Improved workflow
- Artboard 1 9 – Simple And Direct Vector Drawing Software Free
- Artboard 1 9 – Simple And Direct Vector Drawing Software
- Real time, direct editing of objects and styles.
- Image and vector effects can be manipulated directly and interactively on the objects.
- Advanced tools to edit vectors, text and images.
- Powerful snapping options to align objects and shapes, including collision and formation snapping.
- Create guidelines at any angle, group guidelines and use different colors per guideline group.
- Work seamlessly with multiple documents.
- Multiple views of the same document: edit a symbol in one view, see changes in the other view.
- Link documents and reuse symbols and styles from other documents.
- Build a hierarchy of multiple canvases, and use unlimited number of artboards in a single document.
- Use the Properties panel to quickly edit frequently used options.
Vector graphics and illustrations
- Select from a large number of parametric shapes to start drawing.
- Use real vector brushes, stretching vector graphics along shapes to create brush paint effects.
- Use both cubic and quadratic curves in shapes, with smooth and symmetric corners.
- Setup corners in any shape, and use arbitrary shapes to defined new corner types.
- Powerful nondestructive vector effects to adjust object shapes.
- Style objects with multiple outlines and fills using arrows, caps, dashes, stripes, variable stroke width, colors, rich gradients or tiling pattern styles.
- Create mesh gradients from any object using the Mesh tool.
- Setup gradients along or across a shape.
Image effects for vector graphics
- Select from a large collection of image effects.
- Apply multiple, nondestructive image effects on vector objects, groups or layers.
- Use the Image Effect tools to interactively adjust image effect parameters.
- Apply image effects as adjustment effects: adjusting content behind an object.
- Create adjustment layers using selected image effects.
- Import and reuse complex SVG image effect hierarchies.
Since it's an open-source platform, it's an entirely free version of design software. Xara Designer Pro X. Xara offers advanced features and tools while that provide advanced design elements. The software is used extensively for web and print design solutions to create illustrations, edit photos, and design web pages. Sketch your ideas on the infinite canvas, write notes and doodles with tilt + pressure, draw storyboards, product sketches and design plans, then share with friends, clients and other apps. Our Windows version is optimized for the latest devices including Surface, the Surface Pen and Surface Dial as well as Surface Pro X and other ARM64 based. Skylab studio 2 2.
The basic principles of Artboard fall into 9 headings: 1. Drawing Setup – set canvas size, drawing units, and graph paper 2. Drawing Objects – use Artboard's simple and direct drawing tools in combination with the built-in Styles & Clip Art library and styles you create. Jan 28, 2021 While Photoshop is known as graphic design software, many artists use it for drawing and illustration work as well. The ability to create transferable art and design is the main benefit of using Photoshop. Especially if you plan on selling editable versions of your art and illustrations, Photoshop is the best app for you. Artboard is vector drawing software to create crisp vector graphics, logos, icons and illustrations. Artboard features 'smart' objects, direct select tool, a powerful style generator and stacked styles that go way beyond simple fill and stroke, providing a wide range of spectacular effects.
Typography improved
- Use vector text as shape for objects.
- Powerful text on path features: interactive positioning of text along a path.
- Easy adjustment of the vector text baseline, to create a text on path effect.
- Interactively move and transform individual characters of a text shape.
- Flow text in multiple frames across multiple artboards and canvases.
- Embed shapes and styled objects as glyphs into the text.
- Powerful text styling: outlines, fills, underlines, OpenType typography.
- Balance multiple columns of text flow inside a frame.
Powerful preview and display options
- Preview in vector, pixel or outline modes.
- Create a split view of different preview modes, and slide between them quickly.
- Zoom in to over 1.000.000% level.
- Rotate views to arbitrary angles and draw or edit objects at any viewing angle.
- Adjust the extent of sub-pixel division to setup various anti-aliasing modes.
- Preview colors, gradients and effects in 16-bit or 32-bit precision per color component.
Compatibility and export workflow
- Import and export popular file formats: PSD, AI, SVG, PDF, Postscript, EPS, JPEG, BMP, GIF, PCX, PNG, TGA, TIFF.
- AI files are imported in editable form with tiling patterns, brushes, styles and effects available for reuse and adjustment.
- Create multiple slice regions on a canvas for exporting.
- Setup multiple export formats, resolutions and options for each slice.
- Export all or selected slices only, in one step.
- Batch export multiple artboards.
- Setup vector objects for batch exporting.
- Save the export options with the document and Export Again in a single step.
Editing detail for professionals
- Unlimited Undo and Redo hierarchy.
- Use the History panel to browse the change history.
- Alternate histories: select which change to redo.
- Save undo and redo history with the document, and browse previous history in a newly opened documents.
- Repeat selected recent actions.
- Find and replace objects, styles and text.
- Copy and paste object styles, object shapes, transparency masks, image effects and character styles.
- Create, edit and use Symbols.
- Override selected styles locally for a Symbol.
Customizable application details
- Select Dark or Light user interface theme.
- Customize size and color of indicators, used in interactive editing.
- Example: change the size and color of nodes displayed while editing curves and their control points.
- Set the scaling factor of the user interface for better accessibility.
- Setup automatic document backup options.
- Customize colors for guidelines, grids and slices.
- Customize details of object and curve editing.
Setup custom menu structures
- Customize the application menu hierarchy.
- Customize the context menu shown with quick actions on Control+Click.
