Affordable graphics editing?

Because PhotoShop has been too pricey for my blood, I've used GraphicConverter for years, although my technique has not advanced as fast as GC's capabilities have.
So I have some questions for you value-oriented GC users in this value-oriented Mini forum:
1) Is there any way to do a polygon selection in GC? The rectangular selection tool literally "won't cut it" in many situations, and I'm not steady enough to draw straight lines with the free-hand selector. I can use the free-hand selector to get one straight line, because it will automatically close the gap between the first and last points, but that's a kludgey way to do polygon selection.
2) Is the only way to apply filters and adjustment to a selection (as opposed to the whole image) to copy the selection to a new image, work on that, and then superimpose that piece back on the original? (Another program called Compositor lets me apply all filters and image effects on selections (in place) as well as on the whole image. Compositor might be my preferred graphics app, but it appears to have only one level of undo. But then again, maybe I don't know how to use it very well either!)

Many options.
www.aja.com
AJA I/O - I/O LA...FW400. SD only.
AJA I/O HD - SD and ProRes...FW800.
AJA I/O HD Express - eSATA connection (meaning you'll need FW800 drives)
www.matrox.com
Matrox MXO2 - eSATA connection, again, FW800 drives.
Matrox MXO2 Mini - eSATA connection...FW800 drives.
Read the specs on all of them and get the one that suits your needs.
Shane

Similar Messages

How-tos in graphic editing?

I have two questions:
1,
I need to know how to add this kind of effect in graphic editing (i.e to have the reflection of the object itself in the opposite direction). see this pic
http://jithonline.com/wp-img/DTSL1.gif
2,
How can I add (those smoother looking) high definition "HD" effect to an image? I have pics taken with non HD camera, and simply want such effect on them.
I have Adobe CS4 Suite, and I believe the above two can be accomplished with one or more of the applications in this suite. But just dont know how. I'm a newbie in graphics.
I need the very 1,2,3 basics,
Help please!

Thanks Scott, I will give the answer 1 a shot right away!
On question 2, pardon me as I'm not a pro. but a beginner. I guess what I was going to say was "image resolution"
So what I really meant is to edit or transform an image of this level of quality (resolution)
http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/IMAGES/Statue-of-liberty2.jpg
to an image of this level of quality
http://cari373.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/statue-of-liberty-address1.jpg
I know it may not be a one-click-magic, but the very basics of what to do (in Fireworks or any other of CS4 suite) in refining an image to improve its look

New Satellite C660-1F1 windows 64-bit -cant use graphics editing software

Hi Guys....any help appreciated...this is the message I sent to Toshiba support but they are taking their time getting back to me:
Important information: Satellite C660-1F1
Key Features
- Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (pre-installed, Toshiba-HDD recovery)
- Intel Core i3-380M Processor
- DVD-SuperMulti +-R (Double Layer)
- 2048 MB DDR3 RAM (1066MHz)
- 39.6cm (15.6") TruBrite HD (1366 x 768) High Brightness display with LED backlight with 16:9 aspect ratio
Hi... I purchased my laptop about a month ago from Argos and it has a 2 year warranty. I have one big problem - the 2 main graphics editing programmes that I use do not work. Both Corel Paintshop Photo Pro x3 and Adobe CS5 can both be installed and opened but as soon as I try to save a photo or edit a photo both of the programmes crash and i have to close it down by using end task in task manager.
This happened when I installed the full versions of both programmes which I purchased and it also happens when you download the trial versions from both the Corel and the Adobe download sites. I have been on so many help forums for both adobe and corel and the most helpful pointer came from one of the designers at Adobe - a Chris Cox.
He very logically stated that as it happened in both of these 2 graphics editing packages that it was most likely a problem with the graphics card drivers or the actual graphics card hardware. I purchased a 64-bit operating system to handle precisely these 2 programmes which can be exhausting on the system. I know i only have 2 GB RAM at the moment but it has been happening with other people...some who even have 8GB and 16GB of RAM which is what I will have in the next few weeks. However, not if I cannot rectify this problem. Please can you help/advise the best solution. This seems to be a problem only with the 64-bit systems. Both Adobe and Corel are 64-bit compatible.
There is also a message that appears when I open Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended....which is as follows:
...."Photoshop has encountered a problem with the display driver, and has temporarily disabled GPU enhancements, Check the video card manufacturers website for the latest software."
I then click that message away ....use the programme, edit something, try to save and it crashes. I have gone through all troubleshooting directions and ran countless diagnostics but there only seems to be one common denominator between the 2 different programmes and that is my Toshiba laptop.... I even tried installing another large photo editing software package to test it and I had the same result - an application crash.
Please help! Thanking you in advance.
Kind regards
John

