What’s New:
Version 10.0 adds the following:

• Create true Contour Gradients
• New Symbol-based brush and spray strokes
• Smart Cursors for automatic joins (like those in Macromedia Flash)
• New Macromedia standard Pen Tool
• Preserve Macromedia Flash Backgrounds across layers
• Embedded Fonts in MAC and WIN EPS files
• Achieve superior productivity by using Master Pages and the unique workspace.
• New Macromedia User Interface
• Editable Symbols (like those in Macromedia Flash)
• Customizable Master Pages for increasing productivity through template-like behavior
• Print Area for large spreads or intricate zooms
• Macromedia Flash Player window for instantly testing SWF movies within FreeHand
• Create once and publish to print, Web and beyond.
• Industry Standard IPTC Header file support for Cataloging information
• Improved SWF export for preserving Backgrounds when testing animations inside FreeHand
• Macromedia Flash Navigation Panel for applying Macromedia Flash Actions and Web URLs
• Enhanced support for exporting to PDF, HTML, or SWF
  New Web Page Sizes

Developer’s website: Macromedia

What’s New:
Version 1.2 adds ability to draw a hexagonal grid.

Developer’s website: Pautex jf

What’s New:
Version 4.1.1 is compatible with Illustrator CS and Mac OS X 10.3

Developer’s website: CValley, Inc.

DrawWell is a powerful document creation tool with excellent graphics capabilities and many novel and useful features. Documents can be multi-paged, pages can be multi-layered and graphic objects can be grouped into more complex shapes. Documents can be made into palettes so their contents are conveniently available to be reused in other documents. Using palettes allows you to build up comprehensive libraries of easy to use building blocks, or use themed palettes that others have created. One of DrawWell’s more unusual and very powerful features is its built-in merging capability. Merge tokens are dragged onto the document and then data is substituted when the document is printed.

What’s New:
Version 2.9:

• Universal binaries for Intel based Mac support
• Separate menu items for Underline and Strikethrough text attributes
• Added a button for easier access to the Merge Token Panel’s find functions
• Locking/Unlocking a document switches the toolbar to be appropriate to the lock state
• Rotation tool gets a sheet to enter a precise rotation value
• Added a Save As… action to the resource inspector so that you can save embedded resources (eg. images)
• Enabled the Parallelogram shape’s aspect control point
• Enabled text shaping for Polygons and Arrow shapes
• Selection and Zoom rectangles do the ‘marching ants’ thing
• Redragging in a referenced image resource will make the resource reload (eg. after editing in iPhoto)
• The New document Allow Transparency preference is now enabled by default
• Added Arrange ? Ordering ? Copy To Layer submenu
• and much more

Developer’s website: DrawWell Technologies Ltd.

Developer’s website: ChooseFile.com

This new version of ArtRage comes in two versions. The Full Edition gives you all the new features, including four new tools, layers, metal paints, and much more for only $19.95US. The Free Edition contains all of the features of ArtRage 1, plus the speed and technology improvements in ArtRage 2 and a few new features for good measure.

What’s New:
Version 2.5 release notes available here.

Developer’s website: Ambient Design

With AT&T Graphviz, you don’t figure out the graph, the program does. Using a simple file format called dot, just describe which nodes should connect to which other nodes. Then the sophisticated layout routines quickly render it into many different output formats.

You get these distinctives with the Mac OS X version:

• Document-based GUI with the Macintosh look-and-feel:
  • Preview and zoom graphs, from 12.5% to 800%.
  • Pan the graph with the hand cursor.
  • Tweak settings with a drawerful of switches and component defaults, and see the effect immediately.
  • Can’t figure out a setting? Tooltips to the rescue…
  • Choose fonts and colors with the integrated font and color panels.
  • Print and export graphs using familiar menu commands.
  • Click to edit the file, then save it and the changes are automatically picked up.
  • Check the activity window for the actual command line calls.
  • Open files or portions of text as graphs from other applications.
  • Remember settings for the next graph, or change settings via the command line.
• Easy installation:
  • Drag-and-drop to install, no separate installer required.
  • Works out of the box on stock Mac OS X 10.2 or better system, no third-party libraries required.
• Quartz rendering:
  • Direct export to paged or embedded PDF.
  • Supports full alpha transparency.
  • Supports native fonts.
  • Supports shapefiles: PDF, Postscript, JPEG, PNG and all Quicktime formats.
  • Anti-aliases shapes and text.
• Quicktime exporting:
  • Supports all Quicktime image formats: SGI, Photoshop, Windows BMP, JPEG, Macintosh PICT, PNG, MacPaint, TIFF, Targa, JPEG 2000 and Quicktime Image.
  • Automatically recognizes additional export components.

