Barco Creator
| Industry | Software, Reprographics, Print production |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1988 |
| Defunct | late 1990s |
| Fate | Merged with D.I.S.C. and Aesthedes to form Barco Graphics |
| Successor | Barco Graphics (later Esko) |
Area served | Reprographics and print production sectors |
| Products | Barco Creator, Barco ColorTone |
| Owner | Barco Group |
| Parent | Barco Group |
Barco Creator was an image editing software created by Barco Creative Systems, a branch of the Barco Group, aimed at reprographics and print production sectors. Initially showcased as a prototype in 1988, it underwent multiple developments and operated on Silicon Graphics (SGI) workstations until the late 1990s. Following a merger of Barco Creative Systems with D.I.S.C. and Aesthedes, the entity became Barco Graphics, which eventually evolved into Esko. Its follow-up product, Barco ColorTone for Windows NT, was phased out in 2013.
History
Prior to Barco Creator, digital retouching typically demanded dedicated equipment such as the Quantel Paintbox. Creator distinguished itself by running on commercially available SGI workstations, initially designed for professional users but later broadened to mid-tier markets with a "personal" variant on the Indy workstation. Pricing varied widely from $10,000 up to $100,000 depending on configuration, occasionally requiring extra hardware to boost performance. Although Creator remained competitive through the mid-1990s, Adobe Photoshop’s increasing prevalence gradually diminished its market share. After releasing version 7.1 in 1997, sales dropped significantly, leading to its discontinuation alongside similar products like Dalim Tango and Linotype-Hell DaVinci.
Software modules
Creator was architected as a modular platform adaptable to specific user requirements. At its core was the "CT-Brix" software suite, delivering fundamental capabilities such as color picking, compositing, geometric transformations, color adjustments, densitometer integration, and layer management—also incorporated in other Barco Graphics CT solutions like ColorTone. On this base rested modules including "Creative functions" (offering special effect filters), "basic brush" (controlling size, shape, and pressure sensitivity), "advanced brush" (featuring brush profiles and textures), "basic colour correction" (handling gradation and color mixing), "advanced colour correction" (enabling batch corrections with real-time preview), and "auto mask".
Additional optional modules supported print production workflows: "PrintView" allowed previewing CMYK printing processes; "BlackSmith" optimized ink utilization and print quality; and "InkSwitch" converted CMYK separations into specialty inks tailored for packaging printing.
While Barco ColorTone incorporated an "Image quality estimator" module to evaluate print suitability, it did not include several of Creator’s modules.
The "Brix Organizer" application permitted users to configure workflows by assembling CT-Brix modules into sessions—for instance, disabling color correction and creative filters to create an interface focused solely on painting.
File formats
Starting with Barco Creator 7, compatibility with third-party file formats was managed through specialized software "interfaces." Standard supported formats comprised Creator CVW files, TIFF, PSD (without layer support), and EPS/DCS. Additional interfaces could be acquired for Hell and Scitex formats.
Output
Early editions primarily produced CT RGB output (Scitex CT for film recorders such as LVT and Fire 1000) as well as CMYK files intended for Scitex, Hell, and IT8 devices. During that period, prepress and magazine workflows were largely film-based with minimal influence from digital or internet technologies.
Hardware
Creator was originally operated on Silicon Graphics Power Series machines equipped with multiple processors. By 1993, the "Personal Creator" version had been released for the Indigo, while the complete Power Creator system ran on the Crimson. Subsequent iterations expanded compatibility to include the Indy, Indigo2, O2, and Octane. However, support for later SGI workstations such as the Octane2, Fuel, and Tezro featuring VPro graphics remains unclear.
Aimed at professional users, Barco engineered specialized hardware to enhance Creator’s performance. Initially, a "Colcom/VME" color processing board accelerated multi-dimensional interpolation tasks. In early 1993, this was superseded by the "Chameleon" board—a custom ASIC that incorporated Colcom’s logic—designed to speed up CMYK color rendering on RGB displays. Following version 7.0, the Chameleon board also improved performance in specific color correction functions.
For Creator 6, Barco introduced a Brush-accelerator card that allowed for efficient editing with large brush sizes on files measuring hundreds of megabytes.
Complete workstation packages included a WACOM tablet, a Barco Reference or Personal Calibrator monitor, and SCSI RAID storage arrays; more basic configurations were also made available.
Input devices typically consisted of high-end scanners from manufacturers like Linotype-Hell, Crosfield Electronics, Dainippon Screen, or ICG. Starting with versions for Indigo/Crimson, the high-resolution D4000 drum scanner (4000 dpi) became an option; version 7 expanded support to include the Howtek D7500 (5000 dpi).
Release history
The functionality of Creator stabilized after version 7 (June 1996), aligning roughly with Adobe Photoshop 4’s feature set (released November 1996).
| Version | Hardware | O/S | Release date | Price | Key updates (selected) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator 1.0 Prototype |
|
IRIX 3.X | Fall 1988 | ? |
|
| Creator CD, SP, SPX and MP |
|
IRIX 3.X | 1990 | ? |
|
| Repro Creator | Power Series and later Crimson models | IRIX 4.X? | 1992 | $155,000 including Crimson hardware |
|
| Personal Creator | BG-510 Indigo with 32-96MB RAM and 1.2GB hard drive | IRIX 5.X? | 1993 | $25,000 |
|
| Power Creator | Successor to BG-540; Crimson with 128MB RAM | IRIX 5.X? | 1993 | ? |
|
| Personal Creator 5.0 | Indy R4000 at 100MHz (61 SPECfp92) | ? | 1993 | £38,000 including Indy workstation |
|
| Creator 5.2 | ? | ? | 1994 | $17,000 |
|
| Creator 6.0 | ? | IRIX 5.X? | January 1995 | $17,000 |
|
| Creator 7.0 | Indy and Indigo2 systems (excluding R8000 models) | IRIX 5.3 | June–July 1996 | $30,000 |
|
| Creator 7.1 | Indigo2 R10000, O2, Octane | IRIX versions from 5.3 to 6.4 | December 1997 | $30,000 |
|
| Creator 7.2 | O2 and Octane models | IRIX 6.5 | April 1999 | $30,000 |
|
Availability
Barco Creator ceased production in the late 1990s and was not further developed following Purup-Eskofot's acquisition of Barco's Graphics division. Neither Barco nor Esko currently offer new licenses for the software. Given that Creator was distributed exclusively through single node-locked licenses, obtaining a legitimate copy necessitates buying an original system that includes the license.