Adobe announced Adobe Illustrator CS2 software, a significant new release of the industry standard for creating graphically-rich vector content for print, motion graphics, the Web and mobile devices.
Available as a stand-alone software application or as a key component of Adobe Creative Suite 2, also announced, Illustrator CS2 enables designers to rediscover the power of vector graphics through exciting new creative tools — such as Live Trace and Live Paint — an enhanced user interface and expanded support for a variety of file formats, including Scalable Vector Graphics Tiny (SVG-t) for output to mobile platforms.
“With the introduction of Illustrator CS2, designers have unprecedented power over vector graphics with the ability to convert their hand-drawn images and color their artwork as it was intended and then deliver it to the medium of their choice,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief operating officer at Adobe. “Adobe Illustrator remains at the cutting edge of graphic design and with new features for mobile authoring it is an essential component to any design and publishing workflow.”
Breakthrough features expand creative possibilities and improve designer productivity. Live Trace easily and accurately converts scans of hand-drawn sketches and digital photos into fully editable and scaleable Illustrator artwork in seconds. Live Paint enables users to color artwork quickly and intuitively, based on how it appears on screen rather than how it was constructed. Live Paint also solves the common illustration challenge of quickly creating new shapes.
The new Control palette and Custom Workspaces in Adobe Illustrator CS2 help creative professionals discover new and existing tools and optimize their workspace and workflow. The Control palette, a context-sensitive interface that provides users convenient access to 80 percent of commonly used palettes from a single location, allows faster selection of menus and features and frees screen real estate for artwork. Custom Workspaces enable designers to select and arrange palettes to support a particular workflow or project save it as a named workspace and access it from the Window menu or share it with other designers.
Whether designing for print, the Web, or mobile platforms, Adobe Illustrator CS2 software makes it easy to collaborate creatively from first idea to final review. Illustrator CS2 offers expanded support for a wide variety of file formats, including industry-standard PDF/X for print workflows, Macromedia(R) Flash(TM) (SWF) for Web animations, and SVG, including SVG-t for applications such as animated picture messaging, mobile e-commerce, and mobile entertainment.
Adobe Illustrator CS2 provides tight integration with Adobe Photoshop(R) CS2 software through expanded support for Photoshop layer compositions and direct access to Filters and Effects. This added integration gives designers greater creative flexibility and control in workflows that span Adobe Creative Suite 2. Illustrator CS2 includes Adobe Bridge which functions as a hub for productivity, imagery and creativity, providing multi-view file browsing and smooth cross-product integration across Adobe Creative Suite 2 software. Adobe Bridge also provides access to Adobe Stock Photos, a new stock photography service that offers users one-stop shopping — across five elite stock image providers — to deliver high-quality, royalty-free images for layout and design.
Adobe Illustrator CS2 for Mac OS X version 10.2.8 through 10.3.8, Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 or 4 or Windows XP with Service Pack 1 or 2, will begin shipping in May to customers in the United States and Canada, and will be available through Adobe Authorized Resellers and the Adobe Store. International versions are expected to begin shipping in late May and early June. Estimated street price for the full version will be US$499 and upgrade pricing starts at US$169.
Murdok | Breaking eBusiness News
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