- Create and reuse custom menu hierarchies.
- Easily swap between previously saved menu structures.
Customize shortcuts
- Customize application shortcuts.
- Create, save and reuse shortcut definition files.
- Easily swap between previously saved shortcut definition files.
- Setup shortcuts specific to a context only.
- Example: a shortcut can have a different meaning when editing text or when editing curves.
Customize and create new toolboxes
- Customize the application toolbox.
- Create, save and reuse custom toolbox files.
- Create and use multiple custom toolboxes at the same time.
- Easily swap between previously saved custom toolboxes or open toolboxes in separate panels.
Artboard 1 9 – Simple And Direct Vector Drawing Software Free
Extensive list of parametric shapes to start your design
- Draw and edit: rectangles, ellipses, circles, regular polygons, stars, square stars, gears, spirals, polygonal spirals, super ellipses and super shapes.
- Draw and edit symmetrigons with arbitrarily shaped sides.
- Edit ellipse or circle properties to create multiple concentric sections.
- Interactively adjust the attributes of any shape type.
- Bend the sides of rectangles and regular polygons.
- Select clockwise or counterclockwise shape directions.
- Regular and normalized star shapes of arbitrary number of corners.
Powerful curve editing tools
- Interactively edit corners of any shapes.
- Create and use custom corner shapes (not just circular or flat).
- Edit free form curves by moving control points or dragging the curve at any location.
- Show curve direction when hovering over the shape.
- Show starting and ending nodes of a shape.
- Edit quadratic and cubic curves of better control of shapes.
- Cut or redirect shape at self intersection points.
- Simplify and smooth out curves using the Simplify Brush or the Simplify Path menu command.
- Convert any shape to curves, and freely edit its nodes and control points.
Boolean shape operations
- Shape operations: Combine, Intersect, Union, Exclude, Cut Out, Inside, Outside, Remove Overlaps, Exclude Back, Divide, Trim and Merge.
- Simplify shape at self-intersecting points based on the winding fill rule.
- Combine and create complex shapes.
- Boolean shape operations without stray nodes.
- Combine shapes directly, to create new editable free form shapes.
- Combine shapes with boolean operations nondestructively, to edit the original shapes at any time.
- Apply boolean operations on a group of objects, to create nondestructive shape combinations.
- Use Shape Builder tool to create complex shapes.
Vector editing workflow
- Create and reuse shape styles.
- Change the shape of multiple objects, by using shape styles, and adjusting the styles.
- Link (reference) the shape of an object, to another named reference object.
- Edit the shape of multiple objects by editing reference object shapes.
- Create and reuse shape presets everywhere.
- Convert text to shapes to edit curves.
- Draw smooth shapes with the pencil tool, or create curves using the pen tool.
- Use Shape Paint (aka live paint) groups to create dynamically styled artwork.
- Pencil tool dynamic mode enables the erasing of intersecting path segments.
- Use the path sketch tool to create complex shapes by sketching simple strokes.
Powerful vector effects
- Nondestructive distortion effects applied to object shapes.
- The shape effects panel creates and manages multiple shape effects applied to the selected object.
- Modify shape effect attributes of the selected objects at any time.
- Distort groups of objects, using mesh or envelope distortions.
- Bend groups of objects along arbitrary, freely editable shapes.
- Warp objects into predefined shapes.
- Apply the Elastic Warp effect to distort objects freely.
- Create and edit shape effects interactively.
Paint with Brushes
- Select pencil and brush stabilizer modes.
- Draw variable width outlines using the brush tool.
- Edit local width of variable width outlines using interactive tools.
- Select and paint with real vector brushes.
- Vector brushes may use variable width profiles, the width profile can be adjusted interactively at any time.
- Vector brushes contain an arbitrary group of vector objects, distorted and stretched along the painted curve.
- Vector brushes may contain arbitrary colors, or can be tinted and shaded with custom colors.
- Paint with scatter, pattern and bristle brush types, while retaining vector scalability.
Modify shapes using shape effect brushes
- Paint vector effects over any group of shapes to create local distortions.
- Select from up to 13 different vector effect brushes.
- Apply local twirl, ripple, noise, wave, perturbation, zig-zag distortions to shapes.
- Edit brush options by double-clicking on the brush tool icon.
- Modify object shapes using the Liquify tool.
- Create and apply shape distortions on groups of objects.
Mesh gradients
- Create and edit mesh gradients using the interactive mesh gradient tool.
- Create mesh gradients from arbitrary shapes.
- Add new nodes to mesh gradients at arbitrary locations.
- Select the color and opacity of each mesh node.
- Fast interactive preview of mesh changes.
Create complex transparency masks
- Use the Transparency panel to setup and modify transparency masks of the selected objects.
- Select opacity of objects and layers directly from the transparency panel, or the object / layer options view.
- Select from multiple blend modes.
- Select and edit a gradient style as a transparency mask.
- Select and edit a tiling pattern style as a transparency mask.
- Select and edit a noise fill style as a transparency mask.
Transparency options
- Edit transparency options of objects and layers in the object / layer options view.
- Isolated mode: layer or object content is composited independently of background.
- Knockout mode: blend layer content with backdrop.
- Option to interpret opacity as a shape.
- Use layer or object content as a mask for adjustment effects.
Blending modes
- Select from a list of blending modes.
- Darken, Multiply, Color Burn, Exp Dark.
