General image editor, often with Corel beside it
Toranj and Photoshop
Many designers draw in Photoshop because they already know it, and courses teach it: one pixel to a knot, Index mode, 30 to 50 colours, save as BMP. Line work often starts in Corel, and the map often ends in Tooba for its colour card and coded output.
Where it is the better choice
- Retouching and photo work. Nothing touches it, and we are not trying to.
- You and your team already know it, and every school teaches it.
- Hundreds of brushes and filters, for painterly work on a tableau.
Where Toranj is the better choice
- Changing raj or size does not mean redrawing the map.
- Lines and knots live in one file, so you do not move between Corel, Photoshop and a third program.
- Point paper, machine file and colour table come out of one button, numbered alike.
- Knot shape is part of the sums, so a circle stays round on the carpet.
- Colours have names and shares, and rare colours get flagged.
Side by side
| Feature | Toranj | Photoshop |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs, and what it needs | YesBrowser on Mac or Windows. Nothing to install, no lock. Needs internet | In partInstalled on Mac and Windows, with a web version. Subscription |
| Design stays a vector drawing, knots worked out from it | YesYes | NoThe map is pixels. Corel keeps lines, but knows nothing of knots |
| Another raj or size without redrawing | In partWoven again from a vector drawing, any raj or reed. Not imported maps | NoResample, then clean by hand |
| Raj systems, knot shape and half knots | In part10 to 150 raj per 7 cm, knot shape 0.5 to 2. No half knots, no Turkish or Isfahan raj | NoYou work out rows and knots yourself |
| Carpet drawing tools: symmetry, medallion, border, islimi | In partPen, spiral for islimi, symmetry on the carpet or in a motif. Border fill on imported maps only | In partGeneral brushes and tools. Nothing specific to carpets |
| Motif library | In partYour own motifs, reused and updated in every design. No ready collection | NoNo |
| Photo or scan into a map | In partJPEG comes in as an approximate map, one pixel to a knot, or as a layer to trace. Scanned grids are not detected | In partBy hand, with Index mode and colour reduction |
| Point paper to print | YesPDF, A4 or A3, half or quarter for a symmetric design, yarn numbers if you want | In partGrid lines you build yourself |
| Coded, numeric or audio map | NoNo | NoUsually done in another program |
| Output for machines | In part8-bit BMP for Jacquard software. No JC5, EP or tufting output | In partYou save the indexed BMP yourself |
| Weave simulation | In partFlat view and knot view. No pile or room simulation | NoNo |
| Yarn and colour reports | YesKnots and weight per colour, weaving check, CSV table | NoNo |
| Buyer sees it by private link and comments on the design | YesEach person their own link, comments pinned, versions and approvals | In partCloud review for images. Knows nothing of knots |
| Language | YesEditor in Persian. Site, dashboard and sharing in Persian and English | Not statedNot stated |
| Free start and price | YesBy invitation for now. Free plan: 2 editors, 5 designs, no time limit, all exports. Paid prices not set yet | In partFree trial, then about $23 a month on an annual plan, per PetaPixel |
Stay with it if
you mostly weave one design at one density, or your work is painterly tableaux made from photos.
If you do move
Save your map as an 8-bit indexed PNG or BMP and import it. It comes in knot for knot. New work can start as a drawing, and an SVG from Corel comes in as drawing you can edit.
Try it on your own work
Toranj is by invitation for now. Ask for access, then draw a design, import a map you already have and judge for yourself.
What we read
- adobe.com, Photoshop
- Adobe help, Photoshop on the web
- PetaPixel, Photoshop's price
- limoonad.com, carpet design in Photoshop (course)
- rayencarpet.com, map drawing
- qalibafi.ir, computer map design
Checked on 2 November 2026. Prices are what the vendor's page showed that day.
We have not installed or run these programs ourselves. What is written here comes from the vendors' sites and the sources we list. We found no reliable figures for how widely each is used, so we do not rank them.
If something here is wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
Product names belong to their owners. Toranj has no connection with these companies.