At long last, Adobe has joined the ranks of software developers shipping graphics apps for Mac OS X. The company shipped Illustrator 10 this week for both Classic and Mac OS X. The new version includes new features aimed at Web graphic development. According to Adobe:
Adobe Systems Incorporated is now shipping Adobe® Illustrator® 10, its industry-standard vector graphics software. Adobe Illustrator 10 provides cross-media design professionals, Web designers and Web developers with the tools necessary to creatively and efficiently produce and publish their artwork. Now available on Mac OS X and ready for Windows XP, Adobe Illustrator 10 allows users to work with the latest technology available for maximum performance and power.
Several new features enable users to produce superb Web graphics, including support for symbols and object-based slicing. Professionals can use symbols in Adobe Illustrator 10 to automatically manipulate file specifications and manage the repetition of artwork. Object-based slicing allows users to reduce production time by slicing objects, groups or layers, and optimize performance by specifying raster and vector format options for each slice. Adobe Illustrator 10 also includes productivity enhancements such as support for dynamic data-driven graphics, which automates the creation of graphics and artwork variations, using scripts or dynamic image servers such as Adobe AlterCast™, allowing designers and developers to focus on the creative aspects of design.
"Mac OS X is the future for Adobe and our customers," said Bruce Chizen, Adobe president and CEO. "With its enhanced stability and new features, we can deliver the best applications ever. Adobe Illustrator 10 is the first of our flagship products being released on Mac OS X, with the rest of our major titles to follow during the coming six months."
"Mac OS X is coming of age as the key applications like Illustrator 10 begin shipping," said Apple CEO, Steve Jobs. "The Mac is the most popular platform for creative professionals, and Adobe has done a terrific job with their first major Mac OS X native application."
Adobe Illustrator 10 drives creative exploration with integrated tools and new live effects. Users can push their creative abilities with features such as Live Distortion, which makes it possible to bend and manipulate graphics and text with live enveloping, warp effects, and liquify tools. Groundbreaking symbolism tools allow users to create naturalistic masses of repeating elements quickly and easily by spraying instances of a symbol onto the artboard, and using specialized tools designed to quickly achieve the desired look. In addition, Illustrator 10 integrates tightly with Adobeis professional graphics programs including Adobe AlterCast, Adobe Photoshop®, Adobe InDesign®, Adobe GoLive®, Adobe LiveMotion®, Adobe Premiere®, and Adobe After Effects®.
You can find more information on Illustrator at Adobeis Web site. Illustrator is priced at US$399, and current owners can upgrade for US$149. The product is available now.