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SuperPaint (Macintosh)

{{Short description|1986 graphics software for Apple Macintosh}}

{{For|the pioneering graphics program and framebuffer developed at Xerox PARC|SuperPaint}}

{{Infobox software

| name = Aldus SuperPaint

| logo = SuperPaint-logo.png

| logo alt = Aldus SuperPaint with icon of paintbrush and pencil

| screenshot = SuperPaint-screen.png

| screenshot alt = SuperPaint with one window open displaying artwork of a tube with yellow paint squeezed out of it, where the paint is morphing into the shape of a pencil.

| caption = Aldus SuperPaint 3.5 running on Mac OS System 7.5.1

| developer = Silicon Beach Software

| released = {{Start date and age|1986}}

| latest release version = 3.5

| latest release date = 1993

| operating_system = System 4–System 7

| platform = Classic Mac OS

| genre = Bitmap and vector-based image editing

| license = Proprietary

| website =

}}

SuperPaint is a graphics program capable of both bitmap painting and vector drawing. SuperPaint was one of the first programs of its kind, combining the features of MacPaint and MacDraw{{Cite web|url=http://tidbits.com/article/3174|title=SuperPaint 3.0 Review|last=Neuburg|first=Matt|date=March 23, 1992|website=tidbits.com|language=en|access-date=December 12, 2017}} while adding many new features of its own.{{Cite web|url=https://lowendmac.com/2016/children-of-macpaint-superpaint-and-canvas/|title=Children of MacPaint: SuperPaint and Canvas|last=Mejia|first=Manuel|date=2016-05-01|website=Low End Mac|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-07}}

It was originally written by William Snider, published by Silicon Beach Software (which was acquired by Aldus Corporation in 1990), and released in 1986 for the Apple Macintosh. William Snider wrote and designed the program from his house on an Apple Lisa in Pascal. It was the only program that outsold Silicon Beach's Dark Castle games, but SuperPaint was much more lucrative for the company,{{Cite web |url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/315720/The_making_of_Dark_Castle_An_excerpt_from_The_Secret_History_of_Mac_Gaming.php |title=The making of Dark Castle : An excerpt from The Secret History of Mac Gaming |last=Moss |first=Richard |date=2018-03-22 |website=Gamasutra |language=en |access-date=2018-03-25}} representing about 70% of the revenue.{{cite magazine |last1=Borrell |first1=Jerry |title=Interview with Charlie Jackson, president of Silicon Beach Software |magazine=Macworld |date=February 1988 |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=95–116 |url=https://archive.org/details/MacWorld_8802_February_1988/page/n98/mode/2up}} The program and packaging was also localized into Japanese.{{Cite web|url=http://www.d4.dion.ne.jp/~motohiko/superpaint.htm|title=Aldus SuperPaint|last=Vintage Mac Museum|first=The|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812223233/http://www.d4.dion.ne.jp/~motohiko/superpaint.htm|archive-date=12 August 2007}}

As it requires Classic, SuperPaint is unsupported as of Mac OS X version 10.5, but can still be used with the assistance of emulators.{{Citation |last=Silicon Beach Software |title=SuperPaint Apple Macintosh |date=1986 |url=http://archive.org/details/SuperPaintMacintosh |access-date=2023-10-15}}

History

  • Version 1.0, released in 1986, has a fixed-position user interface with palettes arranged on the left and bottom edges of the screen. Includes LaserBits 300dpi editing mode{{Cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=im4qAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA3-PA7 |title=Drawing and Painting on the Macintosh |journal=U-M Computing News|volume=2 |issue=4 |date=16 February 1987|publisher=UM Libraries|pages=7–12|language=en}} and the ability to print in color despite only being able to display in black & white.{{Cite book |last=Silicon Beach Software |url=http://archive.org/details/superpaint-1.1-manual |title=SuperPaint Manual |date=1986 |publisher= |edition=1.1 |pages=58 (assigning print colours) |language=English}}
  • 1.1, released in 1988, included the SuperConvert app to convert to/from LaserBits;{{Cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-T4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT12 |magazine=InfoWorld |volume=10 |issue=24 |title=Picture This |first=Keith |last=Thompson |date=1988-06-13 |publisher=InfoWorld Media Group, Inc. |pages=S7–S18 |language=en}} was bundled with Microsoft Word 4.0 for Macintosh in 1990.{{Cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/MacWorld_8806_June_1988/page/n10|magazine=Macworld |title=Lots More in Word 4.0 |volume=4 |issue=6 |date=June 1988|page=9}}
  • 2.0, released in 1989, introduced many new features including: AutoTrace, SuperBits (formerly LaserBits), freehand Bézier tool, multi-page documents, rich text in text blocks, rotation and transformations, plug-ins, a multi-palette user interface, custom tools in the paint palette.{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_siliconBeaachCatalog1990_1005666|title=siliconBeachSoftware :: Silicon Beach Catalog 1990|date=1990}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-8306959/the-tools-of-superpaint-2-0|title=The Tools of SuperPaint 2.0 |magazine=Computers in Libraries |volume=10 |issue=1|last1=Johnson|first1=Harriett |last2=Johnson|first2=Richard|date=Jan 1990|website=|access-date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707210808/https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-8306959/the-tools-of-superpaint-2-0 |archive-date=7 July 2019 |url-access=subscription}}{{cite magazine

