Intaglio App Reviews

Intaglio is a nice intermediate-level vector draw app that is very useful despite showing its age. I used to use it where I worked & I liked it a lot. It is quite easy to learn and use. It does all the drawing basics & has many fairly advanced features like Booean Operations. But it suffers from a few limitations that impede efficient workflow. For example, it still relies on the extremely inefficient Apple Font Selector, which works OK but is a pain to use. A font preview menu would be a welcome upgrade! The GUI is simple & well-designed but today is somewhat in need of a facelift. I downloaded the free version & it seems to work flawlwssly on Yosemite. The free version's Save & Save As (export) function doesn’t save to its native format, only bitmap formats like PNG, JPG, etc., so I can’t speak for its SVG capability. But nevertheless, it is an EXTREMELY useful draw app for quick work and would be a good app for anyone learning to use a vector drawing progrem. The free/trial version is a great tool & the purchase price of only $45 is a real deal, considering what it can do.

I have written and published enormously complex user guides in MacDraw, back in the day. Like everyone else, I moved to Adobe Illustrator when MacDraw died, but I haven't felt comfortable using Adobe products in decades… they’re so obviously designed on Windows and ported grudgingly to the Mac. Doing anything in Illustrator is like drawing with bricks strapped to my hands. For the last few years, I’ve used Keynote as my first stop for drawing vector graphics, but that’s a blunt instrument, poorly suited to the job. Intaglio is a Mac app. It looks like a Mac app, it feels like a Mac app, and it works like a Mac app. If that’s important to you, buy this app. You won’t regret it. If you don’t care, there are probably cheaper tools out there which someone will try to convince you are “just as good.” I think those people are nuts, but it takes all kinds to make a world. As far as I’m concerned, I’m thrilled to send these folks my money, since they obviously think the same way I do. There’s a free demo on their website if you want to try before you buy.

I have used all sorts of drawing programs on the mac since 1987 (I was young and eager then!) My first was MacDraw, and I have tried almost anything out there since. I could say that the capacity to explain ideas on a drawing, to organize projects, to draw plans for space organization, etc, etc, gave me an advantage that helped me professionally to raise to-and-through management levels over my career in the Publishing industry. Later in my life, on my own guesthouse business I have used drawing programs to plan space use, construction and renovation floorplans, forms, and all sorts of organizational drawings. Intaglio has all the features that a modern drawing program should have. It may not have all the bells and whistles that other expensive or bloated programs boast, but it has everything necessary for an intermediate drawing program, and then some… And it has a feature that for me is very important: I have hundreds of drawing files from the past, when I used MacDraw II/Pro, ClarisDraw and AppleWorks (that were killed heartlessly and without compunction or compassion by Apple) that Intaglio can open without a sweat. That for me is almost a miracle! Give it a try, you’ll find it visually clean, solid, easy to master; a drawing program to the core...

I do freelance design and this fits nicely in with my current workflow. However, it's definitely not as full featured as some other software out there. It really needs an update to make it look and feel more like a mac program. The price is also too high for what you are getting. Some great features for importing and manipulating PDF files. Overall good, bring the price down to something comparable with the competition (Acorn, VectorDesigner) and it would be even better.

Simple. It won’t update, and it won’t re-install.

kepp in mind, the download is free, but to use the vector ability and/or save, you must make an in-app purchase

I tried to do an update using the App Store, but now my existing version no longer works and I cannot load a new version.

SVG images doesn’t match the drawing. Not even close. Also, SVG files contain Intaglio tags. So, programs that use the SVG complain and don’t render correctly. Images don’t display properly in WordPress. The software is disorganized - lots of menus and options scattered all over the place. How do I get a refund?

It’s probably a great app for what it does. However, the simple fact is, you’re really just downloading a very limited demo for free. The app costs money to use it for anything it was designed for. Stop being misleading just to get people to download your app first. If it’s really all that decent, then just post your price like everyone else! So annoying when you really are just looking for a free app to do some simple vector graphic and waste your time on this misleading tactic.

It will not install, not usable.

I haven’t used it long, but I’m seeing the things I need: booleans, align, editable dimension values, image tracing (you are prompted to accept a free plugin), and text on a path (”bind baseline”). Tons of tools with tons of options. I like the “double sidebar” workspace (and “Customize Workspace” makes it extra flexible). It seems less chaotic and more productive than floating palettes (which are also offered, but I found I could not enlarge the Layers list there). UI is reina-sharp, and complex vectors render fast. Snap to Points seems more reliable than Adobe Illustrator’s! Some quirks exist (effects like soft drop shadows don’t seem to work well—but I don’t need them). No dark mode that I can find (minor wishlist item). But all in all it should be a decent Illustrator replacement for many people, and it looks like it gets updated often. It’s in the “pro” not “casual” category. I got it free on the App Store, but if it’s not free now, I see that their web site has a free trial to check it out.

The program works well but is not as fun as say pixelmator or acorn. You’re probably looking at this program for vector and SVG work. The prior two are primarily bitmap editors but are evolving. I haven’t found a way to anchor the old style floating toolbars to my edit window. I have a lot of windows open and floating toolbars are just not helpful. This plus the coloring makes the program feel much like the slightly alien feel of working in gimp. If you are a gimp fan that is great. I’ve used the full version of Intaglio for small tasks and have not had any problems except for documentation being on the skimpy side. I am no fan of this current phase of crippleware marketing, with blame to go towards both Apple and on the developer. All crippleware apps like this need to be clearly marked, ‘must purchase to (fully) activate’, next to the free/get/purchase button. App-purchase available doesn’t cut it. There really is no other way to tell developers this except through public comments so other people can thumbs up and thumbs down agreement. This developer disables save/testing of vector formats until purchase. If you are demoing this program, it is probably for vector editing. I found a bug in this version. 'Restore purchases' crashes with “Intaglio” is damaged and can’t be opened. I should be seeing either a, 'you haven’t purchased yet’, or, 'restoring purchases' window. Overall I’m not sure it is worth the steet price, $90. Functionality, amount of documentation, and overall sexyness of the interface would be closer to a $20 or $30 regular price.