Hello John
Have you already got some answer from Toshiba?
What to say my friend? In my opinion the best advice you can get from Corel and Adobe. They have best experience with own product and have probably tested them on different hardware platforms.
Notebook manufacturers offer different notebook models with different hardware configurations. Some of them are cheap and offered with average hardware. The performance is not the best but good enough for every day activities like internet, office, mailing and so on.
On other hand there are notebooks with excellent and powerful hardware. Very often such notebooks cost twice as much as cheap low budget products.
Please dont understand me wrong but your C notebook is not the best one for usage with such powerful software.
I really dont know what Toshiba can do about it. I can imagine that you need other graphic driver but graphic driver support for mobile computers is pretty limited and I dont think you can do much about that.
What you can try is to download and install driver from graphic card manufacturer but you must do this on your own risk.
Sorry friend but I dont have any other advice for you. I just think youve bought wrong notebook for such complex graphic operations. 2 GB RAM? I dont know.
Good luck.

URGENT!! Smartform : graphical edition impossible!

Hi,
I created a Smartform for Delivery Note with its print program in a newly upgraded ECC6.0 system. I customized in NACE in proper column.
When I try to print it via VL02N, the message is:
"Graphical edition impossible"
Does anyone know how to solve this problem??
Points rewarded immediately since its very urgent!
Tarick.

Hi again!
I found out the reason!
There was a graphic which was not uploaded properly in SE78...
Tarick.

XML graphical editing

I have a LARGE xml file that is basically a people directory.
Fields like Fname, Lname, bio, etc. need to be edited. Is there
ANYTHING out there (plugin?? complete software program??) that will
let me edit the xml file in a simple GUI sort of like *gasp, I
know* MS Access does? I'd honestly prefer a plugin or something for
Dreamweaver as that's what I use. Thanks!

Originally posted by: pb158.tlen.pl
non official but work very well on Eclipse 3.3.0 and windows
Vista/Longhorn :)
http://www.ehecht.com/eclipse_ve/ve.html
Ed Merks wrote:
> Margaret,
>
> It's best to use the VE newsgroup to ask about VE. I've added it to the
> "to" list of the reply. Have you been grabbing the special version
> that folks have put together to support Eclipse 3.3? You'll see there
> is a lot of discussion in the VE newsgroup about starting up a new set
> of active comitters to provide the 3.3 support.
>
> Margaret Gilmore wrote:
>> Hello, I currently use Java 2 JS2E 5.0, Update 12, with Eclipse. I
>> upgraded from Eclipse 3.1.0 to Eclipse SDK 3.3.0 today because I could
>> not find the visual editor in the 3.1.0 version. The download was
>> successful, and I can open a file in the visual editor (VE); however,
>> the tab for the palette used in VE comes up blank, and none of the
>> tools show up.
>>
>> I have been unsuccessful in solving this problem. I downloaded plugin
>> updates for OCL and UML errors earlier today and now new updates from
>> download manager will not install:
>>
>> These are the updates that cannot install are:
>> --http://update.eclipse.org/updates/3.3/site.xml
>> --Graphical Editing Framework (GEF) Update Side
>>
>> And the following error message is given as to the reason why:
>>
>> "OCL 2.0 Binding for UML (1.2.0.v200709211511-11-7w31181_322622)
>> requires plug-in "org.eclipse.uml2.uml (2.1.0)", or equivalent."
>>
>> I am not sure whether the palette issue and now these two updates are
>> related but I can't be sure. Does anyone have any thoughts on how I
>> might be able to fix the palette problem and the error message issue.
>>
>> Thank you!
>>
>>

What's the best MacBook for basic graphic editing?

