Host applications or plugin hosts are graphics applications that are capable of running plugins. Many commercial graphics applications support Photoshop-compatible plugins — Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop Elements, PhotoImpact, Corel PhotoPaint, and Adobe Fireworks are the most renowned ones. There are several dozens more plugin hosts, including little known products like Chasys Draw IES, free editors like GIMP (with certain add-ons) and viewers like IrfanView.

Photoshop fully supports all available plugin types; certain hosts, like Photoshop Elements, support most of them, while the majority of hosts support filter plugins only and many of them don’t even support all available filter plugins.

The support for plugins was more uniform up until 2002, when Adobe restricted access to the Photoshop SDK containing the specifications for Photoshop plugins, and made the developer license more prohibitive. Since then, developers of other image applications have had limited or no access to it anymore, so they can’t support newer host features. Therefore, plugin developers face a dilemma: either support the new host features that appeared in Photoshop 7 and later versions, like the access to layers, and lose the compatibility with other image applications, or use the old SDK version which already includes all important specifications and make sure the plugin will be supported by all hosts.

Around 2005, Adobe changed the policy so that developers could make the request for the SDK via a Web form with no fee charged for it and with all requests handled individually.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Photoshop plugin, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article Adobe Creative Suite, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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* 1998: Macromedia Fireworks

* 1999: Macromedia Fireworks 2

* 2000: Macromedia Fireworks 3

* 2001: Macromedia Fireworks 4

* 2002: Macromedia Fireworks 6 a.k.a Macromedia Fireworks MX

* 2004: Macromedia Fireworks 7 a.k.a. Macromedia Fireworks MX 2004

* 2005: Macromedia Fireworks 8

* 2007: Adobe Fireworks 9 a.k.a Adobe Fireworks CS3

* 2008: Adobe Fireworks 10.0 a.k.a Adobe Fireworks CS4

* 2010 Adobe Fireworks CS5

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Adobe Fireworks, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Fireworks’ user interface is consistent with the rest of Adobe Creative Suite, similar to that of Adobe Photoshop. On Mac OS X, it is possible to display the application in multiple document interface mode or the standard viewing mode where all toolbars float freely on the screen.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Adobe Fireworks, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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One example of vector graphics format is SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), an open standard created and developed by the World Wide Web Consortium to address the need (and attempts of several corporations) for a versatile, scriptable and all-purpose vector format for the web and otherwise. Another example is VML, a proposed standard that was adopted by Microsoft. Arguably, the AI format, the native format for Adobe Illustrator, is also standard in vector graphics.

The SWF Adobe’s (formerly Macromedia’s) file format is also a vector based container used to store animation. Web pages created in Flash can be enlarged to fit any monitor size while retaining the same graphic quality.

Adobe Fireworks, which is also (mostly) a vector-based application, saves its files in PNG format; vectors created in Adobe Fireworks can be transferred to Adobe Illustrator, and vice versa.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Vector graphics, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Adobe Fireworks (formerly Macromedia Fireworks) is a bitmap and vector graphics editor. It was originally developed, using parts of xRes, by Macromedia, which Adobe acquired in 2005, and aimed at web designers (with features such as: slices, the ability to add hotspots etc.) for rapidly creating website prototypes and application interfaces. It is designed to integrate easily with other former Macromedia products, such as Dreamweaver and Flash. It is available as a standalone product or bundled with Adobe Creative Suite. Previous versions were bundled with Macromedia Studio.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Adobe Fireworks, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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DynPG is used to upload and manage dynamic web content similar to other content management systems. DynPG however differs from other CMS, because it is embedded directly into websites. The software was originally developed to realize designs that are created with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Fireworks, Adobe Illustrator or any other graphics software. The layout is created with an editor like Adobe Dreamweaver or Adobe GoLive or even as simple code. After that, code snippets are placed at those points, where dynamically generated content (like articles, galleries, blogs or other dynamic content) shall be generated. It provides a convenient way to extend existing websites with dynamic content. DynPG provides a template engine, but also supports existing CSS layouts.

DynPG is open source since 2005. Meanwhile, it is being used in several bigger platforms, like the swiss journal Publisher.ch.

Next to other well-known CMS like Mambo, Joomla!, Drupal and TYPO3, DynPG finds its place as a straightforward PHP-based open source CMS. Support is provided by a forum and documentation wikis. DynPG is multilingual, supporting German, English and Spanish. The English and Spanish documentation and support are under construction. Also, there are companies, that provide commercial support and professionally continue the development of DynPG.

