Tools Included with the Power Mac G5 and PowerBook G4

The Power Mac G5 and PowerBook G4 include a couple of extra applications that are handy for designers: GraphicConverter and Art Directors Toolkit. Unfortunately, they are not included in the pro-level Intel-based Macs.

GraphicConverter

GraphicConverter doesn't have the horsepower that Photoshop does, but it is still a full-featured image editor. Its real power for designers is in its ability to open and convert a stunning array of image file formats. GraphicConverter can open nearly 200 different file formats and save images in about 80 different formats.

If you work with scientific specialists, for example, you may come across Kontron images, which come from Kontron microscopes, or maybe the MrSID format, which is used extensively by the U.S. government.

If your Mac didn't ship with GraphicConverter, you can purchase it from the Lemke Software Web site (www.lemkesoft.de/en/graphcon.htm; $30).

Art Directors Toolkit

The Art Directors Toolkit is a time-saving gem that packs a ton of design information into a small package (Figure 8.28). The information we need all the time, like fraction-to-decimal conversions, Pantone-to-CMYK conversions, and special character key combinations, is quickly available.

Figure 8.28. Art Directors Toolkit is like a dynamic encyclopedia of design-related information. It lets you experiment with colors, convert measurements between different units, sample different text styles, and more.

Art Directors Toolkit 4 is included with the Power Mac and PowerBook. Version 5 is available at the Code Line Communications Web site (www.code-line.com/software/artdirectorstoolkit.html; $29.95). It includes a Dashboard widget, improved swatch libraries, a spreads tool in the Layout pane that calculates printer spreads for you, and a launcher for quick access to commonly used applications. Art Directors Toolkit is a Universal Binary application, meaning that it runs natively on G4 and G5 Macs, as well as on Intel-based Macs.

Tip

It might be easier for you to use inches or millimeters as your measurement unit in InDesign or QuarkXPress, but points and picas tend to be more accurate. They are also the traditional measurement unit in the printing industry. Inches are the least accurate, since fractions have to be converted to decimals.