Open for Feedback: the OmniGraffle 7 Public Test
Ken Case <[email protected]> Wed, 10 Aug 2016 19:45:25 -0700
| Newsgroups | gmane.comp.graphics.omnigraffle.user |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
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For those who haven't seen this yet, OmniGraffle 7 is now in public test. We=
'd love to hear any feedback you might have!
=E2=80=94 Ken
https://www.omnigroup.com/blog/omnigraffle-7-now-in-public-test
Open for Feedback: the OmniGraffle 7 Public Test
Today we=E2=80=99re pulling back the cover on our next major app release: Om=
niGraffle 7. Inside the app wrapper are a few years=E2=80=99 worth of work a=
nd ideas, feature requests, and quality of life-optimizations, and we=E2=80=99=
ve been hammering on it hard for the past year. For those of you with propen=
sity for feedback and capacity for testing, it=E2=80=99s ready for you right=
now!
How we got to 7
OmniGraffle has had success over the years by being a very powerful, customi=
zable, and reliable app for a pretty expansive set of use cases. In more rec=
ent years we=E2=80=99ve gotten feedback from UX and UI folks that said their=
jobs (and needs) are changing. This set of users were requesting features s=
pecifically to help design for high-density screens and multiple platforms, s=
howing interactions, working on smaller screens, and more.
OmniGraffle 7 is the first in a line of steps aimed at improving and speedin=
g up workflows for UX and UI folks, Graphic Designers. The bulk of new featu=
res=E2=80=94and enhancements to older features=E2=80=94come by focusing on g=
etting work done faster: less clicking, more focused tools, a polished inter=
face.
A call for early feedback
Upgrading a tool that so many people work with every day is a big deal, and w=
e know that any amount of time away from Actual Work is literally money. We k=
now you=E2=80=99re very busy, but we want to make sure we=E2=80=99re getting=
it right as soon as possible.
So, if you end up spending just an hour or two with OmniGraffle 7 to get a f=
eel for the future, that=E2=80=99s already a big help.
Did anything get in the way of your existing workflows? Some of these might b=
e accidental, others might be intended but something we can correct, or comp=
letely unnecessary altogether.
Did anything make your daily use faster?
Did Action X go from slow to fast, which is great, but could be better?
And one more thing: though OmniGraffle 7 hasn=E2=80=99t eaten a document in s=
everal weeks, it should be assumed that bugs still exist and maybe this line=
won=E2=80=99t connect to that shape.
Seven major improvements:
Infinite Canvas: Though OmniGraffle 6 expands down and to the right, shiftin=
g every object on a Canvas is bothersome work. In 7, you can toggle expandab=
ility in each direction=E2=80=94even every direction. Set it once and OmniGr=
affle will make sure you have plenty of room to work.
SVG Support: When we first implemented SVG export in OmniGraffle, there were=
very few other apps that did the same, so we didn=E2=80=99t worry about Imp=
ort. But that was before, and this is 2016. In 7 you can paste SVG code dire=
ctly on to your Canvas, open as objects, and Copy As SVG.
Artboards: This is a big feature, and one that we want to get just right whe=
n 7.0 ships. Artboards not only fix the problem related to multi-resolution a=
ssets, but they also make organizing and moving your artwork implicit in Omn=
iGraffle. (Artboards affect anything above them in the stack inside its boun=
ds or overlapping=E2=80=94sort of like a container or group, without group b=
ehavior unless you want it. They do not have an effect on contents below.)
Stroke to Shape: It=E2=80=99s always been easy to slap down lines between sh=
apes, but if you need more from the lines than just a stroke, shadow, or lin=
e-ending, you can convert them to shapes in 7. Once you have a shape, add a g=
radient or work with its B=C3=A9zier points to tweak line endings!
Text to Shape: Though we didn=E2=80=99t build in a font editor, we did add a=
great way to style your text=E2=80=99s characters. When converting a set of=
text to a shape, you=E2=80=99ll have access to fill, blends, stroke=E2=80=94=
everything you use OmniGraffle for.
Point Editor: A brand new tool for 7, the Point Editor makes it easy to acce=
ss each point on every object. Before, bounding boxes had the potential to g=
et in the way. Now, all=E2=80=99s well.
Keyboard Shortcuts: Nothing says you=E2=80=99re home like knowing exactly wh=
at each key combination will get you. The most dynamic request=E2=80=94the f=
eature people have the most varied opinions about=E2=80=94are keyboard short=
cuts. In 7 you can choose your own shortcut for each and every menu bar comm=
and or setting. Have at it!