Hi there,
I've been saving up to finally get a MacBook after having a pro during university (stupidly it got soaked in my bag during a thunderstorm and didn't have any insurance on it). However, I'm trying to save as much money as I can so can't afford the high end laptops.
All I need for the MacBook to do is run the following programs without it becoming slow in the long run:
Adobe Photoshop CC
Adobe Dreamweaver CC
Adobe InDesign CC
Microsoft Office Home & Business
The basic system requirements for the Adobe CC programs are:
Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support
Mac OS X v10.7, v10.8, or v10.9
2GB of RAM
3.2GB of available hard-disk space
1280x1024 display with 16-bit video card
QuickTime 7.6.6 software required for HTML5 media playback
All I need it for is templating and editing newsletters as well as creative posters/flyers/brochures.
I'm deciding whether I should just get the basic 13-inch MacBook Air, 13-inch Macbook Pro (with Retina display) or 2.5GHz Mac mini? Bear in mind that I'll have to purchase the Micrsoft Office program (approx. £157 on Amazon) & get a screen/keyboard/mouse with the Mac Mini).
I have around £1,000 to spend and really unsure as to what to buy.
Please note, I am not interested in buying a Windows equivelant (as I cannot stand Windows 8/8.1).
Thanks!

Any of those Macs will meet the basic specs for Office and Adobe. The real question is how you configure what you buy, based on how you are going to use the programs. The system requirements listed are definitely basic. They are about as basic as saying that you could buy a 2-seater Smart Car as your transportation: You could, but you'd be very limited in what you could do.
If you are going to run any one program at a time, the base model of any of those Macs (4GB RAM) will be fine. But working on newsletters and flyers, for efficiency's sake you will probably have more than one program open at a time: Word for preparing text, Photoshop for preparing photos, and Dreamweaver or InDesign where you lay it all out, going back and forth between them. That increases your RAM needs. 8GB would be a good place to be, but if you can afford to buy with the maximum amount of RAM that would help future-proof the Mac (since future versions of software always need more RAM, not less).
Having more RAM is more critical if you plan to use Photoshop for fancy stuff like cameras with lots of megapixels, raw editing, panoramas, HDR, or 3D. If you are just doing basic photo editing, 8GB RAM is fine. The other software you listed doesn't need as much RAM so more than one of them will run fine together under 8GB RAM.
If you get a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, they start with only 128GB storage and it cannot be upgraded. That might not be enough space in the long run if you use a lot of graphics files and photos, so think about specifying at least 256GB storage in whatever you buy if your newsletter projects are large and you don't want to store them on external drives. The Mac mini starts out with a nice big hard drive.
What it will probably come down to is, spec out all three models you are considering with at least 8GB RAM and as much storage as you will need during the life of the computer, then pick the one that fits your budget. If you need portability, cross off the Mac mini.