|url=https://archive.org/details/MacUser8907July1989/page/n53/mode/1up

|title=SuperPaint 2.0

|magazine=MacUser

|date=July 1989

|pages=50–58

|first=Carlos

|last=Martinez

|volume=5

|issue=7

}}

  • 3.0, released in 1991, was a major revision that added many extra features, most notably color support, but also image enhancement functions and texture fills; hotkeys were revamped to simplify the interface;{{Cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/Apple_Slices_1991/page/n76/mode/1up|magazine=Apple Slices 1991|title=Aldus SuperPaint 3.0 |type=Press Release |date=September 1991 |issue=25}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R1EEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA73 |magazine=InfoWorld |title=Venerable SuperPaint gets a complete overhaul |last1=Green |first1=Doug |last2=Green |first2=Denise |volume=14 |issue=52/1 |date=1992-12-28 |publisher=InfoWorld Media Group, Inc. |pages=73–76 |language=en}} tear-off palettes.{{Cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/issuu_dougalder_1991-11_tcp_bc-ocr/page/n19/mode/2up|title=Aldus Ships Superpaint 3.0 |magazine=The Computer Paper |date=November 1991 |volume=4 |issue=1 |year=1991|pages=20 |language=en}}
  • 3.5, released in 1993, brought support for System 7, copy brush tool, several other new drawing tools including some that are pressure sensitive,{{Cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/MacUser9309September1993/page/n256| magazine=MacUser |title=MacWarehouse advertisement |volume=9 |issue=9|date=September 1993|page=253}} expanded importing capability including still frames from QuickTime.{{Cite web|url=https://www.savetz.com/ku/ku/baggott_superpaint_3.5_february_1994.html|title=SuperPaint 3.5|last=Baggott|first=Rick|date=February 1994|website=www.savetz.com|access-date=2019-07-07}} This was the final version of the app.

Later versions were published by Aldus after their 1990 acquisition of Silicon Beach Software. The application continued to be sold by Adobe after their 1994 takeover of Aldus.{{Cite book|title=Inside the Publishing Revolution: The Adobe Story|last=Pfiffner|first=Pamela|publisher=Adobe Press|year=2002|isbn=0321115643|pages=147, 152|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/insidepublishing00pfif/page/147}}

Plug-ins

In 1988, alongside version 1.1, an SDK (software development kit) was released that allowed the creation of software plug-ins to add features and capabilities to SuperPaint.{{Cite web |title=SuperPaint Plug-in Developer's Toolkit - Macintosh Repository |url=https://www.macintoshrepository.org/39180-superpaint-plug-in-developer-s-toolkit |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=www.macintoshrepository.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=McLennan |first=Linda |title=SuperPaint Plug-in Tools in Think C {{!}} MacTech {{!}} The journal of Apple technology. |url=http://preserve.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.06/06.02/SuperPaintPlugIns/index.html |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=preserve.mactech.com}}

Many plugins were created and shared, including some that added support for pressure-sensitive pens such as those made by Wacom.{{Cite web |title=Plug-ins for SuperPaint - My programs - Matteo Varisco |url=http://web.tiscali.it/matteovarisco/Static/mieiprogrammi_ing.htm#Plug-ins%20per%20SuperPaint |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=web.tiscali.it}}

Later use

Artist Richard Bolam used images drawn using Aldus SuperPaint in the 1990s as part of his "Bolam at 50" exhibition in 2014.{{Cite web|url=https://richardbolamat50.wordpress.com/tag/superpaint/|title=SuperPaint {{!}} Retrospective: Richard Bolam at 50|date=6 May 2014 |language=en|access-date=2019-07-07}} Naoki Yamamoto is seen using SuperPaint in the Documentary Urasawa Naoki no Manben in season 4, episode 3 (broadcast in 2017).{{Cite web|url=https://www.naokiurasawa.com/naoki-yamamoto/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820172931/http://www.naokiurasawa.com/naoki-yamamoto/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=August 20, 2018|title=Naoki Yamamoto – NaokiUrasawa.com}}{{Citation |title=Urasawa Naoki no Manben (S4) [ENGSUB] timeskip | date=17 August 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh-JBPPMeMc |access-date=2023-10-15 |language=en}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~iimori/legend/spaint.html A screenshot from SuperPaint version 1]
  • [http://preserve.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.06/06.02/BitmapforSuperPaint/index.html How to create a SuperPaint Menu Command plug-in] (includes source code)
  • [http://preserve.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.06/06.02/SuperPaintPlugIns/index.html How to create a SuperPaint Interactive Paint Tool plug-in] (includes source code)
  • {{Cite web|url=http://www.d4.dion.ne.jp/~motohiko/superpaint.htm|title=The Vintage Mac Museum: Screenshots of all versions of SuperPaint|access-date=August 27, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812223233/http://www.d4.dion.ne.jp/~motohiko/superpaint.htm|archive-date=August 12, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}

Category:Graphics software

Category:Raster graphics editors

Category:Macintosh-only software

Category:Classic Mac OS software

Category:Macintosh graphics software

Category:Discontinued software

Category:Aldus software

Category:1986 software

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