Does A Graphic Design Software Come With Mac
Graphic design and animation relies heavily on these important programs Becoming a graphic designer can be an exciting career choice if you are someone who has a good eye for visual aesthetics. Graphic Designers need to think creatively, come up with original concepts, and work well as a member of a team. Discover a collection of graphic and design apps for Mac. Whether you are a web designer, illustrator, or graphic artist wrangling raster and vector graphics, these tools will help you improvise and create the highly-intriguing visuals. Find the best graphic design apps. Sure, the desktop Mac and PC apps are good, but the iPad app is an extremely powerful program that gives users the chance to design on the go. Designer functions almost exactly like Illustrator. Luckily, there are also many free applications out there that can do the same kind of job that Photoshop could do for you. This article rounds up the best 15 free Mac Programs for Graphic Designers. Some of these applications can even do stuff that can't be achieved using.
What is the best Mac for graphic design and layout? It’s a question many of our readers ask. Apple Mac OS X computers are especially useful for designers, and many creative professionals need to invest in the latest Mac hardware.
But choosing the right Mac for design work can be a challenge. Apple creates a whole range of Mac OS X laptops (MacBooks) and desktop computers. Although all Apple Macs are great, some are better suited to design than others.
With this in mind we’ve created this guide to buying the right Mac for graphic design. In this article we take a look at what a computer requires to be truly great for working with professional design software, and the features you pay more for. We then look closely at the range of Mac computers available, and the custom built to order options available that make sense for designers.
We also look at some of the accessories, software and services available that make sense for keen graphic design professionals.
Graphic design on a Mac
Most graphic designers automatically veer towards the Mac OS X platform as a matter of course. Partly this is a result of Apple’s graphic design heritage (Apple pretty much created the Desktop Publishing Market back in the 1985 with the original Apple Macintosh computer, combined with PageMaker and the first LaserWriter printer).
But these days most designers work in a purely digital format, and will be using very different software to that created back in the 1980s. However, Apple is still the choice for designers thanks to its more comfortable Mac OS operating system, wide software support and lots of industry love.
Apple’s Mac range for graphic designers
Graphic design is a varied subject, ranging from Photoshop image editing through to illustration, interactive design, user interface development, animation, 3D design, video and up to full-blown 3D animation. Many graphic designers do a bit of video and audio editing on the side. There’s a lot of variety in what is done using graphic design for, and these different subjects have different computing skills.
Because it’s a visual medium, a graphic designer is likely to want a big canvas (or display) to work on. The better and more detailed the display, the better the work is. So this naturally leads us towards the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, or the 27-inch iMac. Design work can also be processor and memory intensive, especially for 3D work, and file sizes for graphical work can be quite large. So the faster innards and larger storage in Apple’s professional range will come in handy.
Graphic design on a MacBook Pro with Retina Display: Best for detail
The extremely high resolution of the MacBook Pro with Retina Display ensures that you can do high quality work on the move. We’d advise the 15-inch 2.4GHz with Retina Display model (£1,499 plus VAT) if you’re a professional. It has a fast 2.4GHz Intel i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB Flash storage, 1GB super fast GDDR5 RAM, and a discreet NVIDIA Graphics card. It’ll blaze through most design task and the display will be amazing for detailed graphic and text work.
Read more: MacBook Pro with Retina Display review
The only downside is the slightly limited Flash storage, so you’ll probably need to pick up a decent external hard drive.
Graphic design on a Mac mini: Best for print workers
Print workers will find the power packed into the latest generation of Mac minis more than enough, and the small footprint will leave plenty of space on your desk for a huge monitor. We’d advise the 2.3GHz Intel i7 model (£565) with an 8GB RAM upgrade (+£67).
If you’re really going all out on a professional display we recommend the NEC SpectraView Reference 271 (£1,859). It makes more sense to spend on the display not the Apple Mac.
See: NEC Spectraview Reference 271 review
We understand that spending almost £1,649 on a display (as well as £565 on a Mac) may be a little much for some designers, so take a look at our display reviews to see if there’s a model that suits you.
Graphic design on a iMac: Best for large screen
The iMac has a huge 27-inch IPS display that makes all the difference to a designer (as long as they’re not bothered about the ‘glossy’ nature of the display). If you work in digital, web or video design then this is the Mac to get.
We’d advise the 27-inch 2.9GHz model (£1,499) with 8GB RAM, 1TB Hard Drive, and the discreet NVIDIA graphics card. This offers plenty of power to the graphic designer plus lots of hard drive space and a huge display.
Read more: iMac 27-inch review
Graphic Design on a Mac Pro: Best for 3D power
It’s not on sale in the UK at the moment, so it’s a bit cheeky mentioning the Mac Pro. Howerver, if you’re closely working in 3D or 3D animation then you really do need all the power you can get. In this instance we’d advise you to wait and see if Apple introduces a new Mac Pro this June at the WWDC.
If you really can’t wait then either pick up an old Mac Pro, or go for a top of the line iMac. You can pick up a 27-inch iMac 3.2GHz (£1,415) and take the processor up to 3.4Ghz (+£135). You might want to also consider taking the RAM up to 16GB (+£135). It’s a grand total of £1,685 placing it in entrance of the Mac Pro territory, and it has plenty of grunt. If you can afford it we suggest a 1TB Fusion drive while you’re at it (+£165).
About the author:This guest article was written by Emma Best from Laptopical - a guide to the latest laptop reviews and laptop related news. You can also follow her on Twitter.