Newer MBA or Older MBP for light - moderate music, video, and graphic editing

Essentially I would be using it for the following:
Word Processing (ms office suite)
Video editing (primarily YT videos) via FCP X
Music editing / production via Garageband, Logic Pro, and Melodyne
Adobe Photoshop CS6 (nothing to heavy like I said willing to live without retina)
Probably light gaming
Coding ( I don't think this should be an issue, but want the ability to write apps for iOS)
Web surfing obviously
Building itunes library
It seems like a bit now that I look at it, but I don't think I would have more than two of these programs running at the same time (my guess is the worst would be fcpx, garageband, and cs6 all open at the same time). I have a 500GB western digital external HD that is practically empty minus a recent backup of all my files on my current computer.
Which do you think would fit my needs more? Portability is a factor for me but I think the mba is like 1/2 a pound lighter or something which I'm not sure makes a huge difference to me since I'm currently lugging around a 15" pc that is around 7-8lbs.
So I've kind of figured that 256 gb ssd is probably going to be the most I can afford with a budget of $1190 and under ( could I get away with 128gb with my 500gb external hd?).
I know I can get the ssd and ram (at least 8GB unless 4GB would suffice) I need with a MBA but I do not know if the processor will be good enough for everything i'm planning to do. I've seen older MBP (circa 2011-2012) that has adequate ram (8-16gb) minus a ssd but regular hd with 500-700gb in some cases 1 TB. I've seen these for less than 1000 on ebay.
So which is a better choice? I don't want a system that is too old. I currently have a working cd/dvdr drive on my pc so I could live without having a cd/dvd drive in my mac or superdrive or whatever.
I'm interested in brand new or refurbished (either by apple or seller). Nothing used. An SD slot would also be nice to have but I'm unsure as to which models have them.

From what I see on Twitter and blogs, a lot of photography pros are picking up the new MacBook Airs as their road machines because with the new Core iX processors they are quite acceptable for performance. I've mostly read about them using Lightroom, though, and not as a primary machine, so you should take some of your raw photos to an Apple store and run some Aperture tests to see how it feels. Do you think there is enough room to see everything, or does it feel cramped?
The main problem with the MacBook Air is not being able to put more than 4GB RAM in it, but with the SSD you might not notice the lag as much. For most people the Air is a fantastic computer. I use the 15" MacBook Pro, because I use other graphics apps where I need room to display documents, filmstrips, palettes, etc. so I need mor pixels, and also because I need to be able to have more RAM.
I would guess that GarageBand wouldn't be a problem on any new Mac, assuming you're not piling on heaps of effects.

Help with graphic editing

I think I have gotten myself in over my head. I am using the
FreeHand software, & I know absolutely NOTHING about graphic
design or this program. So, I'm hoping that someone with some
patience can help me out. I have downloaded a vector image & am
trying to edit it. The picture is of a flower. I basically only
need to change the background color & to change the overall
color of the flower. I have no idea where to begin. Any help?
Thanks!!!

Even though you have downloaded a vector illustration if it
was saved as
an EPS and brought into FH then it may or not be editable at
that point.
If it looks and acts like one piece of artwork (cannot
select
separate parts of it) and you cannot "Ungroup" it (Select art
> Edit >
Ungroup) then you are probably dealing with an EPS that FH
cannot edit.
Go to the Object Inspector and see what it says it is at the
top of
the panel when the artwork is selected. If it says Group or
Path or
Compound Path then you can edit. If it says EPS then you
can't edit.
You will need to crack it by using Illustrator or Distilling
to PDF. If
you are on a Mac you can open the EPS into the application
Preview and
it will make it a PDF. Then save it as a PDF from Preview and
open in
FreeHand.
Good Luck,
Rich
Dani0628 wrote:
> I think I have gotten myself in over my head. I am using
the FreeHand
> software, & I know absolutely NOTHING about graphic
design or this program. So,
> I'm hoping that someone with some patience can help me
out. I have downloaded
> a vector image & am trying to edit it. The picture
is of a flower. I
> basically only need to change the background color &
to change the overall
> color of the flower. I have no idea where to begin. Any
help? Thanks!!!
>

How do I convert a bitmap/jpg type image to vector graphics/editable outline?

Corel Draw 5 did this very nicely but it's obsolete and I can't load it onto this machine (HP all-in-one Pavilion desktop with Windows 8).
I am working with hand-drawn images but since I need to manipulate the outline/s with a 4 - 12 pixel tool, it would be great to just be editing nodes instead. Creating the image from scratch as a vector graphic would be a horrible large amount of work and is not feasible at this time.
Is there any way other than Corel Draw 5 to make the conversion from bitmap-type images to editable vector graphics, ie: editable nodes?
Thanks.
PS - I don't have $700 - $1000 to spend on software at this point but do have Photoshop Elements 11, Premiere 11 and Lightroom, plus GIMP and the usual. Where should I start?

