Picturesque 2 adds cropping, presets, 3-D rotation and more
Above: Even already beautiful pictures can benefit from Picturesque’s effects
Acqualia has released version 2 of their super slick Picturesque software which lets you quickly add a variety of web-friendly effects to your images (reflections, shadows, glows, rounded corners, strokes, and more). Version 2 adds one feature I mentioned was lacking in version 1 – namely the ability to rotate your image in 3D space. It also adds something I should have noticed was missing but didn’t, namely the ability to save presets. After only a few minutes of use I can already appreciate what a time saver the ability to load preset saved effects is.
New to version 2 is a brand new “all-in-one” interface, slightly reminiscent of iPhoto with a new thumbnail view, making it easier to navigate your images. The former floating palette scheme has been replaced with a new “pop up” inspector bubble system which I have found to be a little flaky (sometimes the bubbles pop “up”, but won’t pop “down”). Still, version 2 is a nice update from version 1, with productivity enhancements seeming to be the major focus. Under the hood Picturesque 2 has been totally rewritten for Leopard, using Core Animation to power the graphics engine and speed up performance. A new media browser gives you quick access to your images, and you can now pull images directly from your iPhoto library. Picturesque 2 is a $12.95 upgrade from version 1, or $34.95 for first-time buyers.