I've been using my MacBook Pro since a while now and I must say: I really love it. The most common app(s) that designers use has to be Adobe Photoshop (Or the full suite). The app(s) are great, but there is a downside: The price tag. Photoshop CS4 costs $699, CS4 extended is $999 and the full Creative Suite starts at an stunning $1799. For many people this is just a little bit too much to 'play around with'.
Luckily, there are also many free applications out there that can do the same kind of job that Photoshop could do for you. This article rounds up the best 15 free Mac Programs for Graphic Designers. Some of these applications can even do stuff that can't be achieved using Photoshop, or are much more simple to use.
Keep your wallet in your pocket, since all these programs will cost you nothing.
GIMP
The most popular of all free photo editing software, GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, and is highly-supported and frequently updated. Comparative to Photoshop, users can perform basic tasks such as photo retouching, color correction, and image size, or more complicated tasks like image composition and creation. GIMP has a scripting interface for advance users, as well as plugins, extensions, and filters.
Seashore
If you want GIMP, but don't have X11, then Seashore is the appropriate software for you. Based on GIMP, it has nearly all the settings and functions of the more advanced program without the higher requirements.
Inkspace
An excellent alternative to Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw, Inkscape is a free vector graphics program supporting standard SVG format, as well as XML and CSS standards. This program can do everything you'll need in a vector graphics program - tracing, path operations, direct XML editing, etc. Import and export formats include all the common image types, including JPEG, PNG, and TIFF.
Front End Digital Media Workshop
Guitar Pro for Mac is a sheet music/tablature editor for 4- to 8-string instruments: guitar, bass, banjo, ukulele. This is an ergonomic, comprehensive tool for beginning to advanced musicians who wish to make progress, compose, or simply play along on their guitar. The tool is now the standard reference in the world of tab-editing software. Guitar tab software mac free.
Don't waste time manually resizing individual photos for your various projects. Front End Digital Media is a batch conversion app for images (as well as video and audio), and allows you to mass resize, resample, split, join, and up/down sample JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, PSD, and PICT image files.
Image Tricks
The biggest appeal for the Image Tricks app is the ability to apply dozens of different filters to over 20 different image formats. The finished photos can then be exported as either TIFF, JPEG, or PNG.
Comipro Plus
If you create cartoons of any type, Comipro Plus is an excellent app. Designed in Japanese but usable to English speakers, this program helps create modern-looking comics, including editing and adding word bubbles.
Google SketchUp
Different from a normal vector graphics program, Google's SketchUp allows you to not only create a design, but view it in 3D. It is easier to use than more complicated 3D software, such as AutoCAD, and is free.
Colorate
Colorate is used to change and manipulate the colors in a photo. The Library generates a color swatch based on the photo, then allow you to add a new color pallete, either blending the current one, creating a custom one, or randomizing a completely new pallete.
Goldberg
This program is best used for those times when you're viewing your photos, and notice that a color is slightly off, or a side needs cropped a bit more. Instead of firing up a full photo editing application, you can simply make minor adjustments, including color correction, blurs, noise, and embossing.
NIH Image
If you need to animate one of your photos or designs, this program is for you. It's compatible with a wide array of programs, and in addition to animating images, it can also perform minor tweaks to contrast, sharpening, smoothing, filters, and more. It also analyzes particles, angles, and paths.
Scratch
This program is so simple, it can be used also immediately with no prior instruction. It is used for creating small games, interactive art, and animated stories, and is primarily marketed to children. Despite it's juvenile market, it is an excellent tool for putting together quick interactive banners and images without the learning curve.
DAZ Studio
If you're in need of realistic 3D models, DAZ Studio is an easy-to-learn 3D program for creating 3D objects, including people, animals, and objects (buildings, cars, etc). DAZ Studio is easier to use than other 3D animation tools, and is perfect for creating surrealistic and 3D art.
Bryce
Built to run with the aforementioned DAZ Studio software, Bryce is used to create real-looking landscapes using photos of real landscapes. Take a picture of your yard, a forest, some mountains, or other landscapes, import it into Bryce, and then add all the elements needed to turn it into a new world.
ArchiCAD
If you need a 3D design tool with more power and features than Google SketchUp, ArchiCAD is the right program to you. Similar to AutoCAD in both function and name, this program allows users to design their sketches and ideas into a realistic 3D render.
JAlbum
Every graphic designer requires an efficient way to keep all their photos and images organized. JAlbum is the ultimate photo organizer, as it not only allows you to organize your photos and folders using simple drag-and-drop functionality, but it also creates thumbnails and HTML pages of your photos for easy online publishing. The HTML pages to publish can be made to either export a gallery or a slide show. In addition, there's support for IPTC and EXIF data, lossless editing, image filters, style sheets, and an integrated FTP client.
Bonus: Pixelmator
I've added Pixelmator myself to this list, as Emma didn't include this app to her top 15 list. I really love to use Pixelmator myself and I don't think it should be missing from this amazing list.
Pixelmator, the beautifully designed, easy-to-use, fast and powerful image editor for Mac OS X has everything you need to create, edit and enhance your images.
Bonus: Blender
Just like Pixelmator, I've added Blender myself to this list, as Emma didn't include this app to her top 15 list. Blender is a great open source app for 3d content.
Blender is the free open source 3D content creation suite, available for all major operating systems under the GNU General Public License.
Are there more Mac Apps that you, as a graphic designer, love to use that is missing from the list above? Please share!
This guest article was provided to you by Emma Best from Laptopical.
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