Acorn

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579

i use this

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Version: 1.5.3 || Release Date: 2009-05-11 || License: Shareware ($49.95) Developer: Flying Meat Inc.

Bitmap image editor.

Acorn is a new image editor built with one goal in mind - simplicity. Fast, easy, and fluid, Acorn provides the options you'll need without any overhead. Acorn feels right, and won't drain your bank account.

Take screenshots using Acorn and edit them right away.
Chain together image filters to create stunning effects.
Layer based image editing, an industry standard.
Make new images and layers using your built-in iSight.
Easy image and canvas resizing, just by changing the size of your window.
Take advantage of every pixel of your monitor with full screen image editing.
Tablet sensitive for pressure strokes and using the tablet's eraser.
Vector shape and text layers.
Freeform, elliptical, rectangular, and magic wand selections.
Gradients.
Create and apply custom text styles.
Control opacity and blending modes for each layer.
Write plugins using the Python scripting language, as well as in Objective-C.
GPU powered. The same graphics card that makes your gaming experience smooth, helps Acorn fly through the toughest of graphics operations.

Required OS: 10.4
Tags: graphics , image , photo

8 Opinions

by estemuchacho2, 2009-03-25

You can get this app for only $39. And get a whole bunch of other apps along with it, all included in that price.

It's the MacHeist Bundle. It's only available for the next couple of weeks, plus there's an early bird set of bonus apps, if you're quick about it.

Check it out: http://www.macheist.com/bundle/u/238562 !

by frigginjoe, 2009-03-11

For quick editting, I use Acorn.
For the more involved stuff, there's always GIMP.
GIMP is free and powerful, but I'd always rather start up Acorn.
Acorn crashes here and there, and isn't the fastest with accelerated drawing or large files, but it starts up right way and the interface is perfect.
This arrangement has thankfully taken away the requirement for Photoshop.

by sysops, 2007-10-22 (score: 2)

Downloaded the demo and after about 10 minuets of using it my credit card was out and i bought it.

by rebrimhall, 2007-10-15 (score: 1)

I really like Acorn. I just tried it and Pixelmator and chose Acorn. It's simple and not having the palettes is a plus for me. I just needed a basic but capable image editor and this fits the bill. Pretty much all the Flying Meat apps are winners though.

by astorg, 2007-10-07 (score: 1)

It's not as snazzy as Pixelmator, but it's actually more powerful and ideal for basic image editing.

by berdan, 2007-09-27 (score: 1)

Fast and uncluttered application with a very friendly developer. I use this one for "normal" image editing, when booting up the giant, expensive beast named Photoshop is overkill.

by matt, 2007-09-16 (score: 1)

I agree that Pixelmator really has some competition in Acorn.

by bitnix, 2007-09-12 (score: 6)

Wow. All I can say is Wow!

This is just what the doctor ordered. Acorn definitely looks like something worthy of competing with the up and coming, incredibly buzzed-about Pixelmator app.

For those who fancy the art of pixel editing, this effectively puts an end to the eternal wait for proper tools. I'm not sure at all, which app is going to be the better. Considering that the price tag for Acorn looks to be a tad smaller than Pixelmator's, it's going to be a tough call.

Some things that I loved about Acorn after a first test drive:

- Nice and clean interface!
- Pixel-precise editing; easy to draw, pixel by pixel. And the selection tools are just as easy to handle. Ugly anti-aliasing begone!
- Small footprint; fires up in a snap, after you double-click the progam icon.

Some things that confused me:

- I found the tools a bit fiddly to reach. Would like to see an option to kind of show them like Photoshop, Pixelmator, et. al. (i.e. in line, all together, either vertically or horizontally).
- The unselected part, when you make a selection, looks sort of ugly, if I may say so. Better have an option to make it look opaque, instead of showing the wildly distorted square grid underneath.
- I desperately need to be able to Option-drag selected art, in order to instantly create multiple copies of it. And I'd like it NOT to create a new layer for when I duplicate a selection (this counts for normal copy/paste operation as well). I think it's much more convenient if the user gets to manually create a new layer by him-/herself.

Some things left wishing for:
- Why of course, vector editing. :) Although, I recognize the fact that this takes time and effort to implement well. No hurry.
- I couldn't find an option to adjust the size of the transparency squares, which would be nice. Maybe also, an option to have the same squares resize automagically when zooming in, so as to better help adding to the effect of actually being zoomed in and out respectively, and thus, make it easier to perceive where your pixels are going to "land" when you start 'painting' (clicking in my case) them in.
- Being able to right-click, or simply click twice on already filled pixels, for quick erasing.
- To my testing it appeared to be lacking masking features. (I may be wrong, but I did a search in the Help documentation for 'mask', but never found anything about it.) Something in the spirit of Photoshop's masking department, with quick masks, etc. would be nice to see.

Acorn definitely has my attention. I just about to make a purchase for a good pixel editor. The choice is between this and Pixelmator...

The impressing record of well received applications delivered by this developer, definitely works in favor for Acorn.