Video tutorials

There are several free (German) video tutorials available on the DynPG homepage.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article DynPG, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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* Adobe Fireworks (formerly a Macromedia product) is a powerful vector editor with some good bitmap editing capabilities as well; its main purpose is creating graphics for Web and screen. Fireworks supports RGB color scheme only (no CMYK support), which limits its use mostly for screen design. The native Fireworks file format is editable PNG (.fw.png or .png). Adobe Fireworks is not very expensive, but its features are a bit limited, compared to Illustrator; on the other hand, it is more intuitive than Illustrator (less steep learning curve), and it can produce complex vector artwork. Although the Fireworks editable PNG file format is not supported by other Adobe products, Fireworks can open very well .psd and .ai files, which allows it to be integrated well with other Adobe apps. Fireworks can open .fw.png/.png, .psd, .ai, .eps, .jpg, .gif, .bmp, .tiff file formats, and save/export to .fw.png/.png, .psd, .ai (v.8), FXG (v.2.0), .jpg, .gif, .pdf, .swf and many others.

* Adobe Flash has simple vector editing tools which are popular among both designers and illustrators. The most important of these tools are vector lines and fills with bitmap-like selectable areas, simple modification of curves via the “selection” or the control points/handles through “direct selection” tools. Flash uses Actionscript for OOP scripting, and has full XML functionality through E4X support.

* Adobe FreeHand (formerly a Macromedia product) is a discontinued Illustrator competitor used widely by professional graphic designers before Adobe’s acquisition of Macromedia. While its functionality is almost identical to that of Illustrator, it has held several specific advantages over its main competitor in relation to the flexibility of its application in the wider design environment, catering for the output needs of both traditional image reproduction methods and contemporary print and digital media. User-operation is arguably more fluid and intuitive than that of Illustrator, a factor much appreciated by designers with a more artistic leaning as opposed to those from a predominantly technical background, and it has boasted specific functions not previously emulated by Illustrator, including a superior image-tracing operation for vector editing, the ability to both generate multiple-page documents and embed custom print-settings (such as variable halftone-screen specifications within a single graphic, etc.) to each document independent of auxiliary printer-drivers. However, while Freehand has arguably had wider practical application, it has lacked the promotional backing, development and PR support for which Adobe is renowned, hence its competitor Illustrator has gained ground in popularity. Since Macromedia’s purchase by Adobe, Freehand has been transferred to the classic print group. On May 16, 2007, Adobe announced that no further updates to Freehand would be developed.

* Adobe Illustrator is considered the industry-standard editor. The AI file format is a common vector format for exchange. Illustrator is an expensive package. It has a long history, and its feature set allows creation of complex vector artwork. Constant redevelopment in line with other Adobe products has kept it an almost compulsory choice of vector-based editing software for the professional designer, especially since its integration with Adobe’s Creative Suite packages in recent years. It has a steeper learning curve (more difficult in the beginning) than alternative products. Illustrator imports over two dozen formats (including PSD, PDF, SVG). Illustrator exports AI, PDF, SVG, SVGZ, GIF, JPG, PNG, WBMP, and SWF.

* Aviary offers a light, but multi-featured set of vector-editing capabilities and is entirely browser-based. It was built on top of the Adobe Flex framework to be accessed through any browser with Flash 9+ installed. It is aimed at offering light collaborative use and teaching new users the introductory concepts behind complex vector editing. It can be used to easily create vector shapes that can be worked on by multiple people with authorship and versioning tracked correctly. It exports to SVG formats and standard bitmap formats like JPG, GIF and PNG. Because it is deployed through a browser, it works on all major operating systems including Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

* Chittram offers a free javascript based broad vector-editing capabilities and is entirely browser-based. It is targeted at light vector art typically clipart and icons. It be used to create, edit, share, embed and download SVG images. Because it is deployed through a browser, it works on all major operating systems including Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

* CorelDRAW has much in common with Adobe Illustrator and Freehand and is another industry-standard editor, largely used in the graphic design, sign making and fashion design industries. CorelDRAW and Illustrator are capable of limited interoperation by reading each other’s file formats. Major differences between the two include CorelDRAW’s extensive array of more than 50 import and export filters, on-screen and dialog box editing and the ability to create multi-page documents. It can also generate TrueType and Type1 fonts, although refined typographic control is better suited to a more specific application. Some other features of CorelDRAW include the creation and execution of VBA macros, viewing of colour separations in print preview mode and integrated professional imposing options.

