October 2002 — Special Feature

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Digital Imaging Software: Macromedia

FreeHand 10 from Macromedia comes with several new features designed to help designers create vector graphics that can be scaled and printed at any resolution. The program lets users speed layout and production with new master pages. No longer limited to a single master page, users can make updates in one step across all the pages of a document. This one-step feature also lets users quickly define contour gradients, while still creating richer effects. The contour gradients match the shape of the vectors that define it. Web designers should also find the new version easier to use with symbol-based paint brush and spray strokes. The symbols let users customize illustrations and easily update them. Users can add an instance or several along a path that the user can then control. And with the new Graphic Symbol Edit Window, users can access most of the editing tools and functions in the workspace outside of the original document for increased productivity. FreeHand 10 also features a new Flash Navigation Panel. Through familiar illustration tools, users can add interactivity and test movies before publishing them directly to the Web or transferring them to Macromedia Flash for further editing. Users can also apply and test Flash Actions within the FreeHand-authoring environment through the Flash Player Playback Window. For hands-on viewing, the new Print Area feature lets users designate parts of a document for printing. Macromedia Inc., San Francisco, CA, (415) 252-2000, www.macromedia.com.