- Lighten, Screen, Color Dodge, Linear Dodge, Exponent Light, Extra Light.
- Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light, Vivid Light, Linear Light, Pin Light.
- Difference, Exclusion, Subtract, Divide, Distance.
- Hue, Saturation, Color, Luminosity.
- Color Wash, Color Scale, Geometric.
- Hard Burn, Hard Dodge, Light Burn, Scale Dark.
- Logical And, Or, Xor, Nor, Add and Invert.
Transparency mask types
- Solid color for uniform transparency mask.
- Gradient of any type for transitions. Gradient shapes are also included.
- Use tiling patterns to setup transparency masks.
- Use synthetic noise styles as transparency masks.
- Setup mesh gradient as transparency mask, to adjust the opacity at arbitrary locations.
- Use groups of objects, or references to named objects (symbols), to create custom transparency masks.
Transparency mask editing
- Select and edit transparency attributes in the Transparency panel.
- Interactively edit transparency gradient tones and shape.
- Interactively edit tiling vector pattern masks.
- Browse and select transparency from a large collection of synthetic noise types.
- Edit the mesh transparency type in a similar way as mesh gradients are edited.
- Edit objects of a transparency group, by double-clicking on the preview in the Transparency panel.
- Edit transparency masks from reference objects (symbols), by editing the objects.
Powerful workflow for transparency masks.
- Invert mask, and select between clipping or non-clipping masks.
- Create named styles or presets from any transparency mask.
- Reuse transparency mask styles or presets, by selecting from the list of transparency type in the panel.
- Override transparency attributes in symbols.
- Copy and paste transparency mask between objects.
Object fill and outline styling
- Solid colors selected by various means: color spectrum, numeric color values, palette, color variations or harmonies.
- Gradient transitions with arbitrary shapes.
- Tiling patterns with content selected from other objects or symbols.
- Synthetic noise styles for filling objects and outlines.
- Multiple stacked fill and stroke attributes in a single object.
- Separate opacity and transparency mask options for each fill and outline style of an object.
Advanced color selection methods
- Select colors from the color panel by adjusting numeric amounts, picking from the color wheel, or editing hexadecimal color values.
- Support for multiple color types: Gray, RGB, CMYK, HLS, HSB, HWB, HSI, Lab, LCH.
- Select from various color wheel types.
- Select colors from various color palettes.
- Keep multiple color palette panels opened at the same time.
- Load palettes from files of various formats: ASE, ACV, ACO, CPL, CSV and XML.
- Show a color palette as a color bar at the margin of the document view.
- Create and use Spot and Process colors.
Gradient styles
- The most extensive set of gradient types available: linear, concentric, conical, spiral, noise.
- Select gradient attributes from the gradient panel.
- Edit the shape of linear, concentric and conical gradients.
- Use shapes of reference objects as gradient shapes.
- Create new gradient types by setting up a gradient with a custom shape.
- Interactively edit the gradient attributes and the gradient shape.
- Select color and opacity of gradient stops.
- Create and reuse gradient styles and presets.
- Create texture gradients using the noise gradient type.
Tiling pattern styles
- Fill and outline objects using tiling patterns.
- Select the content of tiling pattern from object symbols.
- Scale and rotate the tiling pattern fill.
- Select pattern tile shape: Boxes, Hexagons, Triangular or Rhombus.
- Expand tiling pattern into editable objects.
- Edit tiling pattern content in-place, or by editing the referenced objects.
Noise styles
- Fill and outline objects using various types of synthetic noise styles.
- Use the noise panel to select noise style attributes.
- Edit numeric noise attributes or randomize the noise parameters.
- Browse and select noise from an extensive list of randomly generated custom noise styles.
Outline objects and text
- Select outline width from the Stroke panel or the Properties panel.
- Fill outline strokes with color, gradient, tiling pattern, or noise.
- Create and reuse stroke styles and presets.
- Select and reuse stroke styles from reference objects.
- Gradient on stroke: gradient colors transition along or across an outline stroke, including variable width strokes.
Stroke properties
- Set stroke properties in the Stroke Panel.
- Allow zero width strokes for real thin hairline at any resolution.
- Align stroke inside, outside or centered to the object outline.
- Shift strokes inside or outside by arbitrary amounts.
- Align dash lengths between cusp nodes.
- Distort the shape of stroke (including arrows), using shape distortion effects.
Use stroke caps.
- Select stroke cap ends in open or dashed shapes.
- Create and use custom shaped stroke caps.
- Create new cap shapes from a custom shape.
- Select a cap shape as a reference to a named object shape. When the object shape is edited, the linked cap shapes are updated automatically.
- Offset stroke cap locations along the outline.
Add arrowheads to open shapes
- Select arrowheads at the start and end of open shapes.
- Select arbitrarily shaped arrow heads from the Stroke panel.
- Create new arrowheads from the shape of selected objects.
- Select arrowheads as a reference to a named object shape. As the object shape is edited, the linked arrow shapes are updated automatically.
- Connect arrows defined by an open shape, to the shape of the stroke.
- Enable arrowhead and stroke distortions by the shape effects applied to the object.
Variable width profiles
- Assign variable width strokes to selected objects from the Stroke panel.
- Create and reuse variable width profile styles and presets in the Stroke panel.
- Link to stroke width profiles of reference objects.
- Select width variation type from Monotone or Cubic.
- Edit arbitrary stroke width variation in a modal view or interactively.
