About the author:This guest article was written by Emma Best from Laptopical - a guide to the latest laptop reviews and laptop related news. You can also follow her on Twitter.
ChemDoodle is such a fantastic chemical drawing software package. Easy to use and PACKED with features it is such a bargain compared to the alternatives. The interface is intuitive and the User Guide is easy to read (I especially enjoy it being a searchable pdf). I've recommended this software to colleagues and will continue to do so. Great to use as a 'Free Reader'. In the unlicensed mode your colleagues may view, edit, and print any EazyDraw drawing no matter how large. This policy lets you send original high quality EazyDraw artwork to other Mac users, they just need to download the 125 Meg install image to view or collaborate with your EazyDraw drawing. Solid Edge 2D Drafting Siemens. If you are looking for a 2D software for electrical and mechanical use, Solid Edge 2D Drafting, the program developed by Siemens might be the perfect solution. This free drawing program can help you with technical drawings, and product development. Enabling collaboration at any time, in any place, Solid Edge is an intuitive program compatible with DXF and DWG. Krita - extended tool-set aimed at digital drawing. It's available for Mac/Windows/linux and some tablets. Krita seems to be one of the most underrated free and open source painting apps on the market, despite it being in development for over 10 years.
I've been using my MacBook Pro since a while now and I must say: I really love it. The most common app(s) that designers use has to be Adobe Photoshop (Or the full suite). The app(s) are great, but there is a downside: The price tag. Photoshop CS4 costs $699, CS4 extended is $999 and the full Creative Suite starts at an stunning $1799. For many people this is just a little bit too much to 'play around with'.
Luckily, there are also many free applications out there that can do the same kind of job that Photoshop could do for you. This article rounds up the best 15 free Mac Programs for Graphic Designers. Some of these applications can even do stuff that can't be achieved using Photoshop, or are much more simple to use.
Keep your wallet in your pocket, since all these programs will cost you nothing.
GIMP
The most popular of all free photo editing software, GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, and is highly-supported and frequently updated. Comparative to Photoshop, users can perform basic tasks such as photo retouching, color correction, and image size, or more complicated tasks like image composition and creation. GIMP has a scripting interface for advance users, as well as plugins, extensions, and filters.
Seashore
If you want GIMP, but don't have X11, then Seashore is the appropriate software for you. Based on GIMP, it has nearly all the settings and functions of the more advanced program without the higher requirements.
Inkspace
An excellent alternative to Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw, Inkscape is a free vector graphics program supporting standard SVG format, as well as XML and CSS standards. This program can do everything you'll need in a vector graphics program - tracing, path operations, direct XML editing, etc. Import and export formats include all the common image types, including JPEG, PNG, and TIFF.
Front End Digital Media Workshop
Don't waste time manually resizing individual photos for your various projects. Front End Digital Media is a batch conversion app for images (as well as video and audio), and allows you to mass resize, resample, split, join, and up/down sample JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, PSD, and PICT image files.
Image Tricks
Roxio easy cd dvd creator 6 free download. The biggest appeal for the Image Tricks app is the ability to apply dozens of different filters to over 20 different image formats. The finished photos can then be exported as either TIFF, JPEG, or PNG.
Comipro Plus
If you create cartoons of any type, Comipro Plus is an excellent app. Designed in Japanese but usable to English speakers, this program helps create modern-looking comics, including editing and adding word bubbles.
Google SketchUp
Different from a normal vector graphics program, Google's SketchUp allows you to not only create a design, but view it in 3D. It is easier to use than more complicated 3D software, such as AutoCAD, and is free.
Colorate
Colorate is used to change and manipulate the colors in a photo. The Library generates a color swatch based on the photo, then allow you to add a new color pallete, either blending the current one, creating a custom one, or randomizing a completely new pallete.
Goldberg
This program is best used for those times when you're viewing your photos, and notice that a color is slightly off, or a side needs cropped a bit more. Instead of firing up a full photo editing application, you can simply make minor adjustments, including color correction, blurs, noise, and embossing.
NIH Image
If you need to animate one of your photos or designs, this program is for you. It's compatible with a wide array of programs, and in addition to animating images, it can also perform minor tweaks to contrast, sharpening, smoothing, filters, and more. It also analyzes particles, angles, and paths.
Scratch
This program is so simple, it can be used also immediately with no prior instruction. It is used for creating small games, interactive art, and animated stories, and is primarily marketed to children. Despite it's juvenile market, it is an excellent tool for putting together quick interactive banners and images without the learning curve.
DAZ Studio
If you're in need of realistic 3D models, DAZ Studio is an easy-to-learn 3D program for creating 3D objects, including people, animals, and objects (buildings, cars, etc). DAZ Studio is easier to use than other 3D animation tools, and is perfect for creating surrealistic and 3D art.
Bryce
Built to run with the aforementioned DAZ Studio software, Bryce is used to create real-looking landscapes using photos of real landscapes. Take a picture of your yard, a forest, some mountains, or other landscapes, import it into Bryce, and then add all the elements needed to turn it into a new world.
ArchiCAD
If you need a 3D design tool with more power and features than Google SketchUp, ArchiCAD is the right program to you. Similar to AutoCAD in both function and name, this program allows users to design their sketches and ideas into a realistic 3D render.
JAlbum
Every graphic designer requires an efficient way to keep all their photos and images organized. JAlbum is the ultimate photo organizer, as it not only allows you to organize your photos and folders using simple drag-and-drop functionality, but it also creates thumbnails and HTML pages of your photos for easy online publishing. The HTML pages to publish can be made to either export a gallery or a slide show. In addition, there's support for IPTC and EXIF data, lossless editing, image filters, style sheets, and an integrated FTP client.