There=E2=80=99s more, but this post is long enough! Though each of the above=
are big features that enable new workflows=E2=80=A6artboards, in our mind, a=
re the biggest. If you give them a shake, we=E2=80=99re really interested in=
hearing how they work (or don=E2=80=99t) for you.
Downloading the preview
Start on our preview page. =46rom there you can download the app and take a g=
ander at its release notes.
If you=E2=80=99re interested in chatting with others, we put together a spec=
ial category over on Discourse for discussions; we=E2=80=99ll be there, but i=
f you really want to make sure you=E2=80=99re heard, email us. (And email us=
if you have any questions about functionality, too.)
Should I wait to buy OmniGraffle?
No! In fact, if you buy OmniGraffle 6 right now, you can keep working and ge=
t a free upgrade to OmniGraffle 7 the day it=E2=80=99s released =E2=80=94 we=
=E2=80=99ll send an email with a new license key. But since we don=E2=80=99t=
yet know how to do something similar on the Mac App Store, we=E2=80=99ve re=
moved it from sale. (Though 6 will continue to function and is always availa=
ble in the Purchased tab.)
See you out there
Any amount of time you spend looking at OmniGraffle 7 is a huge help. To sum=
up: we really want to know how 7 adds or subtracts to your workflow. Love i=
t, hate it, want it, meh: let us know! If there was ever a chance to have yo=
ur voice heard, this is definitely it. Have at it!
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</style><title>Open for Feedback: the OmniGraffle 7 Public Test - T=
he Omni Group</title><div class=3D"original-url">For those who haven't seen t=
his yet, OmniGraffle 7 is now in public test. We'd love to hear any feedback=
you might have!</div><div class=3D"original-url"><br></div><div class=3D"or=
iginal-url">=E2=80=94 Ken</div><div class=3D"original-url"><br><a href=3D"ht=
tps://www.omnigroup.com/blog/omnigraffle-7-now-in-public-test">https://www.o=
mnigroup.com/blog/omnigraffle-7-now-in-public-test</a><br><br></div><div id=3D=
"article" role=3D"article" style=3D"-webkit-locale: en;">
<!-- This node will contain a number of div.page. -->
<div class=3D"page"><h1 class=3D"title">Open for Feedback: the Omni=
Graffle 7 Public Test</h1>
<p>Today we=E2=80=99re pulling back the cover on our next major a=
pp release: OmniGraffle 7. Inside the app wrapper are a few years=E2=80=99 w=
orth of work and ideas, feature requests, and quality of life-optimizations,=
and we=E2=80=99ve been hammering on it hard for the past year. For those of=
you with propensity for feedback and capacity for testing, it=E2=80=99s rea=
dy for you right now!</p>
<p><a href=3D"https://www.omnigroup.com/omnigraffle/preview/"><img src=3D"ht=
tps://www.omnigroup.com/images/blog_images/blog-banner.png" alt=3D"OmniGraff=
le 7 Blog Banner linking to the preview page" width=3D"700px" class=3D"" sty=
le=3D""></a></p>
<h2>How we got to 7</h2>
<p>OmniGraffle has had success over the years by being a very powerful, cust=
omizable, and reliable app for a pretty expansive set of use cases. In more r=
ecent years we=E2=80=99ve gotten feedback from UX and UI folks that said the=
ir jobs (and needs) are changing. This set of users were requesting features=
specifically to help design for high-density screens and multiple platforms=
, showing interactions, working on smaller screens, and more.</p>
<p>OmniGraffle 7 is the first in a line of steps aimed at improving and spee=
ding up workflows for UX and UI folks, Graphic Designers. The bulk of new fe=
atures=E2=80=94and enhancements to older features=E2=80=94come by focusing o=
n getting work done faster: less clicking, more focused tools, a polished in=
terface.</p>
<h2>A call for early feedback</h2>
<p>Upgrading a tool that so many people work with every day is a big deal, a=
nd we know that any amount of time away from Actual Work is literally money.=
We know you=E2=80=99re very busy, but we want to make sure we=E2=80=99re ge=
tting it right as soon as possible.</p>
<p>So, if you end up spending just an hour or two with OmniGraffle 7 to get a=
feel for the future, that=E2=80=99s already a big help.</p>
<ul>
<li>Did anything get in the way of your existing workflows? Some of these mi=
ght be accidental, others might be intended but something we can correct, or=
completely unnecessary altogether. </li>
<li>Did anything make your daily use faster?</li>
<li>Did Action X go from slow to fast, which is great, but could be better?<=
/li>
</ul>
