Creating Artistic Images
Pros
- Reasonable selection of image effects
- Can use GIMP brushes and textures
Cons
- No layer masks for non-destructive editing
- No bezier line tool
Seashore is well enough set up for producing more creative types of images with a good selection of image effects on offer.
Slightly unusually for an image editor, there isn't an Effects menu, but an Effects tool instead. This does, however, make sense once you start to apply Effects as they require user inputs to set the origination point and often also to vary the image area affected.
The small range of default brushes offered with Seashore will cover a lot of uses and this can be extended by installing GIMP brushes. This is especially important as there is no option to dynamically change the size of a brush within Seashore and brushes can only be used at the size that they were produced at. Seashore doesn't appear to have a setting to change the opacity of brushes either, which was a problem noted earlier with the Clone tool. In addition to the possible work around of using transparent brushes, it may be possible in some circumstances to paint on a separate layer and adjust the opacity of that layer.
For me, I do miss the inclusion of a bezier line tool as I regularly make selections using such tools, but Seashore's PDF guide contains some information on making more advanced selections using the alpha channel of a layer produced specifically for the purpose. There is also a Color Selection tool that, along side the other shape and freehand selection tools, offers a reasonable degree of flexibility.
Another omission that can slow workflow a little is the lack of Layer Masks meaning that you have to permanently delete part of a layer so you can't go back to it at a later stage and add information back into it, as you can when using Layer Masks. On the positive side, the layers palette does offer a reasonable range of blending modes and opacity control allowing layers to be combined in creative ways.
Graphic Design with Seashore
Pros
- Can produce simple designs if limited text
- Uses OS X's built in font dialog offering font previews
Cons
- Lacks layer effects such as drop shadows
- Limited control over text
No image editor is designed to be used to create complete designs, but the simple fact is that there are plenty of people who do prefer to work this way and so I always think it's worth considering whether an image editor like Seashore can handle this task.
Perhaps unsurprisingly for a free pixel based image editor, Seashore does struggle a bit in this respect. When you click the Change Font button in the Text tool, the familiar OS X Font dialog opens, allowing you to change font and size and view font previews. Beyond that though, control is limited with no leading or kerning options and with text being applied directly to the active layer, it is advisable to add a new blank layer before inserting text. This is particularly important as text cannot be edited once applied, so if you make a mistake all of the text will have to be replaced.
Some Photoshop users may miss the inclusion of Layer Effects, though many of these have arguably been overused and, perhaps, abused. Still it is possible to manually replicate some of these effects, such as drop shadows and outer glow, and this may make users think a little more carefully about using such effects.
Sharing Your Files
Seashore doesn't use its own file format, but instead utilizes GIMP's .XCF format to save layered versions of files. It should be noted that opening .XCF files in Seashore that were originally produced in GIMP may lead to some information being lost as Seashore does not conform fully with the file specification. You can also save files as JPEG, GIF, PNG and TIFF, though my attempts to open a non-layered TIFF and a non-animated GIF both failed with error messages saying that they could not be opened.
Conclusion
Seashore isn't the most rounded pixel based image editor, but as a free application for OS X users it has a lot to offer, especially to users who don't need the full blown power Adobe Photoshop or even GIMP. There are a number of things that I really like about Seashore, including:
- Extremely intuitive interface with simple and clear presentation
- Good range of image adjustment tools
- Reasonable selection of image effects
- Can use GIMP brushes and textures
On the flip side, there are a few shortcomings that undermine my full enjoyment of the application, such as:
- No adjustment layers for non-destructive editing
- Tool option pop-overs have to be closed with the 'Done' button
- No layer masks for non-destructive editing
- Limited control over text
In many ways, Seashore reminds me of Paint.NET for Windows in so far as it does its own thing rather than trying too hard to replicate the better known pixel-based image editors. Those similarities go further too, with both applications lacking layer masks and layer effects, but offering users very well considered and intuitive interfaces.
While Seashore doesn't enjoy a particularly active community at its forum, the full but succinct PDF guides that come with the application should make it easy for anyone to get to grips with this image editor relatively quickly.
Personally I would choose GIMP, even though it has to run under the X11 windowing system, as it is a more powerful application that permits me to produce more advanced and sophisticated results. However, for users who don't need that greater power or just want to improve their photos from their digital camera, Seashore does present a pretty compelling case. It is a good looking free pixel-based image editor for Mac OS X users that makes it very easy for new users to jump in and start to produce exciting results.
This review was based on Seahore 0.5.0 and the latest version of the software can be downloaded from the official Seashore website.