http://www.sgi.com/products/Indy/publish_mentalix.2.html (Silicon Surf Promotional CD, 01/1995)
But, again, as a native UNIX program, PixelFX can do some things that Mac- and PC-based image editing programs can't. Multiple, linked windows can be opened simultaneously, each displaying the same or different images but each with its own tools, allowing you access both PixelBrush and PixelImage tools at the same time. While this may seem like a kludgy way of accessing all the tools you need to edit an image, it actually provides a great deal of flexibility and makes it easy to test effects. After you paint the image in one window, you can quickly move to the other window and smudge the edges of your mark, watching the effect as you create it.
You can even clone across two images; just select the Clone tool and a location in one image, start brushing the tool over the second image, and watch the first image be cloned onto the second. Another plus: if you're cutting and pasting between two image file formats say you're placing part of a EPS image into a TIFF file the paste buffer automatically converts the source data into the destination format. Want to work on an image that's larger than one page? No problem. When you open or scan in a multipage image, a slider in the toolbar indicates which page you're on; you slide it to change the page on the display.
PixelFX's PixelImage filter palette includes an Edge Detect (Sobel) option, which creates this effect.
Mentalix offers technical support for a flat fee - a deal compared with Creator and Eclipse. But considering that PixelFX is so easy to use and comes with an excellent manual, on- line help, and unlimited Undo and Redo, you probably won't need to spring for it.
PixelFX is definitely at the low end of the UNIX image editing software market, but its certainly a competent and well-rounded program. Together, the four modules of PixelFX give you a lot for your money from scanning to OCR to image editing capabilities and are a perfect low-cost alternative for a production-heavy studio. If you have sophisticated image editing needs, however, stick with Photoshop or another higher-end product.
Christine A. DePedro is a design associate at Advanced Systems magazine and has been working on a Macintosh since 1986.