  Graphviz is “open-source” freeware, but donations are encouraged.

What’s New:
Version 1.13 (v16)

• Improved font searching.
• Fixed labels with blank lines sometimes failing to render.
• Fixed bitmap formats sometimes not showing in export dialog.
• Tracked main build of 23 August.

Developer’s website: Pixelglow Software

Developer’s website: KISI,KAZUTAKA

Includes a full-color manual (with the “How to Make a Photo Comic” comic book inside), as well as extra fonts, styles, and templates to give you maximum power and freedom when creating your comics.

What’s New:
Version 1.3.4:

• iPhoto ‘08 libraries should now display for those users affected
• Improved stability when using Comic Life
• Default Stylesheet has been updated to reflect the ‘Defaults’ in the ‘Built-in’ stylesheets
• Improved font and caption compatibility with Windows version
• Default stylesheet is now “Built-in: plasq-intl” so users can create words with accents without requiring a change in font

Developer’s website: plasq

• Typically small document sizes.
• Easy to use controls.
• Fast start up.

Basically, it is a notepad for people with pen and tablet for jotting down ideas when the mood strikes them. yInk document files are typically very small since they store their images by using the vector graphics actions.

What’s New:
Version 1.5 incorpoates some bug fixes and cosmetic improvements.

Developer’s website: Skinny Boy Software

An endless number of fascinating structures are created by generating pictures
directly with the integrated formulas or by experimenting with the enclosed
sample pictures.

What’s New:
Version 3.2

• Now supports symmetric multiprocessing. If your computer is equipped
  with two or more processors and/or processor cores, they will be used parallel.
  So, calculation time is reduced accordingly.
• A popup menu in the file select box now allows you to choose between different graphics formats when saving fractals as pictures.
• If your mouse is equipped with a scroll wheel, you can now use it for EasyFractal windows too.

Developer’s website: Berkhan-Software

KidzMail sends real email that any email client will accept. Pictures are
sent as both JPEGs (a popular picture format found on the Internet) and
KidzMail pictures. Even somebody without KidzMail can receive and view
KidzMail pictures.

What’s New:
Version 1.5.1:

Fixed several cosmetic bugs with the addresses list box in the setup wizard.
• Pointed Help menu items to their correct URLs.
• Opening mail with no picture once again defaults to the Write tab (instead of the Draw tab).
• Fixed a text encoding problem with giving address book entries a Japanese nickname.
• The mailbox window now opens to the correct size when you first launch KidzMail.

Developer’s website: HaranBanjo

Border works with Appleworks, Photoshop, Illustrator, and any graphics program which can accept PDF, PostScript, or PICT data.

What’s New:
release notes not available currently

Developer’s website: Barney Hilken

What’s New:
Version 2.2.1:

• Fixed a hang (deadlock) bug that could occur on multi-processor machines;
• Sometimes, the aliases were ignored (with folder image banks and sub-folders managment);
• Inversion of the “threshold of acceptance” slider to be more intuitive regarding its label;
• Better handling of tiny-tiled mosaics.

Developer’s website: Pierre Chatelier

TG2 Technology Preview features an advanced hybrid micropolygon renderer with powerful multi-angle displacement capabilities. It has a versatile procedural engine that can be utilised to apply subpixel-level detail to almost any aspect of a scene. Terragen 2 is capable of rendering billions of polygons in a single scene. Please visit the Terragen 2 page for more information on the capabilities of Terragen 2.

Terragen 2 Technology Preview is available both as a free download and as a pre-purchase option for Terragen 2. The free version may only be used for non-commercial purposes and is limited in the following ways:

• Render Size Maximum: 800×600
• Render Detail Maximum: 1.0
• Antialiasing Maximum: 3
• Number of Rendered Populations: 3

You may purchase a commercial license for the Technology Preview which will remove these feature restrictions and allow you access to more frequent development releases of Terragen 2. You will also be entitled to a free upgrade to a final release of Terragen 2 when development is completed. Please see our Terragen 2 purchase page for details on pricing and purchase options.

