graphics

MacRumors is reporting that a fix is in the works for a display flickering problem on Apple's latest Mac Mini models.

The flickering problem, in which the screen intermittently goes black for a few seconds, has been outlined by a number of new 2012 Mac Mini users, who report that it occurs when their systems are connected to HDMI video devices.

This problem seems isolated to HDMI connections and does not affect DisplayPort connections through the Thunderbolt port on the Mac.

Some experiencing this problem have suspected their televisions and display devices to be the root of the problem, … Read more

Yesterday Apple released a developer preview build of OS X 10.8.3 to its testing community, and upon investigating the build a few people have found it includes new drivers for AMD's high-end Radeon 7000 series graphics cards. People who have tested the build with PC versions of the Radeon 7970 have found that the card is recognized and works, and suggests that possibilities for new hardware offerings from Apple are in the works.

In the past, Apple has switched back and forth between graphics processors from AMD and Nvidia with iterations of its hardware, with its latest … Read more

To GIF or not to GIF. That is the question for many Internet denizens these days, especially if they frequent Tumblr or Reddit. At the moment, it's the easiest way to share a quick animation, thanks in part to its compatibility with nearly every Internet browser ever made.

As the GIF (graphic interchange format) turns 25 this year, what better way to celebrate -- aside from GIFing it -- than Oxford American Dictionaries announcing that the acronym has been named 2012's "Word of the Year. … Read more

For those of you who own one of Apple's new MacBook Air or MacBook Pro systems that were released in June, Apple has made a software update available. The update is around 127MB in size and includes bug fixes and performance enhancements for the systems' graphics, and their ability to communicate with some USB devices.

While Apple didn't reveal the specific problems addressed by this update, recently a few owners of the new MacBooks have reported noticing flashing displays when waking the system, washed-out or high-contrast colors when using external displays, and odd graphical artifacts when using some … Read more

Imagination, a key supplier of Apple chip technology, will buy MIPS, one of the oldest names in the silicon business.

U.K.-based Imagination Technologies, a major supplier of graphics chips, will buy the operating business of MIPS Technologies, a vendor of power-efficient chips used in routers, set-top boxes, and game machines.

With the deal, valued at $60 million, Imagination will get 82 "key" patents that are "directly relevant to the MIPS architecture" and comprehensive license rights to all of the remaining 498 MIPS' patents, for a total of 580 patents.

Imagination, known primarily as a … Read more

CorelDraw Graphics Suite is a software package of design tools designed to run on Windows operating systems. The main application in this large package of tools is CorelDraw, which is used for vector designs and layouts. Corel Photo-Paint is designed to retouch and edit digital photos, and other apps in the package can do tasks such as screen grabs, collaborate with co-workers, and more.

The CorelDraw interface has the familiar Windows options with pull-down menus for File, Edit, and View. Main functions like effects are easily applied with large buttons on the left of the main window. New effects for … Read more

GIMP is a well-known photo manipulation tool that has been ported to the Mac operating system environment. Gimp for Mac is a free app that installs easily. Gimp for Mac is a relatively unique tool. It can be used as a paint program, or as a photo retouching tool, or as an image composition and manipulation program. It is hard to categorize Gimp for Mac except to say you'll probably want it if you do a lot of work with images.

The Gimp for Mac interface opens with a folder and file directory tree in the left pane, a … Read more

Usually if you use your iSight camera with one program, you can't use it with another. ManyCam Virtual Webcam helps change that as soon as you install it. This handy app removes many iSight camera restrictions and provides multiple ways to enhance the overall Webcam chat experience, with some helpful (and some silly) features you'll absolutely enjoy.

After installing the application, ManyCam takes control of your iSight camera: it will become the video source of the chat programs you use, such as Yahoo Messenger or Skype. Now, if you want to make your video chat more fun, you … Read more

By the time 2022 rolls around, graphics will have advanced to the point where they are "indistinguishable from reality," says Industrial Light & Magic visual effects supervisor Kim Libreri.

ILM is working with LucasArts on upcoming third-person shooter Star Wars 1313, and in a new video interview with CVG, Libreri said it will one day be nigh impossible to spot the differences between real-time rendering and live action.

"It's an interesting time because with modern computer graphics hardware, the way it's going, it's gonna be pretty hard to tell the difference between something that … Read more