Abstract Various web-based image-editing tools and web-based collaborative tools exist in isolation. Research focusing to bridge the gap between these two domains is sparse. We respond to the above and develop prototype groupware for real-time collaborative editing of raster and vector images in a web browser. To better understand the requirements, we conduct a preliminary user study and establish communication and synchronization as key elements. The existing groupware for text documents or presentations handles the above through well-established techniques. However, those cannot be extended as it is for raster or vector graphics manipulation. To this end, we develop a document model that is maintained by a server and is delivered and synchronized to multiple clients. Our prototypical implementation is based on a scalable client–server architecture: using WebGL for interactive browser-based rendering and WebSocket connections to maintain synchronization. We evaluate our work qualitatively through a post-deployment user study for three different scenarios. For quantitative evaluation, we perform a thorough performance measure on both client and server side, thereby identifying design recommendations for future concurrent image-editing software(s).
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