Flex Your Vectors

Aviary just launched their online vector editing tool, Raven, as part of their suite of web based multi-media applications. I decided to give it a spin and see if this is something worth using.

First impressions were rather nice, even though this is still an alpha release. Some of the features include -

• Powerful path engine – Work with paths, lines, curves, and objects. Control stroke, fill color, and gradient.
• Powerful layers – Work with layers, groups, and layer masks. Import scalable vector graphics (SVG) files.
• Share and learn – Collaborate with other users. Follow step-by-step tutorials to learn new skills.
• Import from popular photo-sharing sites - Import images from Flickr, Picasa, and Facebook.
• Complementary suite of creation tools – Use your Raven creations in other Aviary tools.

Raven, like all the other Aviary suite of products, is built on the Flex platform and brings to the web what so far has only been present in installable software. Even though Raven does not come close to the options provided by Illustrator (yet), it does hold some promise for anyone looking at learning the basics of vector art, and a little bit more.

It took me all of five minutes to figure out the basics of creating a simple vector image in Raven, now all I need is a steady hand and some actual time to see what more it can do. Some of the creations placed in the examples are pretty good.

Flex, Flash and Online Tools

The other amazing thing about this is the use of Flex and the Flash Player to bring life to web based applications, even Adobe decided to make an online version of Photoshop.

I think it’s a great place for anyone in the creative web to try out a different tool. I know I get tired of just designing in Photoshop and shift to doing only CSS/HTML for some time, eventually making the cycle again, to keep my momentum always fresh.

This will probably be a great place to let myself go and see what I can come up with. Even if you work with just Flash I suggest you try it out.