CNET Editors' review
Acorn is an easy-to-use but still relatively feature-filled image editor that provides a lower-cost alternative to professional editing programs. With its slimmed-down interface--just a single palette and a document window--Acorn feels much like Apple's iLife applications, but it still provides a full array of editing features, including multiple layers (with masks), vector shapes, filters (such as tilt-shift, plus support for Quartz Composer compositions), blending, gradients, text and drawing tools (including a Brush Designer for custom brushes), and a hex color picker.
What makes this app most appealing is its ease of use and raw speed: Acorn takes full advantage of Snow Leopard (which is required), opening, saving, and performing (and even undoing) many operations faster than ever. It also includes countless thoughtful touches, from support for AppleScript to an ingenious keystroke screenshot feature, which instantly opens screen caps in Acorn with automatic layers already applied for different windows and objects such as the Dock and menu bar.
With Version 3, Acorn now has more than 50 new features and refinements, including Layer Styles, so you can apply nondestructive effects with the ability to change your mind later. Multistop Live Gradients give you several options for creating complex gradients beyond the original two styles. You also get several new filters, the ability to quickly rotate text and shapes, and you can import or export Adobe Photoshop files. Frankly there are far too many new tweaks to list here, but it's clear the developers are very active with improving an already great product.
If you're a professional (or you just want more heavy-duty tools or a more flexible interface), Acorn isn't for you. But for users with more modest image-editing needs, Acorn is an excellent value with a solid feature set. With this latest version update, Acorn is even better.
Publisher's Description
From Flying Meat:
Built on a foundation of simplicity, Acorn eschews the outmoded "many palettes" design from yesterday's editors. Acorn presents a fluid new interface that will be familiar to users of Apple's iLife applications. Designed for simple editing, Acorn features flood fill, gradients, vector shapes, drawing and erasing tools, and more. It also brings a few new tricks to the table, including chaining filters and easy image and canvas resizing. From quickly adding text to an image to creating a new graphic with pixel-precise control to just sketching out ideas, Acorn is great for all kinds of image editing.
What's new in this version:
- New: You can now copy a layer style from the layer styles window (by using the action menu in the bottom).
- New: New plugin api to add bezier paths to a shape layer.
- Fix: Fixed a bug where sometimes text would be redrawn too much and showed up darker than it should have.
- Fix: Fixed a problem where using shift+down arrow + having the move tool selected was causing the fill dialog box to pop up.
- Fix: Fixed a crasher when using the eyedropper tool on bitm... See all new features
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All versions:
3.2 starsout of 13 votes
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Current version:
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"Couldn't Do Simple Task"
Version: Acorn 3.1.1
Pros
Attractive interface
Cons
Couldn't figure out how to do a simple task
Not intuitiveSummary
I wanted to test the trial version by drawing a simple rectangular box of set dimensions, & add centered text inside the box. I expected to be able to accomplish this simple task without the use of a manual, but I couldn't. For a basic program, the interface should be more intuitive. I wanted to find a more streamlined interface, but I'll go back to using PhotoShop Elements, GraphicConverter, & even VectorDesigner (whose Customer Service has gone from excellent to non-exitent in a few short months).
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"The Best!!!"
Version: Acorn 3.0.2
Pros
Simple, if you can't use other editors.
Cons
Takes time with large files.
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"Bit early to tell - as a Photo shop elements user"
Version: Acorn 3.0.1
Pros
uses commonly accepted tools
Cons
Have not identified those as yet
Summary
I need to spend more time experimenting with the options - time is one thing I do not have a lot of at the present so may even flag it!
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"this is such ********!!! :("
Version: Acorn 3.0.1
Pros
bull 8999=9=9-99= sucks
Cons
bull is sucks
Summary
********
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"why $50 ?????"
Version: Acorn 2.6.3
Pros
would be ok for $20, not $50.
Cons
it's ok for $20. I tried it, and after using for many years PSE, it doesn't come even close to the versatility, power and ease of use of it.
So, for $50 a much much better option is Photoshop Elements:easy, friendly and much more powerful. -
"Decent image editing on the cheap"
Version: Acorn 2.5.1
Pros
Acorn is an easy-to-use, affordable app suitable for general image editing and creation. It supports layers and is fine for creating web graphics and the like w/o shelling out hundreds of dollars.
Cons
I guess the only thing I don't like is that the latest version requires 10.6. Seriously, there's not much to dislike about it. It's $50 well spent.
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"I am that used to Photoshop. I quickly gave up."
Version: Acorn 2.3.1
Pros
I am that used to photoshop. No patients?
Cons
I would not pay the money for this. It is too limited.
Summary
A problem straight away.i could not find how you cleared mistakes like the history tool on Photoshop.and it is not fixed,things kept appearing eg- palettes.In fact i am going to try and find out on there website more about Acorn.
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"Very Promising as is - but could be awesome if ..."
Version: Acorn 2.3.1
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
This is a very good basic editor. It is fast and easy to use. But what I noticed right off the bat was the sheer speed of the thumbnail generation in the Open folder function. If you could add some basic folder tree options so we can use this as both a photo organizer and editor it would easily replace graphic converter (which is very very unstable with large folders of images). -
"Worthless"
Version: Acorn 2.2
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
This attempted rip-off of Photoshop is pretty much useless (I can only imagine a lawsuit is forthcoming once Adobe hears of this attempt). Of course, Adobe has little to fear from Acorn. The quality of the saved images from this app is very poor and the cumbersome nature of the interface prevents Acorn from accomplishing anything save creating frustration for the user. There are many other vector-based image editing programs that do a much better job. As should be the fate of every little acorn, bury this one and forget about it. -
"Bravo for now & three cheers for the future!"
Version: Acorn 2.1
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Wow! I'm in love. I'm a professional illustrator who's wasted a lot of time time fighting with both the technology and the confounded support available for â??professionalâ?? tools such as Photoshop, Sketchbook Pro, and Painter, Sketch Pad, etc. All current drawing and painting tools for professional illustrators are afterthoughts on the Mac, i.e. lazy ports. This is an AWESOME, unsung tool for illustrators, especially because itâ??s the truest Mac OS X experience available. The brushes are great! The customization is wonderful, automation is on a professional level, and I foresee even greater things in the future for Acorn! P.S. Pen/Bezier drawing/selection tool please :)
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