Acorn 4 adds curves, non-destructive filters, new shape tools
updated 12:07 pm EDT, Thu May 2, 2013
Developer promises app-wide speed boosts
Flying Meat has released Acorn 4, an upgrade of its Mac photo-editing utility. The update adds several major features, such as non-destructive filters and a curve editor, which offers more precise control over shadows, midtones and highlights. The new Merlin HUD lets users control the radius and center points of a filter while still on the canvas.
Added shape tools include Stars, Arrows, and Bezier anchor selection, as well as Boolean operations, which make complex vector shapes possible. Multiple layers can now be selected simultaneously; the user interface has been given cosmetic improvements, and the tools palette has been moved into a separate window. The app as a whole should run significantly faster.
Acorn 4 costs $30. The software is a 17.3MB download, and requires OS X Mountain Lion.