* Corel Designer (originally Micrografx Designer) is one of the earliest vector-based graphics editors for Microsoft Windows platform. While flexible enough for most vector graphics design applications, Designer has always been pre-dominantly a product for the creation of engineering drawings and is shipped with extensive libraries for the needs of engineers.

* Dia is a Free and open source diagramming and vector graphics editor available for Microsoft Windows, Linux and other Unix-like computer operating systems. Dia has a modular design and several shape packages for different needs: flowcharting, network diagrams, circuit diagrams, etc. Its design was inspired by Microsoft Visio, although it uses a Single Document Interface similar to other GNOME software (such as The GIMP).

* [http://www.bohemiancoding.com/?DrawIt Drawit] is a Mac OSX only application. DrawIt is a vector editing application with support for bitmap-like image filters. Vector editing as well as the filters are completely non-destructive which means that a vector layer can still be edited even after a stack of filters has been applied.

* Google SketchUp is a free vector graphics program with a pro-version.

* Inkscape is a Free and open source vector editor whose primary native format is SVG. Inkscape is especially popular on Linux, though it is available for Windows, Mac OS X and other Unix-like systems. Currently Inkscape can officially import SVG, SVGZ, AI, and PDF and export SVG, SVGZ, PDF, PostScript, EPS, EPSi, LaTeX and POVRay. Some formats have additional support through Inkscape extensions, including PDF, EPS, Adobe Illustrator, Dia and Sketch.

* Intaglio is a Mac OS X only editor.

* Lineform a vector editing program native to Mac OS that aims to be a cost-effective alternative to Adobe Illustrator et al. Developer site: http://www.freeverse.com/apps/app/?id=6020

* Litha-Paint a web-based vector graphics editor available for Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera. Currently it is in the alpha phase of development, can export SVG and use JPG and PNG images as a background. Users of Litha-Paint can save and share an unlimited number of documents via the Litha-Paint server, as well as uploading their images.

* Mayura Draw is a shareware vector graphics editor for Windows. It is specifically designed to output clean PostScript, and it saves the drawings in PostScript format.

* Microsoft Visio is a diagramming, flow chart, floor plan and vector graphics editor available only for Windows. It is commonly used among small and medium sized businesses, and by Microsoft in their corporate documentation.

* Microsoft Expression Design is a commercial vector and bitmap graphics editor based on Creature House Expression, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2003. It is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio suite. Unlike the original Expression product, Expression Design will be only available for Microsoft Windows XP and Vista.

* The Omni Group OmniGraffle is a vector graphics editor available only for Macintosh. Some users claim that it is easier to use than the more expensive Illustrator, CorelDRAW, and FreeHand. It is principally used for creating flow charts and other diagrams. OmniGraffle imports and exports several popular formats, including Microsoft Visio, SVG and PDF.

* OpenOffice.org Draw is part of the open source Office suite OpenOffice.org, serving as its drawing component and a vector graphics editor. It supports many import and export file formats, but there are currently functionality issues with some of these formats. It has no support for importing SVG file formats by default. The grid is fixed in size, and editing is less flexible than Inkscape in many ways.

* [http://www.serif.com/drawplus/?ITC=DPX4rif%20DrawPlus Serif DrawPlus] is a 2D vector graphics editor for the Windows platform.

* sK1 is a Free and open source vector editor. First of all sK1 is oriented for “prepress ready” PostScript & PDF output. The major sK1 features: CMYK colorspace support; CMYK support in Postscript; Cairo-based engine; Color management; Universal CDR importer (7-X4 versions); Modern Ttk based (former Tile widgets) user interface. Currently sK1 can officially import: AI postscript based, CDR, CDT, CCX, CDRX, CMX, PS, EPS, CGM, WMF, XFIG, SVG, SK, SK1, AFF, PLT and export: AI, SVG, SK, SK1, CGM, WMF, PDF, PS, PLT.

* Sketsa is a cross-platform vector graphics editor based on SVG that runs on Java 1.5 or higher.

* Swift 3D is a Mac OS X & Windows application for vector and raster-based 3D animations for Adobe Flash and EPS.