Please note that the Technology Preview release is aimed mainly at high end users. It has a powerful and flexible graphical node/graph editor which is used for creating networks of shaders and scene elements. The Technology Preview features a number of high level shaders which create more complex scene elements, such as clouds or rocks, as well as a low level function node system which allows you to create shaders from “first principles”, using functions and methods that will be familiar to shader writers. The node editor can be used to unlock the full power of the TG2 rendering engine.

Function Node Network — We are very aware that many users may find the node based interface unfamiliar. We strongly emphasise that the Technology Preview release is aimed at high end users. We are continuing to develop the user interface to reduce the learning curve and make it easier to leverage the power of the TG2 render engine to create scenes of outstanding realism and complexity.

What’s New:

Version 2 Technology Preview v. 1.8.64:

• The Technology Preview is not beta software. Although it will exhibit some of the basic capabilities of TG2, it does not contain the full set of features that will exist in the final Terragen 2 release. Considerable development is underway that will not be reflected in the Technology Preview release. Most importantly the Technology Preview has not yet been optimised for speed and consequently rendering times will not be optimal. As development progresses we will be putting considerable effort into optimising the renderer, including making it threaded to best take advantage of multicore/multiprocessor machines.

Developer’s website: Planetside Software

Basically the software shows a selection of algorithmically generated images. You pick one you like and the software mutates the algorithm to produce random variants. Simply repeat until bored, hopefully encountering some pleasing eye candy along the way.

Developer’s website: http://www.bottlenose.demon.co.uk/share/evolvotron/

Features:

• Both vector brushes and textured, pixel-based brushes that remain objects that can be selected, edited (path and attributes), moved, scaled and rotated.
• Easy to use path tools. Points are entered in order and can be edited at any time while the path is being created. When editing, all points are immediately editable – there is no confusing secondary selection tool.
• Gradients can be edited live, in-place on the objects they fill.
• Multi-Copy tool to place multiple copies along a line, an arc, a circle or a path.
• No text boxes. ZeusDraw has in-place editing of text, even if it has been scaled sheared or rotated.
• Construction and layout aids: Snap to Grid, Snap to Path, Snap to Point, Snap to Angle and automatic alignment guides.
• By gesture or by the numbers. ZeusDraw allows precise setting of the size and position of objects.
• Actual size viewing. With ZeusDraw 100% means 100%.
• No size limits. If you’re making a banner or a billboard, ZeusDraw will work for you.
• E-mail artwork from within the program.
• Color Picker. ZeusDraw adds a pane to the Color Picker to allow you to choose from a grid of closely related colors.

What’s New:
Version 1.2:

• Editable PDF and PostScript – ZeusDraw 1.2 can convert most imported PDF, PS and EPS files into ZeusDraw objects. These objects can then be edited and modified like objects created directly in ZeusDraw. (PDF conversion requires 10.4 or later.)
• Improved Print dialog – ZeusDraw’s printing features are now more easily accessible.The new dialog also adds the ability to print only the selection and to scale the entire design or a selection so that it just fits the paper size.
• German language localization

Version 1.1:

• Blend Modes – ZeusDraw now supports Blend Modes.
• Improved Gradient Tool – You can now drag and drop colors directly to the gradient when editing gradients in place with the Gradient Tool.
• Choice of Mail Programs – You can now use Eudora, MS Entourage, or the AOL mail application, as well as the Apple Mail program, to email artwork from within ZeusDraw.
• Improved Export Sheets – When exporting or e-mailing you can now choose to export the selection, the page bounds, all the artwork or an area. When exporting the selection or all the artwork you can add a margin around them. The sheets now remember the last directory used.
• Scroll Wheel Support – The scroll wheel scrolls your drawing vertically. Shift + scroll wheel scrolls horizontally.
• Window Size – You can now set the initial window size for new drawings in the Preferences. Saved documents remember their window size.
• Check for Update – ZeusDraw now uses Sparkle to check for updates. If a new update is available it will show you the release notes and, if you choose, install the update for you.
• About Box – The About box now shows the version number and your registration number.

Developer’s website: Chromatic Bytes, LLC

Rita is most fun when using a Wacom drawing board or a similar device.

