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 PhotoLine running onWindows 7 | |
| Developer(s) | Computerinsel GmbH |
|---|---|
| Initial release | January 1996; 29 years ago (1996-01) |
| Stable release | 25.0 / January 23, 2025; 2 months ago (2025-01-23) |
| Written in | C++[1] |
| Operating system | macOS,Microsoft Windows |
| Platform | x86,x64,ARM,PowerPC |
| Available in | 5 languages |
List of languages | |
| Type | Raster graphics editor,vector graphics editor |
| License | Proprietary,Shareware |
| Website | www |
PhotoLine is a general purposebitmap andvector graphics editor developed and published byComputerinsel GmbH forWindows,macOS, andLinux/Wine. It was originally created in 1995 byGerhard Huber andMartin Huber. The program combines bitmap and vector graphics editing in one seamless working application unlike mostgraphics software which tend to focus on either bitmap or vector editing and output. PhotoLine is considered as a market competitor toAdobe Photoshop.
PhotoLine edits and composes multi-layer raster and vector images with deep support formasking andalpha compositing and with fullcolor management. Editing and color management in PhotoLine is mostly non-destructive. Image data in layers is preserved without loss of information regardless of the document's image mode or layer transformation.color depth, image resolution,color model, andICC profile are preserved for each individual layer or group of layers. Layers can be cloned and reused anywhere in the layer stack, including repurposed as layer masks. Layer blending and compositing in PhotoLine supports common blend modes, and features a layer blend range of -200 to +200 percent. It is also possible to control which channels are blended for each layer, adjustment layer, and layer mask or group of layers. Filters, adjustment layers, and brushes have access to Lab and HIS color modes (HIS is a variant ofHSL), separately of the color model of the underlying image layer.
In Addition to raster and vector editing, PhotoLine can be used for smalldesktop publishing projects. Multi-page documents with page spreads and text flow between text frames and pages are supported. Character and paragraph styles can be defined. Spot colors, bleed settings, a baseline grid, a table of contents generator, andPDF/X support help with these projects. PhotoLine is however much more limited when compared to dedicated publishing software such asAdobe InDesign orQuarkXPress.
PhotoLine incorporates theOpen-source software libraryLibRaw to readraw images from digital cameras for import. Developing these files is non-destructive with a choice of embedding the RAW image data either in the PhotoLine document or link to the external RAW image file. PhotoLine can open raw files as linear unmodified and non color managed source images.Photoshop PSD files can be imported and exported.
Core functionality of PhotoLine can be extended through standardPhotoshop filter plugins, theG'MIC digital image processing framework,[2] andPSP tubes.[3] External programs can be linked for a seamless round-trip workflow and files can be sent directly for processing in third-party design applications. Custom functionality is further supported through scripting and macro recording.
Developed by two brothers, Gerhard Huber and Martin Huber, PhotoLine was first released in January 1996 on theAtari ST line ofpersonal computers fromAtari Corporation.
Previously, Gerhard and Martin had worked on makinggraphics cards for Atari computers and writingdrivers forimage scanners.[4][5] Atari's market share was declining, and the brothers considered developing avideo game to expand the business.[4] This led them to search for image editing software that would run on Atari computers and fit their game project. Only an image editor calledtms Cranach[6] came close to what Gerhard and Martin had in mind. tms Cranach was aRaster graphics editor running on Atari'sMegaST/STe,TT030, andFalcon030 systems. However, Cranach turned out to be expensive software and complicated to use.[4] The brothers contacted tms (Cranach's developers) and this resulted in an offer from tms to purchase Cranach and its source code, as tms intended to exit the Atari software market.[4][5] After the purchase of Cranach and its source code Gerhard and Martin initially continued to sell Cranach, but sales were low.[4]
In 1995 the two decided to start developing a newgraphics editor called "PhotoLine". PhotoLine was developed from scratch and written inC++. It nevertheless contained a lot of know-how from Cranach (which was written inC).[4] PhotoLine first release was launched one year later in 1996.[7]
With the growing popularity ofMicrosoft Windows, the release ofWindows 95, and the limiting graphics hardware on the Atari platforms, the developers switched development platforms and continued development of PhotoLine forWindows only. The first Windows version (PhotoLine 2.2) was released in the middle of 1997. Shortly after, the Atari version was discontinued and saw its final release as PhotoLine 2.30. The Huber brothers released this final Atari version into the public domain in 2012.[8]
The first Classic Mac OS version of PhotoLine 6 appeared in 1999 after many ex-Atari users who had switched to Mac OS pressured the PhotoLine developers to release an Apple port.
PhotoLine runs natively under Windows and MacOS. While a native Linux version of PhotoLine is not available, running PhotoLine under Wine is actively supported and maintained by the developers. Running PhotoLine under Linux/Wine PhotoLine enables the user to allowLittle CMS to fully support color management under Linux instead of the native OSCMS.
Native PhotoLine files have the extension .PLD, which is an abbreviation of "PhotoLine Document". It can contain embeddedJPEG,PNG, orcamera raw images. It contains a preview image in JPEG or PNG format, which is used by the operating system or third-party applications to display a thumbnail of its contents. Thumbnails are natively supported on MacOS X.
During installation on Windows the user is presented with an option to install a PLD thumbnail preview driver which enables thumbnails of PLD content inWindows Explorer. Alternatively, theFastPictureViewer Standalone Codec Pack provides the ability to display PLD thumbnails in Windows Explorer.
PhotoLine was first developed for theAtari ST computer. Version 2 was the first version forWindows, and since version 6 PhotoLine is also available forMacOS.
| Version | Release date | Significant changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1[9] | January 1996 |
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| 2 | July 1997 |
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| 3 | January 1998 |
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| 4 | July 1998 |
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| 4.5 | November 1998 |
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| 5[10] | February 1999 |
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| 6[11] | Oct 1999 |
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| 7[12] | 2000 |
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| 8[13] | 2001/02 |
|
| 9[14] | Fall 2002 |
|
| 10[15] | Fall 2003 |
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| 11[16] | Oct 19, 2004 | |
| 12[17] | Sep 19, 2005 |
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| 13[18] | Sep 29, 2006 | |
| 14[19] | Nov 9, 2007 |
|
| 15[20] | Jan 15, 2009 |
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| 16[21] | April 21, 2010 |
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| 17[22] | Dec 13, 2011 |
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| 17.5[23] | Dec 13, 2011 |
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| 18[24] | Oct 4, 2013 |
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| 19[25] | May 25, 2015 |
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| 19.5[26] | Mar 11, 2016 | |
| 20[27] | Nov 26, 2016 |
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| 21[28] | July 11, 2018 |
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| 22[29] | Feb 28, 2020 |
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| 23[30] | Nov 25, 2021 |
|
| 24 | June 30, 2023 |
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| Free and open-source | |
|---|---|
| Proprietary | |
| Discontinued | |