- Use symmetric, reverted or flipped width variation functions.
Object outline workflow
- Edit stroke width profile interactively with the Width tool.
- Adjust stroke width profile using the Stroke Width Brush tool.
- Smooth the stroke width profile variations using the Width Smooth Brush tool.
- Erase nodes from the width profile function using an interactive tool.
- Use the Stroke Width panel for precise control of variable width strokes.
- Combine the variable width profile attribute with dashed, striped, shifted stroke attributes to create complex stroke effects.
Advanced object hierarchy
- Create arbitrary layer and object hierarchy.
- Assign names to layers and objects, and use these in various contexts (see symbols and object references).
- Add multiple fill and stroke styles to a single object.
- Assign transparency masks to objects or whole layers.
- Create clones of objects and modify or remove attributes of clones.
- Select the master object of cloned objects.
- Select cloned properties of object clones.
- Assign roles to objects and layers, to reuse these as attributes (color, outline, transparency masks, patterns, symbols).
Object and layer options
- Clip layers into arbitrary shapes.
- Lock or unlock, show or hide objects and layers.
- Reference any layer or object as a symbol.
- Place objects on any of the multiple canvases of a document.
- Assign color indicators to layers (used in the Layers panel and in outline preview).
- Use object or layer content as guideline shapes.
- Convert layers or objects to images.
- Create adjustment layers or objects using image filters.
- Setup adjustment filters on any object, to apply image effects to the object backdrop, masked using the object shape and content.
- Clip groups by assigning a shape to a group.
Extended Layers panel
- Manage the object and layer hierarchy in the Layers panel.
- Select the locking and visibility options for multiple objects.
- Add image effects to selected objects in the Layers panel.
- Access advanced layer and object editing commands from the Layers panel menu.
- Customize Layers panel options using the Panel Options command from the menu of the Layers panel.
- Open multiple Layers panels, pinned to specific document, canvas, layer, or object content.
- Copy or move content between multiple documents, or different parts of the same document, using multiple opened Layers panels.
- Show larger preview of an object or layer, by double click or long press on the object icon.
- Rename multiple objects or layers, by selecting them in the Layers panel, and pasting the names from the clipboard.
Appearance panel
- Use the Appearance panel to create, edit or remove fill and stroke styles of an object.
- Show and adjust styles for multiple selected objects.
- Add new shape or image effects to the selected object, or to a stroke or fill style only.
- Drag and drop object fill and stroke styles to change their relative order.
- Edit the fill and stroke attributes of the selected objects.
- Access style editing commands from the Appearance panel menu.
- Apply color adjustment filters on the selected objects.
Find and replace objects, text and styles
- Use the Find / Replace tool to search, select and change objects or text by content or by attributes.
- Search for objects by their name, assigned selection marker, role, or reference.
- Search based on attributes using the More options of the Find / Replace panel.
- Search for object and text using multiple conditions.
- Search based on object fill or stroke properties.
- Replace found objects with symbols (reference objects).
- Automatically apply changes to found objects, setting their fill or stroke styles, or applying shape or image effects.
Advanced object handling
- Assign names to multiple selected objects automatically.
- Assign 9-slice scaling options to symbols for better scaling control.
- Expand selected symbol references into local objects.
- Override styles in selected symbol references.
- Expand groups of boolean shape combinations.
- Expand linked content into imported objects (AI, PSD, PDF, PS, EPS, SVG or other files can be linked into a document).
- Expand object outline stroke (including dashes, stripes, variable width profiles) into editable shapes.
- Search and replace referenced symbols.
- Create cap shape, arrow, corner shape, artistic brush, pattern brush, scatter brush, tiling pattern or symbol from selected objects.
Advanced symbol creation
- Any object or layer can be used as a symbol.
- Create a new symbol from an object or layer, by giving it a name and setting the object Role to Symbol.
- Automatically create symbols, by placing them onto a Reference Canvas with the Symbol role.
- Edit the content of a symbol, by selecting the Reference Canvas containing the symbol, and using regular object editing tools.
- Access and use symbols from menus and lists.
- Create new symbols using the Symbols panel.
- Save and reuse non-linked symbols (object copies) as presets.
Powerful symbol tools
- Use a symbol by drag and drop from the Symbols panel.
- Create symbolic references to any object, by dragging and dropping from the Layers panel, while holding the Command key.
- Expand selected symbol links, using the Expand Symbol command.
- Apply additional shape or image effects to symbols, while still retaining the original editable symbol.
- Find and replace objects with symbols, using object styles or other attributes.
Symbols panel
- Use the Symbols panel to create and manage the collection of symbols in a document.
- Reference objects are also listed in the Symbols panel.
- Drag and drop symbols from the panel into the document.
- Insert symbols into text as a glyph.
- Organize symbols into folders.
- Assign style activation schemes to symbol folders, to define alternative symbol selections.
- Export and reuse symbols using VectorStyler specific symbols library (binary, JSON or XML formats).
- Update a collection of symbols from an existing symbols file.
Powerful symbols workflow
- Use Reference Canvases to create and edit objects that are used as symbols.
- Define multiple objects as symbols, by setting the role of the canvas containing the objects.
- Link to VectorStyler document files containing objects and symbols.
- Update symbols from linked documents automatically or manually, as the external document file is changed.
- Use Style Activation Groups to automatically select groups of Symbols or Styles.
