FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Improved: Raskin 1.7 – Advanced GUI for Graphic Artists and Designers

Raskin Software today announces Raskin 1.7 for OS X, an update to the critically acclaimed Productivity app that provides an advanced GUI especially for graphic artists and designers. The app displays the entire OS X Hierarchical File System at a glance, allowing designers to rely on their visual memory for the location of files instead of searching through levels of folders. The update adds Display More/Less control, and improved File Preview rendering, arrangement, and readability.

ZURICH, Switzerland, November 23, 2011 – Raskin Software today is pleased to announce Raskin 1.7 for OS X, an update to the critically acclaimed Productivity app that provides an advanced GUI especially for graphic artists and designers. The app displays the entire Hierarchical File System at a glance, allowing designers to rely on their visual memory for the location of files instead of searching through levels of folders. Featuring high speed, high magnification zooming in and out, Raskin enhances the touch gesture navigation model of iOS. Replacing the click-intensive desktop model of files in folders in folders is a swipe & pinch (pan & zoom) based interface, where items are spread out in a large, flat array. This update adds Display More/Less control, Full Screen preview via keyboard shortcut, and improved File Preview rendering, arrangement and readability.

For example, in the normal workflow the user double-clicks on a volume on the desktop, then double-clicks on the Pictures folder, then double-clicks on the "Catalog Photos" folder then double-clicks on the "8/19 Photo Shoot" folder to locate the photo they are looking for. The user is forced to navigate through four hierarchical levels to reach their picture. With Raskin, the user sees a group of long, thin columns on a solid field. Each column has a name at the top: Applications, Desktop, Documents, User, Downloads, Movies, Pictures, and Music. Inside each column is a small picture or thumbnail of files. Employing the trackpad, keyboard, or mouse, the user zooms in on the Pictures column, recognizes their picture, and double-clicks to open it. The entire task of navigation takes place on a single level.

Feature Highlights

• Zoomable user interface simplifies navigation
• Interact with your Mac in a completely new way
• See more on a single surface
• View large photosets instantly
• Simplify your design and editorial workflow
• Stay organized and productive
• Complement the Finder, Expose and Mission Control
• Changes made in Raskin are instantly reflected in the Finder
• New Display More/Less now allows easier control of the number of displayed files and folders
• New Quick Look/Peview Full-Screen keyboard shortcut
• New Updated Surface is more compact, more readable, with better rendering quality

This update of Raskin adds the following: Display More/Display Less; "direct" Quick Look/Full-Screen Preview with shortcut command, and an improved Surface (Raskin user interface). With Display More/Display Less it is possible to control the amount of content displayed in any folder. This is particularly helpful when folders contain a large number of files. Especially in a creative workflow, this can be a very useful feature, as the artist can focus on those files they need and hide the rest. It improves the individual usability of the software experience, and was the most requested new feature among the app's users.

Quick Look/Full-Screen Preview now allows users to see any file directly via a keyboard shortcut. Lastly, the new Improvements to the Surface (Raskin user interface) yield a simpler, more organized display of folders. The content shown is now more compact, and so browsing through folders and files is more efficient. Also, the overall user-experience has been improved with better readability, brighter colors, and increased rendering quality of file previews.

The Raskin software is inspired by the work of Macintosh co-founder Jef Raskin, and the principles he describes in the book, "The Humane Interface." An expert in human-machine interfaces and human factors, Raskin was a pioneer in the development of the Graphical User Interface as first introduced on the Macintosh. In moving from a command line interface to a graphical interface, it was recognized that the computer should conform to the work style of the human and not vice versa. The Raskin app takes the GUI concept "beyond the desktop," displaying all the computer's contents (folders, documents, and applications) on a single surface, allowing the user to visually find and organize files.

Designed to complement the Finder and Expose/Mission Control, Raskin boosts productivity by making the computer conform even further to human work habits. People use visual memory to recall the location of an item. Artists and designers have highly developed visual skills, so the machine is made to accommodate the user and present items on a single surface rather than hidden inside nested folders.

The software is extremely easy to use, and combines unprecedented zoom and pan speeds with near-instantaneous rendering of thumbnails at any magnification. Users can customize the order in which files are displayed, as well as the number of files displayed. A Light Table mode lets artists view photos against an uncluttered, solid background. Bringing text and graphics into a project from emails, memory cards, external drives, applications, documents, and folders has never been so simple.

"Raskin was designed to make the machine do the hard work, not the user," commented Martin Halter of Raskin Software. "The incredible real time, high speed, 30x pan and zoom in Raskin lets you look through all your work spread out in front of you, displayed as pictures on one flat surface."

Raskin 1.7 is now at special 40% off sale pricing from November 25, 2011 (Black Friday) until November 28, 2011 (Cyber Monday), after which normal pricing will be in effect. Raskin 1.7 regular price is only US$ 24.99 (£ 17.49 / € 19.99) and is available through the Raskin Store or the Mac App Store in the Productivity category. Multi-Packs can be purchased at a discount through the Raskin Store. Review copies of the software can be obtained upon request.

Raskin 1.7 is available for download today.

Raskin Software LLC
José Prestera
Media Specialist
Email:jose@raskinformac.com Phone:+41 44 450 69 75