For occasional conversions, did you consider 'online bitmap to vector' conversions ? Do a Google search for that.
For more advanced and free solution, consider inkscape. It's a real vector drawing tool and can convert bitmaps.

Making Vector Graphics Editable in Indesign

I am trying to import various eps and pdf files that are vector from different companies that weren't created in illustrator. Everytime I place them in my indeisgn document they come in as a flat uneditable file and I can't figure out how to import them so that they are still editable as the vector files that they are and I have already changed my clipboard setting so that "prefer pdf when pasting" is unchecked but it still doesnt import an editable file.
HELP! Its getting very frustrating.

Don't place the EPS file into InDesign. Rather, ...
Open the vector files in Illustrator. In Illustrator preferences, select AICB (Adobe Illustrator clipboard), not PDF. Select the vector art and copy to clipboard.
In InDesign preferences, uncheck Prefer PDF when pasting. Now paste from clipboard.

Any good, basic universal graphics editing software available?

Hi - I'm looking for any suggestions on a very basic image/graphics editor for manipulating jpeg and tiff files. very simple stuff like cutting and pasting portions of image files and pasting to create a single montage page. don't need any photo enhancement features at all. I have Photoshop Elements 3, but its slow and overkill on intel OS X for what I need. I suspect there's a good shareware program out there, but was curious if anyone has found a universal app.
Many thanks!

Graphic converter is outstanding and always has been. It is available in a universal format. The author of it has been working on it for many years, updates it all the time, is very responsive if you have a question and the program is cheap for all you get. It will do about 90% of what Photoshop will but for about one tenth the price. It works with more than just images and can convert file formats and do just about anything you would need.
I have been using it or about 10 years now and am just an amateur who dabbles a bit with photographs.

Travel setup SDI graphics editing working station

For a project we would like to setup a FCP system to capture SDI SD video on location for a couple of months and have the smallest workable (physical) setup as possible. We have one G5 Dual 2 Ghz system (M9032LL/A) with 2 LCD monitors spare, but this is too big for travel and flexibility we are looking for.
We are thinking of using a MacBook Pro 17" with enough GB memory and with a eSata card in the express slot so we can hook up our eSata drives.
Requirements:
- FCP, some Motion and AE and Photoshop. Lot's of compositing (+10 layers)
- SDI J3 video in (SD) (we now use Blackmagic card in G5)
- Can we use an extra LCD monitor to use as reference through Aja IO or something similar
- As cost effective as possible
- Easy to set up and break up and travel
What would you suggest we buy?
Thanks
Message was edited by: Fernando G

Many options.
www.aja.com
AJA I/O - I/O LA...FW400. SD only.
AJA I/O HD - SD and ProRes...FW800.
AJA I/O HD Express - eSATA connection (meaning you'll need FW800 drives)
www.matrox.com
Matrox MXO2 - eSATA connection, again, FW800 drives.
Matrox MXO2 Mini - eSATA connection...FW800 drives.
Read the specs on all of them and get the one that suits your needs.
Shane

Customer Entitlement for Small Publisher - Can't Afford Enterprise Edition

We have an iPad app produced with Adobe DPS but we want to offer the app to our paid print subscribers at no additional charge.
We understand that the Enterprise Edition of DPS offers this functionality. But we're a small nonprofit magazine with a low circulation, and the license fee for Enterprise Edition is a complete nonstarter. We have no need for any of the other Enterprise Edition functionality besides customer entitlement.
Does anyone have any idea of how we could accomplish what we want to do without buying Enterprise Edition?
Tom Baker
Publisher
Commonweal
www.commonwealmagazine.org

If you have a single-folio app with a small set of customers, you might consider sending promo codes to your most loyal customers. Apple allows 50 promo codes for each release of the app. Promo codes work only for apps, not for in-app purchases.