Create reusable styles of object attributes
- Create styles from object attributes, fills, outlines, image or shape effects.
- Styles are used by referencing. Changes to a style are immediately reflected on the objects using the style.
- Create styles by setting roles of named objects, and referencing the style from the objects.
- Changes on objects with a style role are automatically reflected on objects using the style.
- Create styles by setting a style role of a Reference Canvas, so that all named objects on that canvas are treated as style definitions.
- The name of objects with style roles (or in a Reference Canvas with a style role) automatically show up in various lists of the user interface (fill, outline, transparency, etc.) for selecting a style.
Powerful styling tools
- Apply a style by drag and drop from the Styles panel.
- Copy and paste styles between objects.
- Locally override a style in symbol instances.
- Use the style picker tools to pick and apply object styles, object shapes or image effects.
- Search and replace objects using selected styles.
The Styles panel
- Use the Styles panel to create, apply and organize the styles in a document.
- Separate panels are used for Character and Paragraph styles.
- Symbols are threated as styles, but shown in a separate Symbols panel.
- Reference objects with style roles are also accessed from the Styles panel.
- Assign style activation schemes on style folders, to create style alternatives in a single document.
- Export and reuse styles using VectorStyler specific style library (in binary, JSON or XML formats).
- Update a collection of styles from a previously saved styles library.
- Organize styles into folders.
Powerful styles workflow
- Use Style Activation Groups to automatically swap between different style instances.
- Use Reference Canvases to create and edit objects, whose attributes can be reused as styles throughout the document.
- Define multiple styles, by setting the role of a Reference Canvas.
- Link to VectorStyler document files containing styles, to reuse these in the current document.
- Update styles from linked documents, as the document is changed.
- Change the shape of selected objects, by assigning a shape style.
- Clip a group of objects or a layer inside a shape, by selecting a shape style.
- Apply shape and image effects from previously defined effect styles.
Selecting objects directly
- Option to select objects by using intersecting or including marquee.
- Select object using arbitrary marque regions with the lasso tool.
- Select objects using the magic wand tool, based on styling similarity.
- Select and transform individual shapes in composite shapes.
- Select and transform individual objects inside groups.
- Select and transform the content of linked images or graphics, for cropping and clipping.
Advanced selection commands
- Select objects based on visibility or in the visible view area.
- Select all objects below or above the current selection.
- Select locked or hidden objects.
- Select objects containing missing links.
- Select objects based on attribute similarity.
- Isolate editing inside a group of objects.
- Draw, paste or place objects inside existing objects.
Reusable and automatic selections
- Define any number of named markers, that can be associated with objects.
- Select objects having specific markers.
- Search for objects with specific markers, using the Find / Replace command.
- Save object selections, and reselect the same objects later, using the Selections panel.
Powerful object alignment options
- Use the Alignment panel to position objects relative to each other.
- Align objects based on selection, stacking or geometric order.
- Align to Selection, Key Object or to Artboard.
- Align and distribute object reference locations relative to each other.
- Create custom alignment schemes, using the More Options command of the Alignment panel menu.
- Align objects sizes: resizing objects based on a selected object size.
- Align multiple objects along a path.
Improved and extended grids and guidelines
- Setup multiple grids at different angles.
- Grids can be points or lines. Line grids may run in a single direction (at an angle).
- Assign grids to an artboard, canvas or the whole document.
- Adjust grid options from the Grid panel.
- Drag and drop guidelines from the ruler.
- Rotate guidelines to arbitrary angles, by selecting them around to the view margin.
- Snap to rotated guideline directions.
- Manage multiple guidelines and guideline groups in the Guideline panel.
- Assign different guideline colors to different groups of guidelines.
- Select and move multiple guidelines.
- Create guidelines from objects or layers.
Advanced object snapping
- Snap to object boundaries, when moving or resizing objects.
- Snap object sizes to other object sizes, when resizing objects.
- Snap to guideline angles when rotating objects, or drawing lines.
- Snap points to object shapes, when editing curve nodes or moving objects.
- Use collision snapping, to multiple arbitrarily shaped objects.
- Snap to object formations, by detecting basic geometric locations.
Advanced object positioning tools
- Use the gap tool, to adjust the gap between objects.
- Use the collision tool, to move or rotate objects, aligning them to curved shapes.
- Arrange objects in the stacking order, using various Arrange commands.
- Scale, Skew, Rotate and Reflect objects using dedicated tools.
Advanced typography in an illustration software.
- All of the typographic features and more.
- Edit attributes variable fonts.
- Use OpenType color fonts.
- Use text and glyphs as shapes of objects.
- Flow text in multiple frames and columns, across multiple artboards and canvases.
- Setup advanced character and paragraph formatting options.
- Align text along a path using advanced options.
- Use text specific tools to edit text content, link text frames, position text along a path, and transform characters individually.
- Organize fonts into groups for easy access and improved workflow.
- Access font collections from custom folders, without installing the fonts into the system.
Vector text as a shape.
- Create text as a shape, using the Vector Text tool.
- Edit vector text. by double clicking the text object.
- Assign multiple fill and outline styles to the vector text, just like any other object.
- Clip any group of objects inside a vector text shape, while keeping the text editable.
- Convert the vector text to curves, and edit the curves making up the glyphs.
- Style individual characters, or a selection of characters, using object styling attributes.
Flow text into multiple frames
- Create rectangular text frames using the Text Frame tool.
