Intel Processor, 500 Mhz or faster, 32 MB VRAM minimum, 256 MB RAM minimum, 20 MB hard drive space minimum, Internet connection required for registration.

To download a copy of Line Form 1.5 (8.1MB), click here.

Updated: Snapz Pro X 2.1.2

Ambrosia Software — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:45:56 -0600

Whether you're writing online manuals that require visual examples, or simply recording video of your flight simulator dogfighting skills, Snapz Pro X is a great utility for capturing moving or still pictures on Mac OS X.

REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS 10.3.9 or later

To download a copy of Snapz Pro X 2.1.2 (14.7MB), click here.