“The Mac App Store is my new-found friend,” Tera Thomas O’Brien writes for Tera Talks. “What I’ve found is nearly a dozen great Mac photo enhancement apps, all of them under $10, many at 99-cents, and a few priced in-between.”
“What caught my hair on fire this weekend was xScope, the Mac onscreen measuring tool, priced at the high end of my allowance [US$29.99, The Iconfactory and ARTIS Software],” O’Brien writes. “What you get are seven different tools in a floating palette that are each a requirement for graphic pros, but collectively make up the best bargain graphic app on the Mac.”
• Dimensions
• Rulers
• Screens
• Loupe
• Guides
• Frames
O’Brien writes, “If you do graphic design or layout, you’re familiar with all seven of those tools. xScope’s claim to fame is that all seven are on one palette, just a click away.”
Read more, including descriptions of all seven tools, in the full article here.
NO GRAPHIC professional NEEDS this crap software – IMO.
RULERS – MAGNIFY GLASS – GUIDES – DIMENSIONS – ETC… are all common items in every basic and professional application in addition some sort of INSPECTOR to see all this data at a glance.
Hey WaterLily,
So, what’s an example professional application that you would suggest? The advantage of these separate utilities is that they are what I refer to as “cross-application”, than than being application-modal. What I mean is they tend to work at the screen level, allowing you to magnify, inspect and capture any screen pixel, not just pixels within the application itself. Larger professional, ‘more traditional” apps tend to work inside their own windows. Feel free to correct me with some specific examples.
WaterLily is correct, every good graphic application has a zoom, gridline, rulers, measuring tool, etc. I think you would need these tools if you weren’t using a professional graphics program or if you work with screen images as your line of work.
From CorelDraw or MacPaint — to — Adobe CS6 and Pixelmator — even the basic apps like SEASHORE have RULERS, GUIDES, ZOOM — without tools within the APP – HOW does one do anything ? THEREFORE IMO – no need for this APP being suggested. HOWEVER – the option not to load up the DESIGN application and use this TOOL might be useful for others. I again BELIEVE not. Pixelmator loads very fast.
NOW foxing on DIMENSIONS – detailed PULL-OFF measurement is typical found in CAD apps. Yet there are some plugins that can assist in this and there usually is the INSPECTOR where you can find the dimension of your object.
thats a few specific examples for ya – hope that helps – and saves ya some cash too – coolfactor
“From CorelDraw or MacPaint — to — Adobe CS6 and Pixelmator — even the basic apps like SEASHORE have RULERS, GUIDES, ZOOM — without tools within the APP – HOW does one do anything ? THEREFORE IMO – no need for this APP being suggested. HOWEVE” etc etc etc etc.
Wow, this issue really means a lot to you, doesn’t it?
I am not sure exactly what you mean — and I do not challenge your professional needs to this software. There might be an actual necessity for a’ cross-over application’ or LET ME DESCRIBE as an analytics tool to check files. An example situation might be – studying an imbedded image inside a PDF and perhaps you MIGHT need software like xSCOPE… but again in my opinion SAVE your money – there are ways to pull out the embedded image and bring it back into an editor app… if you don’t have bridge to do so.
May I ask you this – have you tried xScope and found need for it? Best just to openly describe why you use it.
Regarding Magnification – in app magnification is limited to the programmers choice or capabilities – I would assume. IF Illustrator is not magnifying enough for you — try OSX’s built-in screen zoom ONTOP of illustrators maximum zoom level – then use the OSX to capture a screen shot… WHY anyone requires to ZOOM to such levels is BEYOND me… if you NEED a 27″ pixel in 20% cyan mixed with 10% magenta – WHY not fill your screen as such – joke.
Everyone has needs – I don’t see a need for xSCOPE.
then don’t buy it.
I have no use for this, so I will recommend Graphic Converter.
Graphic Converter is awesome!
I was a paid user back in the System 7 days, and I still turn to it whenever I need to do anything graphical.
Thorsten Lemke still actively updates it, and it is very simple to use, while at the same time it is able to handle complex tasks.
Thorsten has personally replied to my questions, very quickly, and always provides support ….. BEST GRAPHIC PROGRAM hands down ….
Well, this Tera’s getting some publicity, apparently.
I too am underwhelmed, and a little bit bewildered…
So I save $30 bucks every time I take a screen capture, open it in Photoshop, crop & measure, or magnify & examine.
OK, the Screens tool is very nice. I appreciate the ability to test a design against various vision defects like different types of color blindness.
I’ve used xScope for a couple of years and it’s great. If you’re not a Web designer or graphic artist, it probably has no appeal to you. If you are, check it out, you may like it.
One of the advantages is that it’s NOT tied to a particular application (like PS). You can use the guides, rulers, frames, etc. in any app and for the system itself.
“One of the advantages is that it’s NOT tied to a particular application (like PS). You can use the guides, rulers, frames, etc. in any app and for the system itself.”
Exactly, some of us work with the same image in more than one app, sometimes 6 apps for various reasons i won’t take the time to explain.
I use Pixelstick, also in the App Store, very quick and flexible , if you need it leave it on the screen or even multiple monitors and pop back and forth between apps without affecting the operation of any of them.
I think some people just done get how a multi-app large project work flow …….works!
Not sure why someone would open up with the first comment passing judgement on how others organize their work flow. ?????? bad day I guess
I second Pixelstick. $7 at the MAS and worth every penny.
I want MacPaint for iPad.
Studio Artist.