- Assign any shape to the text frame, or edit the shape using the Node tool, to flow text into arbitrarily shaped frames.
- Assign styles to the text frame for background fill and frame outline.
- Flow text into multiple frames.
- Setup multiple columns and balance text vertically in a text frame.
Character options
- Select character formatting options using the Character Panel or the Character Options menu command.
- Select typeface, weight, size, tracking, word spacing, kerning and leading attributes.
- Select advanced OpenType typography features like ligatures. Customize subscript and superscript positions and sizes.
- Automatic spelling and hyphenation.
- Select underline, over line and strike through options, using custom stroke attributes.
- Select character background fill and stroke styles, to create frame around a part of the text.
- Select fill and stroke styles, opacity and transparency masks for characters.
- Apply optical kerning to glyphs in a text flow.
Paragraph options
- Align paragraph text in various directions.
- Use single or multiple line composer for a paragraph, to achieve better typographic results.
- Select text frame margin overflow mode.
- Edit the amount of indentation of the first and last lines or the left and right margins.
- Create paragraph rulers before and after a paragraph using custom stroke styles.
- Specify advanced Drop Capitals options.
- Select paragraph labeling, numbering or bullet point options.
- Edit spacing rules used in text justification.
- Setup hyphenation and tab stops rules.
Rich text styling
- Fill characters in a text flow using any fill style (color, gradient, tiling pattern noise).
- Assign outlines to characters using the stroke options.
- Create styled background of a selected range of characters, that automatically aligns with the characters.
- Insert arbitrary glyphs, shapes or styled objects as glyphs into the text.
- Edit details of underline, over line and strike through styles in the text decorations panel.
- Use dashes, stripes and variable width strokes in text underline, over line and strike through.
- Create, use and manage Character and Paragraph styles for improved text workflow.
Text frame options
- Create and use text frame styles, to automatically adjust the attributes of multiple text frames.
- Vertical alignment of text flow in a frame: top, center, bottom or justified.
- Set spacing around the frame and between paragraphs inside a text frame.
- Split the text frame into multiple columns and rows, with gaps and directions.
- Balance text flow between multiple columns.
- Setup baseline alignment options inside a text frame.
Text on Path
- Align text and flow along arbitrarily shaped objects.
- Change the shape of the text baseline, into an arbitrary shape using the Node tool.
- Move text along the path, using the interactive Text on Path tool.
- Edit the text on path alignment attributes, using the Text on Path panel or the Text on Path menu command.
- Create and reuse various text on path attribute styles and presets.
- Align multiple lines of text on a path, using various rules to achieve better text effect.
- Offset the text along the path, or set the distance of the text from the path.
Advanced text tools
- Create and edit vector text shapes using the vector text tool.
- Create and edit text, flown in multiple frames, using the Text Frame tool.
- Position text along a path interactively, using the Text on Path tool.
- Link text frames or flow text into shapes, using the Frame Link tool.
- Position and transform individual characters of both vector and frame text, using the Character tool.
- Insert special characters.
- Convert punctuations.
- Use the Typography panel to select OpenType features.
Powerful glyph management
- Use the Glyph panel, to browse and use glyphs and glyph alternates from any font.
- Drag and drop glyphs from the glyph panel into the canvas as shapes.
- Insert glyphs at the current cursor position into the text.
- Select OpenType alternates of glyphs.
- Open any TrueType, OpenType or other font files, into new glyph panels.
- Open SVG font files into new glyph panels.
- List and select object shapes and symbols used as glyphs.
Advanced tools to change color and shape
- Select from a collection of shape distortion effects, to modify object shapes.
- Shape distortions are nondestructive, parameters can be changed at any time.
- Apply multiple shape effects on groups of objects.
- Manage the list of stacked shape effects on an object.
- Edit shape effects interactively in the document, or adjust the effect properties in a panel or modal view.
- Apply color filters to selected artwork to adjust colors.
- Recolor selected artwork using advanced coloring schemes.
Shape effects
Artboard 1 9 – Simple And Direct Vector Drawing Software
- Extensive list of geometric distortion effects, to adjust shapes of object groups.
- Apply ripple, wave, zigzag, perturbation using local variations, synthesized by a noise style.
- Create and edit interactive 4-point distortion effects.
- Create arbitrary distortions, using envelope shapes and mesh grids.
- Create elastic warp effects, by moving pinpoints and distorting the artwork accordingly.
- Bend artwork along a curve, stretching the artwork using variable width profiles.
- Create and interactively edit variable distance path offsets of object shapes.
- Create and reuse shape effect styles and presets.
The Shape Effects panel
- Add, edit, remove shape effects on the selected objects.
- Browse the hierarchy of shape effects, stacked on the selected object.
- Adjust the parameters of a shape effect on a selected object from the panel.
- Activate the interactive shape effect editor tool.
- Activate the additional shape effect parameter editor tool (if applicable for the effect).
- Apply shape effects to the outline stroke, distorting arrows, dashes and caps.
- Edit shape effect options, to control the distortion of curves and control point locations.
- Enable the Rigid Shapes option to create various shape placement effects.
Envelope and Mesh
- Create and edit envelope effects using arbitrary shapes, to apply distortions on a group of objects.
- Reuse envelope shapes from reference object shapes, or create custom envelope shape presets or styles.
- Create and edit mesh grid distortions on a group of objects.
- Add internal control points to mesh grid curves, to achieve better control of the mesh shape.
