22 Awesome Adobe AIR Applications for Designers
Adobe AIR has become a popular platform for internet-enabled desktop applications. If you’re a designer, AIR applications will help you with a multitude of tasks that will make your life easier, aiding you in streamlining your workflow. Close to a year ago, we wrote a post on this topic, and since then there have been great advances and even more awesome AIR apps for designers. This article aims to cover what we didn’t mention previously.
In this article, you’ll find terrific applications that will help you in your design and image-editing oriented tasks.
If you don’t have Adobe AIR installed, you can download it free from get.adobe.com/air/.
1. ImageSizer
ImageSizer is a batch image processor tool built to resize, optimize and rename multiple JPG files. Once your images are processed, they can be exported as a single ZIP file, making it convenient to transfer groups of images on the internet.
2. Contrast-A
Contrast-A is a great Adobe AIR application for designers wanting to easily create color schemes for their design. The tool comes with a contrast checker based on WCAG standards for accessible color contrast ratios.
3. Color Browser
Color Browser is made for archiving and organizing your color palette collections. It is a terrific way to store your favorite color schemes for later use in your designs.
4. Font Picker
This simple tool helps you pick the best font for a project. Font Picker shows you fonts installed on your computer with customizable sample text for quick and easy font management and selection.
5. XeIMG Image Editor
Xe-IMG Editor is a simple and free image editor built on top of the Adobe AIR framework. Because of AIR’s cross-platform capabilities – designers who work with multiple operating systems that need a quick and easy image editor will find this tool helpful.
6. WebKut
WebKut is a free Adobe AIR application that will enable you to capture web page screen shots (or only certain sections of a web page). The three screen capture options are: the entire page, the current view, or only a selection.
7. SWFShot
SWFShot is an Adobe AIR based application that allows you to create high-resolution images of Flash content stored on your hard drive.
8. Caliper Project
Easily measure things on the screen with the excellent Adobe AIR app called Caliper. Caliper can be overlaid on top of any program – so it’s an awesome tool to use for measuring in between different applications.
9. iPlotz
iPlotz is a downloadable Adobe AIR application for wireframing and creating clickable and navigable mockups of websites and app interfaces. It comes with collaboration and project management tools for designers working in teams.
10. Fractal4D
With the Fractal4D Adobe AIR application, you can draw fractal swirls that can then be exported as a vector file or in PNG format. Use the fractals you create to enhance your graphic designs.
11. Designview
This AIR app is for creating Flex Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) and is great for designers wishing to easily craft interfaces for their Flex-based apps.
12. Splashup Light
Splashup Light is a simple image editor that allows you to change levels, contrast/brightness, hue saturation, text editing, and shapes. It helps to enhance and improve your existing photos.
13. Mindomo
Mindomo Desktop is a mind mapping application which can be deployed onto your desktop and used across Linux, Mac OS, and Windows operating systems. It allows you to work on your mind maps offline.
14. Flickr Desktop Search
One thing that many designers will often have at hand is a Flickr account for storing their own images and stock photos. With the Flickr Desktop Search tool, you can easily search Flickr for interesting photos.
15. CleVR Stitcher
If you’ve ever needed to piece together several photos to create a wide panoramic photo – CleVR Sticher is the Adobe AIR app you’ve been looking for. It also has basic photograph editing capabilities such as an option to correct/adjust exposures (for color matching).
16. ImageDropr
Staying in line with the assertion that designers often have a Flickr account – you should also check out ImageDropr, which is a Flickr tool for easily managing your own photos on Flickr. With it, you can upload, tag, edit your photos’ titles, and more – all from within your desktop.
17. PhotoTable
With this simple but highly useful Adobe AIR application, you can easily save images from the web via a drag-and-drop interface.
18. Snoto Photo
Snoto Photo is a desktop application using Adobe AIR technology for browsing your recent photos and other images. You can also create a slideshow of your photos with AIR app.
19. TiltShift Generator
If you’ve ever wanted to create a Tilt-shift image without blowing your hard-earned money on expensive and limited-use photo lenses, check out the TiltShift Generator AIR application.
20. Website Generation Tool Take II
Website Generation Tool Take II is for creating simple site templates for those quick and easy design jobs.
21. zFlick
zFlick is a simple desktop application for viewing Flickr images. It enables you to easily search Flickr for that perfect photo. Check out this YouTube video to see zFlickr in action.
22. PixelWindow
PixelWindow is a straightforward and lightweight AIR application for measuring elements on your screen in pixels.
Got more AIR?
