eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
Adobe Systems has announced a new set of Adobe Illustrator features exclusively for Adobe Creative Cloud members.
Adobe officials said these new features come ahead of the September release of new Adobe Dreamweaver features and the addition of the Digital Publishing Suite, Single Edition to Adobe Creative Cloud.
Delivering on the promise that Creative Cloud members will get early VIP access to new product features, Adobe’s Aug. 28 release improves productivity for designers and production artists needing fast and error-free production cycles when handing off files to colleagues, clients and service bureaus, Adobe officials said.
“When we launched Creative Cloud, we said that one of the biggest benefits was early access to Adobe innovation,” said Jeff Veen, vice president of product management for Adobe Creative Cloud, in a statement. “As soon as our engineering teams can finalize new features, like the ones we’re seeing for Illustrator today, we will release special Creative Cloud editions of our desktop software, only available to Adobe Creative Cloud members.”
New features in this Adobe Illustrator release include Package Files. This is a long-requested feature that enables designers to automatically collect all the files used in an Illustrator project, including linked graphics and fonts, into a single folder, helping make hand-offs and sharing of projects more efficient and error-free.
Another new feature is the Unembed Images capability, which enables production artists to quickly unembed images that have been embedded into an Illustrator file by other designers or customers, eliminating much wasted time in day-to-day production work. A third key new feature is Links Panel Enhancements, which allows users to access and track information on any artwork placed in an Illustrator file much quicker. What used to require multiple clicks to ensure all placed graphics meet necessary requirements for output is now surfaced up front, Adobe said.
As recently announced, coming in September will also be the addition of the Digital Publishing Suite Single Edition for publishing brochures, portfolios and highly visual books as apps for Apple iPad, as well as the exclusive delivery to Creative Cloud members of new features for Adobe Dreamweaver. Adobe plans to release even more new innovation into Creative Cloud in the coming months.
Creative Cloud is available today to customers in 36 countries and in multiple languages; pricing for Creative Cloud membership for individuals is $49.99 per month based on annual membership and $74.99 per month for month-to-month membership. Customers who own an individual license of any Creative Suite edition or single product, version CS3 or later, are currently eligible for an annual membership price of $29.99 per month for their first year.