- Select linear mesh boundaries, to create mesh effect variations.
- Edit 4-point distortions interactively.
Elastic warp
- Create and edit Elastic Warp effect on group of objects.
- Elastic warp creates distortions by stretching according to multiple pinpoint location changes.
- In elastic warp, the group members are distorted according to the elastic mesh distortion applied to the group.
- Elastic warp pinpoints can be added also at locations not covered by the objects of a group.
- Create and remove arbitrary number of pinpoints in the elastic warp.
- Rotate elastic warp mesh around any pinpoint.
Bending along a curve
- Bend groups of object along arbitrary shapes.
- Edit the bending curve interactively, using the node editor tool.
- Create and reuse bending shape styles and presets.
- Use reference object shapes as bending shapes, linking the bend effect to an editable shape.
- Apply variable width stroke profiles to the bending effect, to stretch the artwork locally along the shape.
- Edit the variable width profile of the bending effect interactively.
- Convert the bending effect into a mesh effect or curves.
Color filters
- Change colors in selected objects and groups, by applying color adjustment filters.
- Colors are changed destructively, and can be further edited as a regular artwork (no image conversions involved).
- Change colors with Curves and Levels filters.
- Adjust colors using Black and White, Channel Mixer, Color Balance and Hue Adjustment filters.
- Change vibrance and saturation.
- Use the Photo Filter to adjust color tones.
- Mix object colors using the Style Mixer menu commands.
Recolor artwork
- Recolor artwork using the Replace Color command.
- Create complex recoloring rules, save and reuse these as presets.
- Recolor artwork, by matching to nearest colors of another document or a color palette.
- Disturb colors randomly, using a selected color mode.
- Recolor artwork, using randomized colors or select randomly from a predefined palette.
- Recolor artwork, using the object locations and colors from a noise scheme.
- Recolor artwork, by picking colors from an object (or image) region with the Filter Image role.
Blend effect
- Create blends between two or more objects for smooth transition effects.
- Create and use custom shapes for the blend transition path.
- Edit the blend shape using the Node tool.
- Set the number of intermediary objects, using fixed steps, object distance or color transition smoothness.
- Adjust the transition function separately for the object shapes and style.
- Edit the blend options, using the Blend panel or the interactive Blend tool.
- Use the Blend Map tool, to pair nodes of the blended object shapes, for finer control of the blend transition.
Contour effect
- Create contour effects of arbitrary width around objects.
- The contour will be a blend between the object style and a selected background style.
- Use variable width profiles in the contour effect, and edit the width profile interactively.
- Edit the contour effect options, using the Contour panel or the interactive Contour tool.
Apply image effects on vector artwork
- Large collection of customizable image effects, that can be applied to vector artwork.
- Image effects are nondestructive: keep editing the artwork, and adjust effect properties at any time.
- Effects can be applied on vectors or images, while still retaining all editing options.
- Zoom in or out on image effects, rendering the effects at current resolution.
- Use GPU acceleration for image effects rendering.
- Edit image effects interactively in the document, using the image effect tool from the Image Effects panel.
- Apply multiple image effects on groups of objects.
- Import, export and reuse SVG image filter hierarchies.
The Image Effects panel
- Create, edit and manage image effects on selected objects using the Image Effects panel.
- Create and reuse image effect styles and presets.
- View and edit detailed attributes of image effects.
- Show and organize stacks of image effects, applied on the selected object.
- Use interactive tools, to edit image effect attributes and shapes.
- Setup opacity and transparency mask, of individual image effects.
Image distortion effects
- Apply geometric distortions as image effects.
- Distortion effects can be edited interactively in the document.
- Apply concentric warp effect.
- Create wave, zigzag, ripple or perturbation effects.
- Use generated noise as a parameter of various distortion effects.
Mesh and other distortions on images
- Apply and interactively edit 4-point image distortion effects.
- Create and edit envelope effects as image distortions.
- Create and edit mesh grid effects as image distortions.
- Use Elastic Warp effect, to distort selected objects and images in an elastic way.
- Use the Bend effect, to bend the selected objects and images along a shape.
Blur filters
- Select blur filters, from a variety of blur shapes and types.
- Supported blur filters: Gaussian, Box, Concentric, Cone, Disc, Motion, Noise, Radial, Wave and Zoom blurs.
- Edit the shape and direction of Gaussian blur.
- Edit attributes of all blur types interactively.
- Adjust blur strength locally using a mask.
- Edit the shape of Concentric, Cone and Wave blurs.
- Use Noise blur to create locally varying blurs.
Color filters
- Apply color filters to create nondestructive color adjustments.
- Edit color filter properties in the Image Effects panel.
- Adjust colors using the Black and White, Channel Mixer, Hue Adjustments, Color Balance and Color Map filters.
- Adjust color tones using the Curves and Levels filters.
- Use Exposure, Posterize, Solarize, Vibrance, Photo Filter and Contrast filters, to create color adjustment effects.
Image generators
- Generate images from object shapes, using image generator filters.
- Apply Brushed Metal image generator on any objects.
- Create Flare, Lens Flare or Star Shine effects.
- Select from an extensive set of noise types and variations, to generate synthetic noise.
- Create and edit Turbulence noise.
Stylistic image effects
- Add Brush or Noise effects to the colors of the selected objects.
- Create Bloom, Haze, Inner or Outer Glow effects.
- Create Drop Shadows.
