Assuming the obvious things get fixed/added to Acorn 3's vector support (transformations and booleans), Acorn will be very credible here and could easily manage to become better than Photoshop or Photoline in this respect (since both have pretty crummy vector UIs). The good news is that Acorn 3 has all the core functionality for great vector support and has implemented most of the UI well; the bad news is that its actual feature set is missing key functionality.\n
Category | \nPixelmator 1.65 | \nAcorn 3.0 | \nPhotoline 16.5 | \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 | \nDecent typographic controls, elegant minimal interface, cocoa text, and full reusable layer styles. | \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, Layer Groups | \nStrong vector layers (with some obvious missing stuff that should get fixed quickly), comprehensive non-destructive layer style support, 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 (including custom Quartz Composer filters)\n | \nExcellent Core Image support (including custom Quartz Composer filters) and some additional useful filters, such as Clouds. Many useful filters are available as non-destructive layer styles. | \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 | \nSolid vector support, but some missing features (e.g. transforms). Nice UI. Non-destructive layer styles. | \nFull vector support with strong bezier tools and SVG import/export | \n
Non-destructive editing | \nNot supported | \nLayer styles allow the most common filters to be applied and composited non-destructively. | \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 | \nDirect RAW import | \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, 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. Direct export to Flickr, Picasa, and Facebook. | \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, Elegant and powerful non-destructive layer styles | \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 | \nJust add the obvious vector functionality and we're in great shape. Groups should work in the obvious way (they don't right now). | \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$29.95 (introductory price) | \n€59.00 | \n