Do you have experience with the tools we’ve discussed? Do you know of an Adobe AIR tool not mentioned here? Share your thoughts and experience in the comments.
Related Content
- 10 Adobe AIR Apps for Web Designers
- 10 Apps for Web Designers Using a Mac
- 25 Excellent Typography Tools for the Serious Designer
- Related categories: Tools and Graphic Design
About the Author
31 Comments
nFormas design
September 13th, 2009
The fractal 4d link is not working…
Shajib
September 13th, 2009
WoW…. nice..
It will be very useful for the designer.
Thanks.
Josh
September 13th, 2009
Fractal 4D is no longer available for download. If ANYONE has this and is willing to send it to me, pleeeease let me know! i’ve googled for this to no avail.
if you know where to get it, please send me a tweet at http://www.twitter.com/gravista
David
September 13th, 2009
I used to used pixel window but now I use Pixus. To me it works a whole lot better than pixel window. And of course it is an Adobe Air app.
Really good article as well.. Found a few useful apps to add into my library.
Obed Ward
September 13th, 2009
Excellent list! I especially liked ColorBrowser and Mindomo.
Thank you for the reference, these two will serve me well.
sean
September 13th, 2009
I want the Fractal 4D as well. anyone have a copy? http://www.twitter.com/seanmoney
chris
September 13th, 2009
Excellent article and good list ! thank you !
Josh
September 13th, 2009
UPDATE: Fractal 4d is now back online.
matt kenefick
September 13th, 2009
The Fractal4D link is working again. Sorry guys.
Smashing Themes
September 13th, 2009
Wow, so cool program. Fractal 4d and SWF shot are the most awesome software.
PS: I managed to download and install the fractal 4d without any problem.
Dzinepress
September 14th, 2009
really helping for designers and developers as well for make better idea or get some inspirations. thanks
venkat
September 14th, 2009
thanks for great article
John
September 14th, 2009
Wow cool !
David Boni
September 14th, 2009
Whoa, that Fractal4D sounds awesome. Will have to try a few of these out.
David
September 14th, 2009
Hey guys,
I’m trying to get the word out about my motion-based drawing tool.
It’s also AIR and free. These sites keep missing it :( But all I’ve gotten is positive feedback. Anyway, I’d love to get your feedback.
michelle
September 14th, 2009
If you guys like Fractal 4D you should check out Livebrush. It lets you draw custom decorations fast and easily.
Livebrush should be on this list for sure!
ca_nick
September 14th, 2009
Hey, awesome list, some i’ve already tried, and other i’m giving a go, but really suprised to see LiveBrush isn’t on there. Its in its early stages, but I’ve already used it myself for designing backgrounds
cucunatz
September 14th, 2009
Hey check out the fractal4d page, it is available again!
AnthonyB
September 14th, 2009
Great article. Thanks
Roberto
September 14th, 2009
Color Browser is just what I was looking for. Thanks.
Dario Gutierrez
September 15th, 2009
I love all this applications, AIR rocks!
Huh?
September 16th, 2009
If a designer has Photoshop and Google open, then why would they use ANY of these?
Sorry, but these all seem totally pointless.
dan djorgi
September 16th, 2009
Nice article! – Thanks
bruno
September 21st, 2009
You forgot symfony http://www.symfony-project.org/
Randha
October 8th, 2009
There is another great Adobe AIR application for Flickr – Flickroom (http://flickroom.org).
Give it a try!
luke stein
April 22nd, 2010
Another Adobe AIR application for the list is Photo Frame Show (http://www.frameshow.com) – with which you can enhance your digital photos by adding frames to your images.
check them out
adobe-idiot
May 12th, 2010
no admin privs , no air , no install , no fucking adobe , it is not possible to download air file and run with adl !
Deepak kumar shukla
May 27th, 2010
Have you tried the AIR app of Adobe Story. You can download it from its web app which is accessible at story.adobe.com. Sign in into web app and you can install the AIR app from home view.
Jahn Peters
October 29th, 2010
Best sales tool for freelancer to track your opportunities based on Adobe AIR http://www.pipelinersales.com I used it for my projects and it works just great.
lex111
February 13th, 2011
Adobe AIR is cool! Thanks!
Alberto García
July 21st, 2011
Another tool, this oriented to Flex designers: Antialiaser
http://www.cycle-it.com/antialiaser/
Antialiaser is a free AIR application that makes OpenType and TrueType font visualization easy, allowing you to customize them precisely so you can use them inside your Flex and AIR projects
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