14 DAY TRIAL // Expressing your ideas in a visual manner can be very powerful if everything is done right. Canvas Draw is a graphics tool that enables you to focus on the message and worry less about the execution.
At first glance, Canvas Draw seems to pack almost anything a graphic designer might ask from such a solution: drawing and painting tools of various shapes, sizes, or textures, vector and raster graphics support, image filters, text effects, layout customization tools, measurement and alignment tools, symbols support, annotation capabilities, and much more.
Just like other similar software solutions, Canvas Draw comes with built-in templates and sample files designed to help you get started, but also offers you the option to make your own. Each document is organized into multiple layers, and you get to see the layout structure in a centralized manner.
Dive into an organized working space filled with a plethora of graphics tools
Canvas Draw preserves the traditional design employed by the majority of other drawing solutions available out there: most of the space is reserved for the canvas area while all the tools are placed in the top toolbar, or in additional toolbox panels that can be activated via the status bar menus.
The absence of some small functions that users have come to expect from most apps can be a bit of an unpleasant surprise, such as the fact that you need to use buttons to zoom in and out instead of using the mouse scroll. Similarly, you need to use slider bars to move the canvas instead of simple drag and drop movements.
Moreover, if you have selected an object, and you want to move it around, you need to place your cursor in precise areas, otherwise the selection is invalidated. In fact, selecting specific objects and recognizing the areas in which a certain tool works or not can be a real hustle.
Naturally, as you work more with Canvas Draw, you get to learn all its quirks, but you do not have to rely only on the trial and error technique. Canvas Draw comes with a Canvas Assistant tool that automatically detects your selection and pulls up topics that might interest you.
The Canvas Draw developers also provide an extensive documentation online covering the ample collection of supported drawing and vector graphics tools, the image editing options, how the utility deals with text, the various analysis tools, the built-in Sprite technology, and so on.
Export and annotation capabilities that make teamwork possible
Canvas Draw enables you to save the current project as a BMP, GIF, JPG, PDF, PNG, PSD/PDD, or TIFF file for sharing and printing, but also comes with proprietary project and template export formats. As a result, you can continue working on the same project at a later time, or use it as a template for upcoming assignments.
When saving in project form, Canvas Draw can retain all aspects related to the project, including all the layers. This means that you can share the file with your colleagues and allow them to either directly make modifications or just create annotations by attaching comments or by using the markup tool.
As a security measure, the Canvas Draw canvas file can be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access. Nonetheless, keep in mind that Canvas Draw does not come with a document sharing platform: the ACD Systems account is used only to manage your products’ licenses.
Sprite technology support and numerous effects for enhancing your project’s look
Canvas Draw aims to meet all your illustration related needs, so it packs the Sprite technology that enables you to play with different transparency effects, together with an in-built effects palette in an attempt to help you create high-quality designs with minimal effort.
Given the fact the Sprite tool also works with layers and masks, the artistic possibilities are virtually endless. Canvas Draw also includes additional effects that can be applied to your objects such as blending, or various types of distortion and merging effects. Moreover, you get to apply countless image filters, to change the color mode, or to trim the picture.
On the other hand, the precise Canvas Draw measurement tools help you analyze the exact distances between objects, but also the document layout. As a result, the application helps you make sure that your project is following industry standards.
In terms of resources usage, on a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac with 6GB RAM running OS X El Capitan Canvas Draw used up to 50% or the CPU power and around 250MB or RAM while working with one of the sample templates.
The Good
The utility is backed by an extensive documentation, and even integrates a Canvas Assistant for exploring topics related to the currently selected function.
What’s more, the Canvas Draw exporting capabilities, paired with the inbuilt security options, enable you to securely share your project with others and receive improvement suggestions.
The Bad
This can be a serious drawback if you are working with a larger team in which not all users are employing the same graphics solution.
Canvas Draw should make sure it’s fully compatible with other industry standards, such as Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Corel Draw (.cdr), or at least offer support for the SVG file format which seems to be adopted by most apps of its kind.
Since most designers have spent a lot of time developing projects in other graphic tools, extending the Canvas Draw importing capabilities to include these formats is also advisable.
As a side note, keep in mind that Canvas Draw is practically a new release for the older ACD Systems Canvas X project, which means that you should be able to open your older projects. Unfortunately, the exporting model keeps you vulnerable for the future.
The Truth
On top of the drawing tools, the fact that Canvas Draw can work with vector and raster graphics, the extensive collection of object and image effects, the precise measuring tools, and the numerous toolboxes aimed to deal with specific issues, ensure the user that he has all he needs to get any job done.
