Ember, the latest OS X app from Realmac Software, is a digital scrapbook in which you can collect and categorize inspiring images. Think of it as a private Pinterest, or Instapaper for creative professionals. The interactions in Ember revolve around images. You can drag them in from the desktop or save them straight from the internet, and then organize them into collections and tags. If this premise sounds simple, it’s because it is — Ember’s brilliance comes not from its core functionality, but from the attention to detail which makes it a joy to use. Consider the following example. I decided to test Ember by taking screenshots of a few websites I admired, and then setting up a collection for them. I selected “Area Snap” from the menu, then dragged a rectangle around the website and took a screenshot.
Moving on to the next website, I assumed I’d have to redraw the rectangle, doing my best to line it up with the previous screenshot. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Ember remembered the last portion of the screen I’d captured, saving me the trouble and imprecision of repeating my work. Ember includes an in-app responsive browser, so you can take screenshots directly from the app at any size. It also recognizes iOS screenshots, and will automatically add them to the tablet or phone collections if appropriate. The app was clearly built with designers in mind, but its uses extend to all sorts of creative disciplines. Fashion enthusiast? Create a collection of sartorial inspiration. Aspiring architect? Collect images from Tumblr into a single desktop repository. I’ve been using it to catalog Dribbble posts I find particularly interesting.
In addition to manual entry and the onboard browser, Ember can curate content via subscriptions. Simply enter an RSS feed into the app and it will keep tabs on new images. You can scroll through subscribed feeds and add images to your collections via simple keyboard shortcuts, a la Dribbble. Ember was developed by Realmac Software, makers of the legendary Clear. The same quality and attention to detail is visible in this latest effort, which runs smoothly and is impressively cohesive for a tool with such varied components. The OS X app, browser extensions, in-app browser, and subscription mechanism work together to create a robust Ember ecosystem. It should fit nicely into most creative workflows. I’ve enjoyed my brief time using Ember, and look forward to seeing what Realmac has in store for the future. I intend to keep using the app to curate design inspiration and maintain a catalog of work to refer back to. I recommend it to any creative professional or hobbyist who wants a heavyweight alternative to Pinterest — it’s well worth the investment. ( By Jordan Koschei from www.theindustry.cc ) Ember is available on the App Store for $49.