Microsoft's new photo editing software: Acrylic

[senocular]

"CNET is running a story about Microsoft's new photo editing software, Acrylic (http://news.com.com/Microsoft+offers+beta+of+Adobe+rival/2100-1012_3-5740444.html?part=rss&tag=5740444&subj=news). The new program is based on Expression, which Microsoft purchased in 2003. From the article: 'Microsoft describes the software--currently available as a 77MB free download--as bringing together pixel-based painting and vector graphics features. These capabilities will put the product squarely in the market currently dominated by software maker Adobe Systems with its pixel-focused Photoshop and vector-driven Illustrator products. Acrylic appears to support opening and exporting to Photoshop and Illustrator file formats, as well as other standard graphics formats. In addition, the application appears to be able to export to Adobe's Portable Document Format, or PDF.'source: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/06/10/1550255&tid=109&tid=152&tid=185&tid=1

I havent tried it; heard that the interface is a mess and that its slow. I think Ive used the earlier version but dont remember much about it. I'll see how it turns out, though it will be interesting to see where this goes.

[DDD]

I have used expression quite sometime ago. Matter of fact I think I heard about it here. If they have a dotted line tool, I am jumping ship...lol. oh how I wish PS had a dotted line tool.

[Krilnon]

I wasn't all that impressed by it, but I can't say I used it for too long, I just didn't see any reason to... and I didn't see a dotted line tool :P

[Rhodry]

That's a lovely picture you've got there.

[Krilnon]

Thanks! :love:

I made it using Acrylic.

[thesparky007]

i tried it
and it is okay
just gonna take a while to understand thje tools

[briguy33]

i have used Expression way back in the day... and there was nothing that could compete with it's vector paint tools... i am sure MS has ruined that by now... but i hope not... they really should just market this as a vector paint prog.... and if it can still do stuff like this... (keep in mind this is all vector) (http://www.microsoft.com/products/expression/previous/expression3_gallery.aspx) then it should be a part of a lot of designers tool kit... imo

brian

[3d Nirvana]

i dont like it. It dosent fill the screen, and the paintbrush has a 1second lag here.

[eurosickwitit]

i downloaded it but unistalled after 20 minutes, piece of ****, too used to adobe software

[B3NKobe]

Why download it? As much as I am a Microsoft person, Adobe Photoshop will always be my preference, Microsoft has no idea about Multimedia apps, they just need to stick to Operating Systems and their Office Package!

[kirupa]

I've never used Adobe Illustrator or PS, so I don't know how well it compares. I think isn't bad, but the performance, like they mention on their site, is not pretty. It was very laggy on my system - especially when I tried to write my name using one of those weird brushes.

I still haven't found a replacement for Microsoft Image Composer for very fast cropping and Print Screen/Pasting of images though :P

[krnmikel]

wow, lets see how this turns out.

[intrudah]

open office>microsoft office :D

nuff said about my opinions towards this

besides...if it aint broke dont fix it..ps is fine for everything i need

[Jeff Wheeler]

I can't believe Kirupa has never used PS. I feel sad now :( Actually, I already knew that, but it's still a surprise every time

[eilsoe]

yeah I agree with the others here, that PS is probably the way for most designers... MS has a lot to live up to, if they want to compete with Adobe at this point... gonna take some strooong evidence that Acrylic is better than PS :P

Maybe MS is just out a little late on this :) as usual... :sure:

[briguy33]

i haven't read through the description of the program (cuz i know what Expression does) but i really think you guys need to look at this as a VECTOR paint program and not as a Photoshop replacement.. if anything it should be more of a competitor of Painter because it is (or should be) geared toward illustrators and fine artists... imo

like the samples i posted earlier.. it is way easier to do these in expression(acrylic) than it would be in illustrator
http://www.microsoft.com/products/expression/previous/expression3_gallery.aspx

[G]

those examples look pretty good but I don't know if any professionals will adopt it.

[the_menace]

Other than their operating system, Microsoft sucks at everything else they do.

[Jeff Wheeler]

Um, the Operating System is what Microsoft does worst; they're good at business ;)

[the_menace]

Um, the Operating System is what Microsoft does worst; they're good at business ;)

That's what haters say about Microsoft. If their operating system is the worst, don't you think those 90%+ people around the world would have switched by now to Linux, etc.? There's just no competition.

[blindlizard]

I will give you all this, the first time MS releases a product, it is not that great. A few revisions later, they have a majority of the market share.

IE
Office
Windows
Media Player

[_Lobo_]

I think that can be a good remplacement for the paint on windows ;) if you want to make something like a PRO use Photoshop Illustrator CS2 end of the story.
Only Corel is behind Adobe, after 12 Suites.

[kirupa]

I think that can be a good remplacement for the paint on windows ;) if you want to make something like a PRO use Photoshop Illustrator CS2 end of the story.
Only Corel is behind Adobe, after 12 Suites.
That may be their plan, and if they get the performance issues fixed, I wouldn't be surprised to see it embedded in Longhorn to replace paint :)

[the_menace]

That may be their plan, and if they get the performance issues fixed, I wouldn't be surprised to see it embedded in Longhorn to replace paint :)

lol, anything is better than paint.

[λ]

That's what haters say about Microsoft. If their operating system is the worst, don't you think those 90%+ people around the world would have switched by now to Linux, etc.? There's just no competition.

Um, that's quite a narrow view, especially given that about 85% of the 90% you quote don't even know what an operating system is.. But nevertheless, this is neither the time nor the place.

[blindlizard]

I think that can be a good remplacement for the paint on windows ;) if you want to make something like a PRO use Photoshop Illustrator CS2 end of the story.
Only Corel is behind Adobe, after 12 Suites.
15 years ago, the same argument could have been made about WordPerfect. Then this small office suite came out from MS...and well we all know how that ended. All I am saying is don't be quick to think that any software manufacturer can keep MS at bay forever. They have the money to produce whatever they want. I am sure they could go to Macromedia/Adobe one day and hire every person there to build the Microsoft PhotoShopFlashFireworksIllustrator .Net 2010.

[Krilnon]

I have an unopened copy of WordPerfect 8 if anyone wants it.

[kirupa]

Free, legit copy of MS Word: http://download.microsoft.com/download/word50/Wd55_eng/5.5/WIN98/EN-US/Wd55_eng.exe
(for MS-DOS 5.5)
;)

[DDD]

Microsoft PhotoShopFlashFireworksIllustrator .Net 2010.

I'd buy it....:lol:

[DDD]

I am trying it. First thing I noticed was no layered .psd capabilities. It imports flattened. IMO that kills it for them right there. But I will press on.

[Seb Hughes]

From what everybody is saying about it i am not going to bother to download it

[Seb Hughes]

lol, anything is better than paint.

Correct

[kirupa]

New version of Acrylic came out a few hours ago: http://www.microsoft.com/products/expression/

There are some nice parodies of SteveB, Robert Scoble, and BillG here: http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=100846#100846 :)

[ace893]

Pretty soon we will be hearing of a new lawsuit against Photoshop for technologies they had patented years ago... they just forgot about it until now ;)