Gemstone, A New Rival To Photoshop, Has Been Released As Free Beta Download
Image via ACDSee
The creative community is often on the lookout for free or low-cost alternatives to the industry-standard Adobe Photoshop. Your hunt might be halted for now, as there’s a new kid on the block in the form of ACDSee Gemstone.
ACD Systems, which has been releasing image editing and management software since 1993, has rolled out a free beta download for its brand-new standalone graphics editor, Gemstone. It has a multi-document interface that’s similar to Photoshop’s, so the experience should be pretty intuitive.
Gemstone includes all-new and existing features found in its own Photo Studio and Editor programs, such as Light EQ, Frequency Separation, Path Text, Pixel Targeting, Color Wheels, Tone Wheels, and the Liquify Tool.
Multi-layer support lets users return to layers to make changes for a non-destructive process, while a split-view mode allows them to make comparisons between documents. On top of that, Gemstone provides RAW support for over 500 camera models.
ACDSee is offering a free beta download in the hopes of taking in user feedback before an official debut in the fall. “We are expecting tens of thousands of users to try Gemstone and provide input,” explained ACD Systems COO and CTO Frank Lin in a press release. “Gemstone is complete with a multi-document interface, layered editor, and RAW support. We are excited to share what we have built so far, and what is to come.”
Download the beta software here. Gemstone currently works on Windows computers with an Intel or AMD processor with 64-bit compatibility, along with a minimum RAM of 4GB and a DirectX 10 compatible graphics adapter.
[via DPReview and PetaPixel, cover image via ACDSee]
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