Hi Bill and friends I went through a process of looking for a low budget vector graphics app a few months back and after reading through several reviews and looking for alternatives to freehand and/or illustrator on alternativeto.net I purchased iDraw. So far it is doing the job nicely for what I do. Not sure how it would go for complex diagrams but the demos on their website www.indeeo.com/idraw/ will give you a bit of an idea if it will suit you. It also has matching iPad app but I have not bothered with that at this stage. For reviews of various mac apps you may find something on mac.appstorm.net.
There is always the open source Inkscape but like many open source projects it is powerfully featured but the interface and user experience is a big tricky to get used to. For non vector graphics (photos etc) I use Pixelmator which is excellent. Not nearly as powerful as photoshop but for a fraction of the price does most things I can think to ask of it. Hope this helps Shayne On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 3:02 PM, wa...@realworldcomputing.com.au < wa...@realworldcomputing.com.au> wrote: > Hi Peter, > > It's quite easy to do a simple sketch with Skitch (or is that a skitch > with Sketch?), but simple is the operative word. Open up Skitch and select > File > New from the menu and one is presented with a white canvas. > > You can have a look at the short instructional video called "Skitch > Drawing Tips and Tricks" on this page > > http://evernote.com/skitch/ > > I can't link it directly as it is embedded in some sort of player. The > link is on the right hand side of the view area. > > Skitch was recently acquired by Evernote. I have only used Skitch a couple > of times when I need simple shapes in a text document. > > Regards, > Carlo > > > On 26/07/2012, at 14:48 , Peter Hinchliffe <hinch...@multiline.com.au> > wrote: > > > > > On 26/07/2012, at 1:06 PM, Bill Parker wrote: > > > >> Thanks for that advice. > >> Bill > >> On 26/07/2012, at 12:58 PM, wa...@realworldcomputing.com.au wrote: > >> > >>> Hi Bill, > >>> > >>> For elaborate diagrams I use Photoshop but for quick sketches I have > taken to using SketchBook Express. It is free on the Mac App Store. There > is also a paid version, SketchBook Pro for $31. > >>> > >>> I have also heard good things about Skitch -- also available for free > on the Mac App Store -- but I have not really used it other than a cursory > sketch or two. > >>> > >>> Lastly, if you want to be a trail blazer, you could fork out $50 for > Sketch 2 (Mac App Store). I have not tired it but have it on my list of > software to investigate when the need arises. It gets very good reviews. > >>> > >>> Regards, > >>> Carlo > >>> > > > > I'm a bit puzzled as to how you would use Skitch for drawing useful > diagrams - it's really a screen capture tool. Perhaps you're talking about > a different product from the one I have... > > > > Ever since Lion came on the scene (and indeed the advent of the Intel > Macs and the acquisition of Macromedia by Adobe put the writing on the > wall) I have been searching for a comprehensive replacement for Freehand. > It hasn't been easy, and it has really come down to using a combination of > tools, because no single tool will do everything that Freehand did (and > please don't talk to me about Illustrator - but that's another story). The > closest I have found so far is an excellent vector-based drawing package > called Intaglio (http://www.purgatorydesign.com/Intaglio/), although at > around $90 it's certainly by no meads the cheapest out there! > > > > It's the one I keep coming back to when nothing else works properly. One > of the nice things about Intaglio is its full support for Quartz filters, a > feature usually confined to Bitmapped graphics software like Acorn and > Pixelmator. Some of the effects achievable in Intaglio are quite > remarkable. It's also one of the few budget-priced vector applications on > the Mac now that supports CMYK output. Unfortunately though, this is one > area which doesn't come close to Freehand, so if high-end output for > service bureaus is important to you, then I'm afraid Adobe software such as > Illustrator or InDesign may the only answer. > > > > Carlo mentions Sketch. I bought a copy from the Mac Store in my search > for a Freehand substitute, and although it doesn't really come close, it is > a respectable drawing application in its own right. Depending on your > requirements you might find it suits, although I doubt if it would really > be a replacement for Canvas. > > > > I keep having this recurring dream in which Adobe throws all of its > Freehand code into a dumpster, where it's picked up by a starving graphics > software programmer.... > > > > Peter Hinchliffe Apwin Computer Services > > FileMaker Pro Solutions Developer > > Perth, Western Australia > > Phone (618) 9332 6482 Mob 0403 046 948 > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Mac because I prefer it -- Windows because I have to. > > > > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- > > Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> > > Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> > > Settings & Unsubscribe - < > http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug> > > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- > Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> > Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> > Settings & Unsubscribe - < > http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug> > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> Settings & Unsubscribe - <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug>
