So Pixelmator 2.0 is finally here! We’ve been through delayed launch dates, lots of anger in their website comments, lots of feature requests and Apple Design Awards. Between all this an idea has emerged that this little, 30$ app can replace the 700$ pro app from Adobe. Looking at PM2.0 I can say once again – “it’s close but not yet there”. Which shouldn’t really be of any surprise – Photoshop was developed years ago and got layer support in version 4! So that’s understandable. For me PM2.0 has all the tools I need but one – it’s lacking layer styles. That one single invention in Photoshop is now as ubiquitous in my design as layers themselves. The ability to add simple stylings (color overlay or even a shadow) without creating new layers. That’s the main thing that is going to keep me from using PXM for some of my professional work.
The other thing I found a little annoying is the color palette. It jumps out as a completely style-less window from OS X and jumps out randomly. The order of tabs there is awful. Who needs those crayons? All we need is a color spectrum, a color wheel and swatches, that can be used as a constantly on, styled palette (meaning it should have dark windows like the rest of them and better UI). That’s a big design flaw.
On the other hand the new type tool is pretty good and there’s enough functionality there (including finally opening PSDs with editable text) to stop complaining. The dodge, burn and sponge tools are pretty good too. Famous Content-Aware-Fill isn’t as good as in Photoshop and sometimes needs a little help from some clone-stamping, but it’s a nice effort for their first try.
I really like the vector design tools – here we have a feature (pen tool, freehand pen tool and shapes) that is actually done BETTER than in Photoshop. Good job Pixelmator team!
As for the rest of the App there are a lot of little refinements here and there, so I decided to take it for a spin and design my next pro layout exclusively in Pixelmator. I’ll probably post some shots from the process and some more insight next week. If you don’t have it yet go to the Mac App Store now:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pixelmator/id407963104?mt=12
Web 1.0 was all about creating content – articles, news topics, how to’s – you name it. Websites were hubs of information rather than a site with videos od a dog on a skateboard. Then the revolution came and the main focus on the web shifted from articles to people. Web 2.0 was all about being social online. And people loved it! Sure it’s counter-productive most of the time, but how convenient, right? You can now see updates and pictures of your “internet friends” from all over the world, and you don’t even need to meet with them for coffee to know what they’re up to.
When the web first started, all websites were just about presenting content. Or to be more precise – information. It was a simple, high contrast design, with white background, black text and blue, underlined links. It’s been many years since then, although I remember using a lot of these principles when building websites back in 1998. They were easy to read, and the lack of multimedia due to slower connections at the time, was in fact a blessing that let us fully appreciate content.
Surely everyone who has ever written a blog knows, that even with akismet and all those other fancy gizmos, spam is constantly there. It can be characterized as landfills and trash dumps of modern technology, that just keeps piling up and there’s always more. But stating the existence of spam nowadays is like saying we need air to breathe. Pointless. What I want to focus on is how spam comments are evolving to trick us into clicking approve.
It’s hard to miss today’s big news about Steve Jobs’ passing. I won’t dive into monologues on how he changed my life and how he inspired me, because that’s what everyone does, and he doesn’t need more praise. Beside I wouldn’t be writing this if he didn’t inspire me, right? It’s better to start thinking what’s next, rather than re-living the past. Sure he’ll be remembered as he made a big dent in the world, but a more valid question for me is: does the style and passion end here for future CEO’s?
Sure people can fool you with washed-up phrases like “there’s no I in TEAM” and such, but the truth in the design community is a little different. Actually the more people involved in a project, the more fragmented it will be. Think of it as an android headset, with all the resolutions, different processors and performance, and a design needs to now fit it all.
