Macromedia xRes
Encyclopedia
xRes was an image editing application by Fauve Software
, later acquired by Macromedia
. It allowed for a real time preview of work. An early version also introduced the concept of layers
, a new way of moving and overlapping objects within an image. It was available for older versions of Mac OS
and Windows
.
, preceding their implementation in Adobe Photoshop 3.0 in 1994. Fauve was purchased by Macromedia, who rebranded the software as Macromedia Matisse and Macromedia xRes, and who then released xRes 2.0.
xRes continued until version 3.0, when the project was cancelled. It couldn't sustainably compete with the newer versions of Photoshop. Macromedia required a faster release cycle, and it would have taken too much time to develop it to the stage where it could compete. At this point, three of the main programmers left the company. Once they were replaced, Macromedia's focus had changed so much that xRes was discontinued.
xRes can still be seen in an effective cut down version: Macromedia Fireworks
, which was released later, designed specifically for web graphics.
Fauve Software
Fauve Software was founded in 1992 by brothers Fred and Richard Krueger. It developed Matisse, a natural medium paint program, and XRes, a high-end image-manipulation program that was the basis for Macromedia Fireworks. It was acquired by Macromedia in 1995....
, later acquired by Macromedia
Macromedia
Macromedia was an American graphics and web development software company headquartered in San Francisco, California that produced such products as Flash and Dreamweaver. Its rival, Adobe Systems, acquired Macromedia on December 3, 2005 and controls the line of Macromedia...
. It allowed for a real time preview of work. An early version also introduced the concept of layers
Layers (digital image editing)
Layers are used in digital image editing to separate different elements of an image. A layer can be compared to a transparency on which imaging effects or images are applied and placed over or under an image...
, a new way of moving and overlapping objects within an image. It was available for older versions of Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
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...
.
History
xRes was originally released by Fauve Software Inc., based on their earlier Fauve Matisse software – this latter was the earliest consumer software to use layersLayers (digital image editing)
Layers are used in digital image editing to separate different elements of an image. A layer can be compared to a transparency on which imaging effects or images are applied and placed over or under an image...
, preceding their implementation in Adobe Photoshop 3.0 in 1994. Fauve was purchased by Macromedia, who rebranded the software as Macromedia Matisse and Macromedia xRes, and who then released xRes 2.0.
Features
The main feature promoted by Macromedia was the ability of xRes to process files much larger than could be handled in memory (called 'xRes Mode'). It accomplished this by performing user interactions on temporary copies of the original file at the resolution and region of the image that was being displayed on the user's screen. This resulted in only a fraction of the memory use and faster interaction. The biggest downside to this approach was that once all editing was done, the user's edits needed to be applied to the original high resolution file, which could take some time to process.xRes continued until version 3.0, when the project was cancelled. It couldn't sustainably compete with the newer versions of Photoshop. Macromedia required a faster release cycle, and it would have taken too much time to develop it to the stage where it could compete. At this point, three of the main programmers left the company. Once they were replaced, Macromedia's focus had changed so much that xRes was discontinued.
xRes can still be seen in an effective cut down version: Macromedia Fireworks
Macromedia Fireworks
Adobe 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 for rapidly creating website prototypes and application interfaces...
, which was released later, designed specifically for web graphics.