ACD Canvas
Encyclopedia
ACD Canvas is a technical and general graphics drawing, imaging, and publishing (print and web) product from ACD Systems
for personal computer
s. The current version is Canvas 12.
Canvas' origins date back to 1987. The original idea for Canvas came from Jorge Miranda, one of the founders of Deneba Systems Inc. of Miami Florida, for Apple
's Macintosh computers -- part of the wave of programs that made the desktop publishing
revolution.
The first version was unique in many ways; not least because it was released as both an application and a desk accessory
. In the latter form, it could be used while another program, e.g. PageMaker, was running simultaneously; very handy in that time of single program operation.
Canvas provides tools for creating and editing vector
and raster graphics
. It is used for illustration
, page layout
, animation
, presentations, and publications in printed and Web formats.
From its inception, Canvas differed from other graphics applications because it combined tools and file formats for both vector (line art) graphics, and raster (photographic and other pixel-based) images, along with word-processing and page-layout features such as multiple page documents and master pages. The user works in a window which is the familiar "page on a pasteboard" analog used by many DTP and vector graphics programs, but in that window, which might be a single illustration page or one page of a multi-page magazine, book, web site, animation or presentation, the user can create or edit and layout text, vector graphics and raster images. Canvas also emphasized technical drawing in addition to artistic illustration features.
With Version 3.5, Deneba went cross-platform, releasing a version with file-format compatibility for Macintosh and Windows
computers. At Version 5, Canvas was completely rewritten for both platforms. At Version 8, it was the first of the complex graphics programs to be "Carbonized" to run on both Classic
and Mac OS X. With the introduction of Canvas 11, support for the Macintosh platform was dropped, making the application Windows-only.
In April 2003, Deneba Systems was acquired by ACD Systems of Victoria, BC, Canada, the developers of Windows image editing and handling software such as ACDSee, before the release of version 9. Canvas development has continued under the guise of ACD Systems of America in Miami.
Canvas is available in a standard and extended version. The once-optional Scientific Imaging module is now integrated into Canvas and provides enhanced input-output filters for file formats commonly used in science and engineering visualization. The GIS module provides tools for use in mapping and GIS-based data analysis.
While Canvas started out as a prosumer program in the general graphics/DTP market, and continues to be the first (even only) tool of many professionals in such fields as graphics design, advertising, marketing, and DTP, it is less known in the consumer/prosumer market today than programs marketed by larger companies, such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and CorelDRAW. It has been better known in academic and commercial enterprises.
Canvas has been translated into multiple languages, including German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Japanese. International sales account for over one third of all sales with Japan and Germany representing the largest markets.
Full and demonstration versions of Canvas 11 can be downloaded from the ACD Systems website.
1ACD stopped making Macintosh versions of Canvas. The last Mac OS X update was Canvas X.0.2 build 926 in 2007.
ACD Systems
ACD Systems Ltd began as a software developer for the CD-ROM cataloguing industry. ACD products include JPEG decoder, image viewing and image management software.-Products:...
for personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s. The current version is Canvas 12.
Canvas' origins date back to 1987. The original idea for Canvas came from Jorge Miranda, one of the founders of Deneba Systems Inc. of Miami Florida, for Apple
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
's Macintosh computers -- part of the wave of programs that made the desktop publishing
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
revolution.
The first version was unique in many ways; not least because it was released as both an application and a desk accessory
Desk Accessory
A desk accessory is a small helper-type application that can be run concurrently with any other application on the system. Early examples, such as SideKick and Macintosh desk accessories, used special programming models to provide a small degree of multitasking on a system that initially did not...
. In the latter form, it could be used while another program, e.g. PageMaker, was running simultaneously; very handy in that time of single program operation.
Canvas provides tools for creating and editing vector
Vector graphics
Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon, which are all based on mathematical expressions, to represent images in computer graphics...
and raster graphics
Raster graphics
In computer graphics, a raster graphics image, or bitmap, is a data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of pixels, or points of color, viewable via a monitor, paper, or other display medium...
. It is used for illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
, page layout
Page layout
Page layout is the part of graphic design that deals in the arrangement and style treatment of elements on a page.- History and development :...
, animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, presentations, and publications in printed and Web formats.
From its inception, Canvas differed from other graphics applications because it combined tools and file formats for both vector (line art) graphics, and raster (photographic and other pixel-based) images, along with word-processing and page-layout features such as multiple page documents and master pages. The user works in a window which is the familiar "page on a pasteboard" analog used by many DTP and vector graphics programs, but in that window, which might be a single illustration page or one page of a multi-page magazine, book, web site, animation or presentation, the user can create or edit and layout text, vector graphics and raster images. Canvas also emphasized technical drawing in addition to artistic illustration features.
With Version 3.5, Deneba went cross-platform, releasing a version with file-format compatibility for Macintosh and Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
computers. At Version 5, Canvas was completely rewritten for both platforms. At Version 8, it was the first of the complex graphics programs to be "Carbonized" to run on both Classic
Classic (Mac OS X)
Classic, or Classic Environment, was a hardware and software abstraction layer in Mac OS X that allowed applications compatible with Mac OS 9 to run on the Mac OS X operating system...
and Mac OS X. With the introduction of Canvas 11, support for the Macintosh platform was dropped, making the application Windows-only.
In April 2003, Deneba Systems was acquired by ACD Systems of Victoria, BC, Canada, the developers of Windows image editing and handling software such as ACDSee, before the release of version 9. Canvas development has continued under the guise of ACD Systems of America in Miami.
Canvas is available in a standard and extended version. The once-optional Scientific Imaging module is now integrated into Canvas and provides enhanced input-output filters for file formats commonly used in science and engineering visualization. The GIS module provides tools for use in mapping and GIS-based data analysis.
While Canvas started out as a prosumer program in the general graphics/DTP market, and continues to be the first (even only) tool of many professionals in such fields as graphics design, advertising, marketing, and DTP, it is less known in the consumer/prosumer market today than programs marketed by larger companies, such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and CorelDRAW. It has been better known in academic and commercial enterprises.
Canvas has been translated into multiple languages, including German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Japanese. International sales account for over one third of all sales with Japan and Germany representing the largest markets.
Full and demonstration versions of Canvas 11 can be downloaded from the ACD Systems website.
Version history
- Canvas 1.0 (Macintosh)
- Canvas 2.0 (Macintosh)
- Canvas 3.0 (Macintosh) 1990
- Canvas 3.5 (Macintosh and Windows) 1992
- Canvas 5 (Macintosh and Windows) 1996
- Canvas 6 (Macintosh and Windows) 1998
- Canvas 7 (Macintosh and Windows) 1999
- Canvas 8 (Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, and Windows) 2001
- Canvas 9 (Mac OS X and Windows) 2003
- Canvas X (Mac OS X and Windows) 20051
- Canvas 11 (Windows Vista) 2007
- Canvas 12 (Windows XP, Vista, Seven) 2010
1ACD stopped making Macintosh versions of Canvas. The last Mac OS X update was Canvas X.0.2 build 926 in 2007.