* Xara Xtreme is a vector graphics editor for Windows. Xara Xtreme LX, the partially open source version of Xara Xtreme runs under Linux and Mac OS X. Xara Xtreme is notable for its high usability and very fast rendering. Xara Xtreme (and earlier product Artworks) was the first vector graphics software product to provide fully antialiased display, advanced gradient fill and transparency tools. The newest version Xara Xtreme Pro is able to create multi-page documents, exports different PDF versions (PDF-X for the printing industry included) and supports Flash Animations.

* ZPaint is part of the ZCubes. ZPaint combines the functionality of software like Microsoft Windows Paint, Microsoft Visio and Adobe Illustrator on the web. Artwork ranging from freehand sketches to complex paintings can be made within a single page, and/or multiple cubes within a page (also called “recursive canvas”). Detailed adjustments and settings are available for stroke, fill, text shadow, special effects and gradient settings. The vector drawings created using ZPaint can be used directly in web-browsers without conversion to raster formats, and can be edited on the web itself. Recent versions are known to support VML/SVG with embedded images, connectors in flow charts, scripting with Javascript, and direct spreadsheet interaction and animation via Calci.

The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of vector graphics editors. Please see the individual products’ articles for further information. This article is neither all-inclusive nor necessarily up-to-date.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Comparison of vector graphics editors, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Creative Suite 1 & 2

The first version of Adobe Creative Suite was released in September 2003 and Creative Suite 2 in April 2005. The first two versions (CS and CS2) were available in two editions.

The Standard Edition included:

* Adobe Bridge

* Adobe Illustrator

* Adobe InDesign

* Adobe Photoshop

* Adobe Version Cue

* Design guide and training resources

The Premium Edition also included:

* Adobe Acrobat Professional (Version 8 in CS2.3)

* Adobe Dreamweaver (Since CS2.3)

* Adobe GoLive

Creative Suite Production Studio

Adobe Creative Suite Production Studio (previously ”Adobe Video Collection”) was a suite of programs for acquiring, editing, and distributing digital video and audio that was released during the same timeframe as Adobe Creative Suite 1. The suite was available in standard and premium editions.

The Adobe Production Studio Premium edition consisted of:

* Adobe After Effects Professional

* Adobe Audition

* Adobe Bridge

* Adobe Encore DVD

* Adobe Premiere Pro

* Adobe Photoshop

* Adobe Illustrator

* Adobe Dynamic Link (Not sold separately)

The Standard edition consisted of:

* Adobe After Effects Standard

* Adobe Bridge

* Adobe Premiere Pro

* Adobe Photoshop

Since CS3, Adobe Production Studio became part of the Creative Suite family. The equivalent version for Production Studio Premium is the ”Adobe Creative Suite Production Premium”.

Macrome

dia Studio

Macromedia Studio was a suite of programs designed for web content creation designed and distributed by Macromedia. After Adobe’s acquisition of Macromedia, Macromedia Studio 8 was replaced, modified, and integrated into two editions of the Adobe Creative Suite family of software from version 2.3 onwards. The closest relatives of Macromedia Studio 8 are now called ”Adobe Creative Suite Web Premium”.

Core applications from Macromedia Studio have been merged with Adobe Creative Suite since CS3, including Flash, Dreamweaver, and Fireworks. Some Macromedia applications were absorbed into existing Adobe products, e.g. FreeHand has been replaced with Adobe Illustrator. Director and ColdFusion are not part of Adobe Creative Suite and will only be available as standalone products. The final version of Macromedia Studio released include:

* Macromedia Studio MX Released 29 May 2002, internally it was version 6 and the first incarnation of the studio to use the “MX” suffix, which for marketing purposes was a shorthand abbreviation that meant “Maximize”. Studio MX included Dreamweaver, Flash, FreeHand, Fireworks and a developer edition of ColdFusion.

* Macromedia Studio MX Plus Released 10 February 2003, sometimes referred to as MX 1.1. MX Plus was a special edition release of MX that included Freehand MX (replacing Freehand 10), Contribute and DevNet Resource Kit Special Edition in addition to the existing MX suite of products.

* Macromedia Studio MX 2004 Released 10 September 2003, despite its name, it is internally version 7. Studio MX 2004 included FreeHand along with updated versions of Dreamweaver, Flash and Fireworks. An alternate version of Studio MX 2004 included Flash Professional.