What’s New:
Version 1.1.2:

• Universal Binary
• Faster undo

Developer’s website: Niklas Frykholm

ShapeOnYou features:

• An elegant and intuitive interface, with an inspector in the iWork style
• Full vectorial graphics to make images smoothly resizable
• Smart 3D rendering with detection of hidden edges, shadows, shading
• The ability to build parametrized animations
• A large set of basic and complex shapes (cube, cylinder, torus, Möbius ring, blob…)
• The ability to customize existing shapes with some distortions (thinning, bending…)
• The ability to create your own extruded shapes
• Numerous export formats : PDF, EPS, SVG, VRML, X3D, TIFF, PNG, JPEG
• LinkBack support
• English and French localization

What’s New:
Version 1.5.2:

• Fixed a bug related to the availability of the menu items “Copy” and “Paste”;
• Added “New from Clipboard” menu item;
• The animation criteria were not translated in English;
• German translation by Apfel+Z http://www.apfelplusz.de

Developer’s website: Pierre Chatelier

Developer’s website: e frontier, Inc.

Getting down to the job at hand has never been easier, thanks to the Corel Painter IX Welcome screen, which launches at startup. Divided into four sections, the Welcome screen gives quick access to recently used files, tutorials, brush and color-management settings, and artwork from renowned Corel Painter masters.

Brush Control palettes provide easy access to all brush settings and controls. Making on-the-fly changes to brush settings and variables is as simple as dragging a slider—without any disruption to workflow. For example, the new Boost slider, found in the General palette of the Brush Controls, instantly enhances brush speed. Just drag the slider and see brush performance accelerate.

The Artists’ Oils Painting System is a milestone in the evolution of digital art. This new painting system enables you to apply paint blends created in the Mixer palette directly onto images in the document window. Each brush dab loads the brush variant with a finite amount of oil. As the oil runs out, the brush stroke becomes fainter. Brush strokes interact with any paint already on the canvas just as they would with natural media.

And MUCH more…

What’s New:
Version 10.0: New features include: RealBristle painting system; new composition tools; enhanced Photo-Painting system; new Match Palette effect; new Universal Mixer palette; enhanced speed; Universal Binary support; and much more.

Developer’s website: Corel Corporation

A cost-effective solution that yields high quality results!

What’s New:
Release notes not available currently.

Developer’s website: The POV-Ray Mac OS Team

What’s New:
Version 1.0:

• Fixed more save / export issues
• Printing improvement
• Still click now draws dots

Developer’s website: Polonius Software

Developer’s website:

Inkscape’s main goal is to create a powerful and convenient drawing tool fully compliant with XML, SVG, and CSS standards. We also aim to maintain a thriving user and developer community by using open, community-oriented development

What’s New:
Version 0.45.1:

• Patch [ 1667939 ]: fix crash when tile-tracing with too small
  clones
• Patch [ 1666532 ]: Broken link in inkview man page
• Patch [ 1665447 ]: fix for the blur quantization bug 1617082
• Patch [ 1664849 ]: fix for 1662589: increase blur margins
• Patch [ 1664004 ]: embedimage.py with fixed search order
• Patch [ 1662649 ]: markers.svg with reversed order
• Crudely improve check-markup for { markup, fix translations with
  bugs in that area (dz and zh_TW).
• Patch [ 1659404 ]: Set locale directory from environment variable
• Patch [ 1657072 ]: fix for bug 1654495
• Patch [ 1654636 ]: defocus dropper checkboxes
• Adding japanese.nsh and russian.nsh into files that should go into
  the release tarball
• Correct russian translation
• Patch [ 1651797 ]: fix for attributes when saving/save-a-copy
• Patch [ 1651752 ]: fix dropper tool
• Pattern along path extension fixed on Windows
• Include libtiff3.dll in the Windows distribution, fixing crash
  when opening TIFF files
• Patch [ 1673067 ]: fix blur export on flowtext
• Patch [ 1678075 ]: fix FontInstance.cpp compile issue
• Patch [ 1673502 ]: fix broken Envelope (Summers Night) effect
• Patch [ 1680182 ]: fix pattern inversion on bool op (bug 1659445)
• Patch [ 1681754 ]: fix crash when editing text with multiple
  tspans
• Patch [ 1682425 ]: fix bug 1679477 (crash exporting gradients to
  ODG)
• Khmer translation now installs correctly
• Updated Slovak translation
• Updated Bulgarian translation
• Updated Catalan translation
• Updated Czech translation
• Security: fixed format string overflows in dialogs (CVE-2007-1463)
  and whiteboard Jabber protocol (CVE-2007-1464).

Developer’s website: inkscape.org