The new Mac App Store on 10.7 Lion has greatly improved the usability of OS X. Now designers and developers have easy access to a whole collection of software from around the world. It’s also a fantastic system for Cocoa programmers to earn some extra cash on the side by selling applications. I’ve put together this gallery of 25 popular Mac programs for web and graphic designers. Be sure to check them out and let us know your thoughts!
ColorSnapper
I’ve recently come across a lifesaver Photoshop plugin that is gonna rock your world. It’s called GuideGuide from Cameron McEfee and it’s a godsend for creating print layouts, and web for that matter. GuideGuide is free, and its a “panel” that assists you with laying out your guides across the artboard/document. Instead of having to do the math with complicated layouts, you can simply tell guide guide how far from each side of the document you want to place a guide. So simple it hurts.
GuideGuide can even find the center of a selection! You can set the number of columns, and gutter width as well. This is one USEFUL plugin, and I wanted to share it with everyone. Thanks to my friend Mike for the tip. :)
![Must-Have (Free) Photoshop Plugin: GuideGuide [CS4, CS5]](http://www.bittbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/guideguide.jpg "Must-Have (Free) Photoshop Plugin: GuideGuide [CS4, CS5]")
Albeit not entirely design related, I told my friends at MacLegion I’d help spread the word about their launch, and their spring bundle. It’s an incredible deal, and there are some productivity/workflow tools in the mix that would benefit anyone, including designers. If you’re in the market for saving a heap of cash, head on over :)
In this video I’ll go over some general knowledge tips that will save you a bunch of headache and forum searching. Fontlab is a very robust software, and these tips are must sees for a beginner. Best viewed fullscreen.
Fontlab Studio – Part 2: General Tips from Jay Hilgert on Vimeo.
This is part 1 of a continuing series I’ll be producing about how to use Fontlab Studio to create fonts, from start to finish. It’s been a challenge to learn Fontlab because it’s a very robust software, so I’m passing along everything I learn, as I learn it to help those interested in making their own fonts.
Creating a Font in Fontlab – Part 1 from Jay Hilgert on Vimeo.
This is a brief overview of the Fontlab Studio 5 Preview Panel. Please let me know if you would like more Fontlab tutorials in the comments :)
Fontlab Studio 5: The Preview Panel from Jay Hilgert on Vimeo.
A Bittbox Exclusive! Strata is offering Bittbox visitors a sneak preview ahead of tomorrow’s official launch of Strata Live 3D CX 2 and the opportunity to win a software bundle worth nearly $1400! Strata Live 3D CX2 allows users to quickly and easily publish and share interactive 3D content online (see example below). Strata Design 3D CX is a professional 3D modeling and animation tool. All Strata software is for Mac and PC and you can download trial versions or learn more at www.strata.com. Just post a comment and a random winner will be chosen on Friday. Good Luck!
Note: Strata also informed me of a Sponsored Tweet Treat from the Adobe MAX conference for a 35% discount on all Strata software through October 31 using Coupon Code: MAX35 in Strata’s online store
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