* Macromedia Studio 8 Released 13 September 2005, Studio 8 was the last version of Macromedia Studio. It comprised Dreamweaver 8, Flash 8, Flash 8 Video Converter, Fireworks 8, Contribute 3 and FlashPaper.

Creative Suite 3

Adobe Creative Suite 3 (CS3) was announced on March 27, 2007; it introduced universal binaries for all major programs for the Apple Macintosh, as well as including all of the core applications from Macromedia Studio and Production Studio.

Some Creative Suite programs also began using the Presto layout engine used in the Opera web browser.

Adobe began selling CS3 applications in six different combinations called “editions.” Design Standard & Premium and Web Standard & Premium began shipping on April 16, 2007, and Production Premium and Master Collection editions began shipping on July 2, 2007. The latest released CS3 version was version 3.3, released on June 2, 2008. In this version Fireworks CS3 was included in Design Premium and all editions that included Acrobat 8 Pro had been replaced with Acrobat 9 Pro. Below is a matrix of the applications included in each edition of CS3 version 3.3:

All of the above editions included shared applications and services including Adobe Bridge, Adobe Version Cue (except Production Premium), Adobe Device Central, Adobe Acrobat Connect and Adobe Stock Photos. Adobe Dynamic Link, Adobe OnLocation (Windows only) and Adobe Ultra (Windows only) were included in Production Premium and Master Collection editions.

CS3 included several programs, including Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks that were developed by Macromedia, a former rival acquired by Adobe in 2005. It also included Adobe OnLocation and Adobe Ultra that were developed by Serious Magic, also a firm acquired by Adobe in 2006.

Adobe dropped the following programs (that were previously included in CS2) from the CS3 software bundles:

* Adobe GoLive ”(replaced by Adobe Dreamweaver)”

* Adobe ImageReady ”(merged into Adobe Photoshop and replaced by Adobe Fireworks)”

* Adobe Audition ”(replaced by Adobe Soundbooth)”

Adobe had announced that it would continue to develop Audition as a standalone product, while GoLive had been discontinued. Adobe GoLive 9 was released as a standalone product on June 10, 2007. Adobe Audition 3 was announced as a standalone product on September 6, 2007. Adobe had discontinued ImageReady and had replaced it with Fireworks, with some of ImageReady’s features integrated into Photoshop.

Creative Suite 4

Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4) was announced on September 23, 2008 and officially released on October 15, 2008. All applications in CS4 featured the same user interface, with a new tabbed interface for working with concurrently running Adobe CS4 programs where multiple applications can be opened inside multiple tabs contained in a single window.

Adobe CS4 was also developed to perform better under 64-bit and multi-core processors. On Windows, Adobe Photoshop CS4 ran natively as a 64-bit application. Although they were not natively 64-bit applications, Adobe After Effects CS4 and Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 have been optimized for 64-bit computers. However, there were no 64-bit version of CS4 available for Mac OS X. In early testing of 64-bit support in Adobe Photoshop CS4, overall performance gains ranged from 8% to 12%, due to the fact that 64-bit applications could address larger amounts of memory and thus resulted in less file swapping — one of the biggest factors that can affect data processing speed.

Adobe Ultra, a vector keying application which utilizes image analysis technology to produce high quality chroma key effects in less than ideal lighting environments and provides keying of a subject into a virtual 3D environment through virtual set technology, and Adobe Stock Photos, previously included in CS3, were dropped from the CS4 line-up. Below is a matrix of the applications that were bundled in each of the software suites for CS4:

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Adobe Creative Suite, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Vector editors are often contrasted with bitmap editors, and their capabilities complement each other. Vector editors are often better for page layout, typography, logos, sharp-edged artistic illustrations (e.g. cartoons, clip art, complex geometric patterns), technical illustrations, diagramming and flowcharting. Bitmap editors are more suitable for retouching, photo processing, photorealistic illustrations, collage, and illustrations drawn by hand with a pen tablet. Many contemporary illustrators use Corel Photo-Paint and Photoshop to make all kind of illustrations. Recent versions of bitmap editors such as GIMP and Photoshop support vector tools (e.g. editable paths), and vector editors such as CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustrator, Xara Xtreme, Adobe Fireworks, Inkscape or SK1 are adopting raster effects that were once limited to bitmap editors (e.g. blurring).

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Vector graphics editor, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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