- Create Halftone effects of arbitrary shape.
- Create Crystalize, Pixelate or Pointilize effects.
SVG filter compatibility
- Import and use SVG filters from SVG documents.
- Add standard SVG effects to objects or images.
- Add SVG effect compositions to objects or images.
- Export SVG effect compositions into SVG files.
- Import SVG effect definitions, and use these from the Effects menu or the Image Effects panel.
Adjustment layers and objects
- Create adjustment layers, with image effects applied to layers below.
- Select a shape for an adjustment layer, to mask the area of filtering.
- Use the layer content as a mask, to control the adjustment effect.
- Create adjustment effects, applied to the backdrop of an object or group of objects, to filter specific areas in a document.
- Use the Adjustment Layer and Content is Mask attributes of any object or group of objects, when creating adjustment effects.
- The shape of object determines the filtering area of the adjustment effect.
Edit and manage multiple vector documents
- Create new documents instantly, without modal interactions.
- Create a new document, by specifying properties, opening from a template or copying artwork from the clipboard.
- Revert document to the previously saved state, from the document file.
- Save the current canvas into a separate file.
- Open multiple documents into tabbed or separate views.
- Open multiple views of the same document, to display and edit different parts of the document.
Setup document properties
- Edit document properties using the Document Setup command.
- Enable or disable Undo / Redo history storage into the document.
- Select coordinate system direction to top-down or bottom-up.
- Edit document file format options.
- Setup document color properties.
- Setup default document artboard style.
- Specify default guideline, grid and slice indicator colors for a document.
Multiple canvases
- Create, edit and manage multiple canvases, in a single document.
- A canvas may inherit content from a master canvas, for better artwork and design reuse.
- Organize canvases into a hierarchy, for better workflow.
- Create and use top level canvas containers, to organize document content.
- Place artwork into canvases under the main Canvas collection.
- Use the Reference canvas container, to create canvases for referenced objects, artwork, brushes, styles and symbols that can be reused through the document.
- Use the Master canvas container, to setup a master canvases, and reuse content in multiple other canvases.
Working with artboards
- Create thousands of artboards, of arbitrary size on each canvas.
- Set rotation of individual artboards at arbitrary angles.
- Create, move, resize and rotate artboards, using the Artboard Tool.
- Create grids of automatically generated artboards.
- Edit size, position, rotation, margins, and fill color of artboards, using the Artboard Options command.
- Arrange existing artboards into a grid.
Import from commonly used graphics formats
- Import PSD files, retaining editing options of layer hierarchies, and adjustment filters.
- Import native AI files (not just the PDF stream), retaining high level editing options of objects, brushes, tiling patterns, blends and effects.
- Import PDF, Postscript and EPS files.
- Import embedded PDF, PS, or EPS fonts as curves.
- Import SVG files, including SVG image filters.
- Import image files with PNG, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PCX, TGA, GIF, HDR and EXR formats.
- Insert linked content objects, pointing to external vector or image graphics files.
Advanced exporting options
- Specify advanced export options using the Export command.
- Export vectors to SVG, PDF, EPS or Postscript formats.
- Export to image file formats: PNG, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PCX, TGA, GIF.
- Export artboards and canvases to a single multi-page PDF file.
- Setup detailed export options, specific to individual file formats.
- Repeat the last file exporting command, using Export Again, including slice exporting.
- Store export options with the document, so that Export Again works after opening a document that has been exported previously.
Export slices
- Create and use export slices, to setup batch exporting of large number of files.
- Draw, position, resize and rotate export slices, using the Slice tool.
- Export slices can have arbitrary angles, rotating their content at export.
- Each canvas may contain multiple export slices, of arbitrary position, size and rotation.
- Assign export slices to artboards, to automatically generate slices based on artboard layout.
- Export content of all or selected slices, using the Export Slices command.
The Slices panel
- Manage the list of slices of the current, canvas using the Slices panel.
- Assign names to individual slices, for labeling and export file naming.
- Setup file format options for each slice.
- Add multiple file formats and file exports, to each slice at arbitrary resolution and options.
- Enable or disable individual slices.
- Add a name suffix used in the automated naming of exported files.
Batch exporting
- Batch export all or selected artboards using the Export Artboards command.
- Each artboard can be exported into one or more files and formats.
- Setup object batch exporting collections, using the Object Export panel.
- Setup multiple file formats to export an object collection.
- Create and manage multiple object batch exporting collections, for different export format settings.
- Automatically override selected styles while batch exporting.
Hardware
- A Mac computer, desktop, laptop or mini, preferably a post 2010 model.
- Intel Core i5 or i7 with 4 cores and hyper-threading.
- 2GB minimum for VectorStyler when using large documents. A system with at least 8GB of memory is recommended for good performance,
- VectorStyler makes use of all cores, in rendering and processing. More cores provide better performance.
- VectorStyler uses the GPU in image effect, noise, mesh and gradient rendering.
- Metal support by the GPU and hardware is required.
- A large display to take advantage of VectorStyler user interface, tools and panels.
Operating system
- MacOS 10.11 or above is required.
- Metal support is recommended, OpenGL and OpenCL are also supported.
- Network access is required when registering VectorStyler.
Input
- Keyboard and mouse input is default.
- Use the trackpad to draw and edit objects interactively.
- Document view can be zoomed and rotated using trackpad gestures.
- Pressure-sensitive tablets are supported for painting and editing.