<p>And one more thing: though OmniGraffle 7 hasn=E2=80=99t eaten a document i=
n several weeks, it should be assumed that bugs still exist and maybe this l=
ine won=E2=80=99t connect to that shape.</p>
<p><strong>Seven major improvements</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Infinite Canvas</strong>: Though OmniGraffle 6 expands down and=
to the right, shifting every object on a Canvas is bothersome work. In 7, y=
ou can toggle expandability in each direction=E2=80=94even every direction. S=
et it once and OmniGraffle will make sure you have plenty of room to work.</=
li>
<li><strong>SVG Support</strong>: When we first implemented SVG export in Om=
niGraffle, there were very few other apps that did the same, so we didn=E2=80=
=99t worry about Import. But that was before, and this is 2016. In 7 you can=
paste SVG code directly on to your Canvas, open as objects, and Copy As SVG=
.</li>
<li><strong>Artboards</strong>: This is a big feature, and one that we want t=
o get just right when 7.0 ships. Artboards not only fix the problem related t=
o multi-resolution assets, but they also make organizing and moving your art=
work implicit in OmniGraffle. (Artboards affect anything above them in the s=
tack inside its bounds or overlapping=E2=80=94sort of like a container or gr=
oup, without group behavior unless you want it. They do not have an effect o=
n contents below.)</li>
<li><strong>Stroke to Shape</strong>: It=E2=80=99s always been easy to slap d=
own lines between shapes, but if you need more from the lines than just a st=
roke, shadow, or line-ending, you can convert them to shapes in 7. Once you h=
ave a shape, add a gradient or work with its B=C3=A9zier points to tweak lin=
e endings!</li>
<li><strong>Text to Shape</strong>: Though we didn=E2=80=99t build in a font=
editor, we did add a great way to style your text=E2=80=99s characters. Whe=
n converting a set of text to a shape, you=E2=80=99ll have access to fill, b=
lends, stroke=E2=80=94everything you use OmniGraffle for. </li>
<li><strong>Point Editor</strong>: A brand new tool for 7, the Point Editor m=
akes it easy to access each point on every object. Before, bounding boxes ha=
d the potential to get in the way. Now, all=E2=80=99s well.</li>
<li><strong>Keyboard Shortcuts</strong>: Nothing says you=E2=80=99re home li=
ke knowing exactly what each key combination will get you. The most dynamic r=
equest=E2=80=94the feature people have the most varied opinions about=E2=80=94=
are keyboard shortcuts. In 7 you can choose your own shortcut for each and e=
very menu bar command or setting. Have at it!</li>
</ul>
<p>There=E2=80=99s more, but this post is long enough! Though each of the ab=
ove are big features that enable <strong>new</strong> workflows=E2=80=A6<str=
ong>artboards</strong>, in our mind, are the biggest. If you give them a sha=
ke, we=E2=80=99re really interested in hearing how they work (or don=E2=80=99=
t) for you.</p>
<h2>Downloading the preview</h2>
<p>Start on our <a href=3D"https://www.omnigroup.com/omnigraffle/preview/">p=
review page</a>. =46rom there you can download the app and take a gander at i=
ts release notes.</p>
<p>If you=E2=80=99re interested in chatting with others, we put together a <=
a href=3D"https://discourse.omnigroup.com/c/omnigraffle/omnigraffle-7-public=
-test">special category over on Discourse</a> for discussions; we=E2=80=99ll=
be there, but if you <em>really</em> want to make sure you=E2=80=99re heard=
, <a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]">email us</a>. (And email us i=
f you have any questions about functionality, too.)</p>
<h2>Should I wait to buy OmniGraffle?</h2>
<p>No! In fact, if you buy OmniGraffle 6 right now, you can keep working and=
get a free upgrade to OmniGraffle 7 the day it=E2=80=99s released =E2=80=94=
we=E2=80=99ll send an email with a new license key. But since we don=E2=
=80=99t yet know how to do something similar on the Mac App Store, we=E2=80=99=
ve removed it from sale. (Though 6 will continue to function and is always a=
vailable in the Purchased tab.)</p>
<h2>See you out there</h2>
<p>Any amount of time you spend looking at OmniGraffle 7 is a huge help. To s=
um up: we really want to know how 7 adds or subtracts to your workflow. Love=
it, hate it, want it, meh: let us know! If there was ever a chance to have y=
our voice heard, this is <em>definitely</em> it. Have at it!</p>
=20
</div></div></div><div><br></div></body></html>=
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