\n\nAcorn remains the cheapest of the credible Photoshop replacements at $50. (Upgrades from 1.x are $20. I just paid for mine.) And with Acorn's free version, competing products that don't offer significant levels of usability and functionality are pretty much screwed. Here's an updated version of my giant table comparing the three main contenders. Significant changes are in bold.\n
Category | \nPixelmator 1.5 | \nAcorn 2.1 | \nPhotoline 15.5 | \n
---|---|---|---|
Simple Painting Tools | \nBasic but servicable | \nStrong support for brushes, cloning tools, dodge and burn. | \nYou name it, it's there | \n
Text | \nCocoa text with nice drop shadows | \nCocoa text with nice drop shadows and decent typographic controls (and a very slick, modeless interface) | \nFully styled and formatted text with both character and paragraph stylesheets and layer effects like emboss and drop shadow | \n
Layer Support | \nBlend Mode and Opacity, Text Layers | \nBlend Mode and Opacity, Text Layers, Simple Vector Layers, Layers can be grouped hierarchically | \nBlend Mode, Opacity, Layer Effects, Filter Layers, Vector Layers, Text Layers, Layers can be different modes (e.g. you can have 16-bit color, 8-bit color, Layer Masks, and monochome layers in a single document), Layer Styles, Layers can be grouped hierarchically (these are not new but deserves mention) | \n
Filters | \nExcellent Core Image support | \nExcellent Core Image support and some additional useful filters, such as Clouds. | \nComprehensive set of filters (including some marked improvements over Photoshop) but no Core Image support. Stuff that Core Image doesn't give you like comprehensive noise reduction tools, and fractal clouds. Oh and you can create and reuse named presets for almost everything. | \n
Vector Layers | \nNone | \nBasic (improved from \"rudimentary\" because a lot of bugs have been fixed) | \nFull vector support with strong bezier tools and SVG import/export | \n
Non-destructive editing | \nNot supported | \nYou can composite filters interactively in interesting (non-destructive) ways, but ultimately the operation is destructive | \nNon-destructive effects layers for most image adjustments (e.g. curves, levels, hue/saturation) | \n
Image Format Support | \n8-bits per channel RGBA | \n8-bits per channel RGBA | \n16-bits per channel support, Greyscale, Monochrome, Lab color, CMYK | \n
Digital Photography Support | \nYou can import photos in 24-bit color | \nDirect RAW import | \nDirect RAW import to 24-bit or 48-bit (16 bits per channel) | \n
Architecture | \nSome clever optimizations (e.g. filter previews appear to be at screen resolution) but chokes on large files. | \nChokes on large images and slower filters. | \nClever and flexible preview system allows you to keep the program responsive when working with huge files, 64-bit support, heterogeneous layer support | \n
Workflow and Automation | \nSome Automator actions (but no AppleScript dictionary) | \nPython, AppleScript, and JavaScript scripting and plugin support | \nRecordable macros and batch conversion, Save named presets for almost anything, enter expressions for numerical inputs | \n
Web Export Support | \nSlicing support. | \nPhotoshop-style (but far simpler) web export dialog with file-size preview etc. | \nSome random subset of Fireworks is implemented (slicing, button states, etc.). Not really sure how good or extensive it is (much more extensive than Pixelmator or Acorn) since I have no use for such stuff. | \n
Plugin Support | \nYou can probably build your own using the Quartz Compositor tools from Apple. | \nYou can build your own using the Quartz Compositor tools from Apple, and there's extensive support for creating extensions using Python, Objective-C, AppleScript, and JavaScript | \nSupports Photoshop plugins. | \n
File Format Support | \nPixelmator, Photoshop, PNG, GIF, JPEG, JPEG2000, TIFF, BMP, SGI, TGA, PICT, PDF, and a dizzying number of export options | \nAcorn, PNG, GIF, JPEG, JPEG2000, TIFF, BMP, RAW import | \nPixelmator, Photoshop, PNG, TIFF, JPEG, JPEG2000, BMP, PCX, TGA, Mac Icon, Windows Icon, Windows Cursor, and a bunch more, and can import and export to an even larger number of options, notably including export to SWF and import RAW | \n
Cute Stuff | \nLive gradients, the \"dangling rope\" that joins position widgets to filter control floaters | \nGorgeous Icon, Filter Compositor, Elegant Minimalist UI | \nAmazing gradient tool, full-featured yet it still launches amazingly fast, 64-bit support | \n
Ugly Stuff | \nPoor performance when previewing filters or working with high resolution images. | \nVector layers are still half-assed. Poor performance when previewing filters or working with high resolution images. | \nOMG the icon ... it burns! (Sadly, Pixelmator 15 introduced a new icon that's just as ugly as the old one), half-assed web export and page layout features clutter UI without being useful | \n
If I could add one thing from Photoshop | \nVector support, Layer Styles | \nProper bezier support (the big change here is this used to say \"pretty much everything\"), Layer Styles\n | \nBeing able to use one layer as a mask for layers adjacent to it. | \n
Online Community | \nActive Forum, Excellent Video Tutorials | \nNone | \nActive Forum, Some (Lame) Tutorials | \n
System Requirements | \n10.5 | \n10.6 | \n10.4 | \n
Price | \n$59.00 | \n$49.95 | \n€59.00 | \n