Symbian^1 Discussion (A.K.A 5th Edition)

I dont know how to start my discussion. But honestly I am little DISAPPOINTED using my Symbian^1 --> C6-00. Because of lack of GAMES,APPLICATIONS, ETC. I have QUESTION that bothers me a lot, why is that NOKIA concentrating/focusing on developing good applications,HD games,etc for Symbian^3? for example the FREE 20 great games when you buy a smartphones like C6-01,C7,N8,E7,X7,E6 that is all Symbian^3. I just want to say my oppinion that what about the customer that can't buy a smartphone and can only afford 5th Edition like Me, so they are going to Install cheap APPLICATION,HD Games,ETC. What about the N97 Flagship? Lack of features. All I want is if they will make a GAMES,APPLICATIONS,etc. make them availbale also for Symbian^1, Like the Asphalt 5,Hero of Sparta etc. I've been a Nokia user,fan,customer since it was started.thats what I want to say.
maybe that symbian guru is right that Nokia is dead.or will disappear in 2012. If thats not the case. then prove it.
Nokia did not meet my/our satisfaction.
Best Regards,
Gingerbread
Nokia Discussion Avisor
To HELP others to the extent of my ability expecting NO EXCHANGE or RETURN.

1. Its basically impossible to further improve the quality of games on S^1 simply because of the bad hardware. You only have a 434Mhz processor, and 128Mb RAM, plus no GPU.
2. An S^3 device has at least a 680Mhz processor, 256Mb RAM and a dedicated GPU for graphics.
3. Not only Nokia, but the developer companies dont want to make apps for S^1 phones simply again due to the restrictions of their hardware, that the improvements cannot be handled by the phone anymore. Those games you are mentioning (Asphalt 5, Hero of Sparta, etc) arent able to run on the S^1 phones simply due to hardware restriction. Its like asking your netbook to run StarCraft 2 in high settings (which it cant).
4. The only thing S^1 has going against S^3 is as what Vangelis said, S^1 has undergone more bug corrections.
If you find my post helpful please click the green star on the left under the avatar. Thanks.

Improve graphics performance

Greetings,
I have an HP Pavillion that I use almost exclusively for playing video and graphics editing in Photoshop and Lightroom.
I think I should replace my graphics card but any other suggestions would be appreciated as well. I am also considering getting a second internal hard drive to store all my photography files. The 'F' drive listed below is a WD external hard drive.
Thanks for your help.
Component Details
Processor AMD Phenom(tm) II X6 1065T Processor
Memory (RAM) 12.0 GB
Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6450
Gaming graphics 6399 MB
Primary hard disk 184GB Free (1385GB Total)
Windows 7 Home Premium
System
Manufacturer Hewlett-Packard Model p7-1038
Total amount of system memory 12.0 GB RAM
System type 64-bit operating system
Number of processor cores 6
Storage
Total size of hard disk(s) 1993 GB
Disk partition (C 184 GB Free (1385 GB Total)
Disk partition (D 1 GB Free (12 GB Total)
Media drive (E CD/DVD
Disk partition (F 155 GB Free (596 GB Total)
Graphics
Display adapter type AMD Radeon HD 6450
Total available graphics memory 6399 MB
Dedicated graphics memory 512 MB
Dedicated system memory 0 MB
Shared system memory 5887 MB
Display adapter driver version 8.960.11.1000
Primary monitor resolution 1920x1080
DirectX version DirectX 10

Greetings, Kanuski!
You have a quite the set-up there.
I see you want to expand your storage capacity, so I'd suggest to check out WD Green drives. They are recommended for primary use as secondary storage for archiving and have increased reliability, which is ideal for storing your photography files.
You can check them out here: http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=780
I hope this will solve your storage concern.
Let me know if you have any questions.
SuperSoph_WD

Affordable graphics editing?

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