Re:FLASH: OT: FH9 vs AI9

[John McKenzie]

JGL wrote:


> yes please do, i is curious too . . . I need to upgrade . . .

> 

> Anyone have the luxury of using both?

> 


We just got AI9 at work. I have read that it is currently difficult to get

negs out of it (www.macintouch.com) for printing, which would be a drag for

print users. And lately, Adobe x.0 releases are pretty buggy. A few months

later there'll be an .01 which makes you forgive them.


Briefly, AI9's transparency options kick FH9's butt. It seems to do

everything you can do in Photoshop, i.e. layerwide transparency,

transparency (layer) masks (!), feathering, lots of blend modes... in

addition to object level transparency a la freehand. A lot of the new

features will take some time to figure out, because they're pretty powerful.

I don't have a handle on them yet.


If you are an illustrator, it's the one to choose, probably.


In contrast, the upgrade to FH9 was most noticeable to me for fixing some

interface unpleasantness and generally streamlining the workflow. I find

myself more excited about the page moving tool than about the .swf export.


I still like freehand better. It just feels more natural to me. I will be

able to get better looking stuff out of freehand because I lilke it more,

not because Illustrator can't do it.


there are plenty who feel the opposite way.


If you also do print design such as brochures, et al, you will find that

freehand absolutely rocks for this task. better than indesign, quark,

illustrator, what have you. It's really great for short multipage design

projects.


John McKenzie

----------------

  we push the empty frame of reason

  out the cabin door

  no we won't be needing reason

  anymore

  --Eno



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