Bonus: Pixelmator
I've added Pixelmator myself to this list, as Emma didn't include this app to her top 15 list. I really love to use Pixelmator myself and I don't think it should be missing from this amazing list.
Pixelmator, the beautifully designed, easy-to-use, fast and powerful image editor for Mac OS X has everything you need to create, edit and enhance your images.
Bonus: Blender
Just like Pixelmator, I've added Blender myself to this list, as Emma didn't include this app to her top 15 list. Behringer xenyx x1222 usb drivers. Blender is a great open source app for 3d content.
Blender is the free open source 3D content creation suite, available for all major operating systems under the GNU General Public License.
Are there more Mac Apps that you, as a graphic designer, love to use that is missing from the list above? Please share!
This guest article was provided to you by Emma Best from Laptopical.
Tags: guest articlemacappsgraphic designtoolsfree
Free Art Programs For Mac
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Spread the word and submit to:We already covered the ten free CAD software for every type of platform. Here is another ten best CAD software for Mac that will run natively on the Mac OS X operating system. It is fully compatible with the Mac operating system, and no need to use any specific emulation software or a compatibility layer to uses this software.
Ten best CAD software for Mac
1 Vectorworks CAD for Mac
Vectorworks is an object-oriented CAD software for Mac OS. The software primarily uses for 2D Drafting, technical drawing, and highly effective 3D modeling. It gives 2D, 3D, production management, and presentation capabilities for all levels of the design course. It additionally very versatile, so designers have the complete freedom to design how they want and very handy to create, model, and present easily and precisely with one software.
Website – Vectorworks
2 AutoCAD for Mac
AutoCAD for Mac is a robust 3D free form design tool and powerful drafting capabilities for your favorite platform. It has a simple, Intuitive graphical User interface that makes your ideas into reality. It saves all your work into DWG format, so you can easily share files with clients, suppliers, and partners around the world, regardless of platform.
Website: AutoCAD for Mac
3 CADintosh for Mac
CADintosh for Mac is a 2D-CAD software for electrical, mechanical, and architectural drawings. It has interactive window redrawing, where users can work at the same time as the window redrawing. You can easily import and export your work into multiple formats such as HPGL, DXF, and PICT. There are two types of modes provided by the software. One is Pen oriented Mode, and another one is an individual Mode. Pen-oriented Mode gives you 8 line widths/line colors/pens, and personal Mode gives you line width from 0.0 to 99.99 mm, pattern, and colors.
Website: CADintosh for Mac
4 BRL-CAD for Mac
BRL-CAD is a powerful cross-platform solid geometry (CSG) modeling system. The software comes with an interactive geometry editor, ray-tracing for rendering & geometric analyses, network distributed frame buffer support, image & signal-processing tools.
Website: BRL – CAD
5 Domus CAD – 3D Architectural CAD for Mac
Domus CAD is a 3D Architectural Parametric CAD that allows you to create a three-dimensional element without starting from a two-dimensional plane. It provides ready features such as walls, floors, roofs, and stairs built from the onset in their complete three-dimensional form. You can easily see the 3D model changes in real-time as you design your plan.
Website: Domus.Cad
6 Sailcut CAD for Mac
Sailcut CAD is a sail design and plotting software. It means that you can design and visualize your sail and compute all panels’ actual growth in flat sheets. Sailcut CAD is ready to do cross cut, twist foot cut, vertical cut, mitre cut, and radial cut sail design as well as wing sails, all in quite a few languages. It alsoincludes a viewer whereyou’ll be able to assemble a hull, a rig, and a set of sails to see how they match. Sailcut CAD has been successful uses for making sails for racing and cruising yacht and model boats.
Website: Sailcut CAD
7 MacDraft Pro for Mac
MacDraft Pro is the 2D CAD software that makes it easy to design floor plans, architectural drawings, and illustrations simple on the Mac. Create detailed and professional 2D graphics in moments with this easy-to-use, powerful, and affordable drafting software.
With its precise vector tools, intelligent units, and fully-featured scaled atmosphere, MacDraft Pro is designed to implement an easy-to-use solution without wasting too much time learning techniques to use more complicated software.
The latest version of MacDraft Pro contains some significant changes and features that make it more intuitive, highly effective, and easy-to-use than ever before. Adding a wide range of features not only makes MacDraft Pro easier but also speeds up your design process.
Website: MacDraft Pro
8 HighDesign 2D CAD for Mac
HighDesign is the alternative, fully-featured 2D CAD software for Mac OS. It’s a perfect combination of advanced drafting and design tool with a modern, performance-based user interface designed to help the user in every stage of the creative process. HighDesign offers in-depth knowledge of drawing and editing skills, from required drafting methods to extra superior DXF/DWG compatibility.
Parametric tools like vector hatches and patterns, smart annotations, symbols with several views, partitions, columns, windows and doors, and more. The software is beneficial to satisfy the actual requirements of architects, engineers, and design professionals. It allows them to design complex projects with accuracy and strong management over several parts of the projects.
Website: HighDesign
9 QCAD for Mac
QCad is software for computer-aided drafting in two dimensions (2D). With QCad, you’ll be able to create technical drawings such as plans for buildings, interiors, and mechanical components or schemas and diagrams. QCad works on Windows, Mac, and many Linux and Unix systems. The source code of the QCad community edition is launched under the GPL license.
Website: QCAD
Free Drawing Package For Mac Download
10 Graphite for Mac
Free Drawing Package For Mac Os
Graphite is a 2D and 3D wireframe CAD software for Mac. The software is previously known as Vellum. It has a simple, easy-to-use user interface that helps creative people to create precision drawing and Drafting without having any knowledge. With Graphite, the user can create 2D and 3D wireframe designs of immense complexity and precision detail.
Website: Graphite