With the release of FreeHand MX last month, Macromedia completed the upgrade of its product line to the new MX platform and has the best-integrated development, authoring and graphics-building products Ive seen in quite a while.
Of course, FreeHand MX is a stand-alone product in its own right and is a very good vector graphics creation tool. FreeHand MX is available for $399 or a $99 upgrade fee. Those interested in trying out the features first can download a fully functional trial version at www.macromedia.com.
Among the new features in FreeHand MX are the ability to apply multiple attributes to a single object, improved live graphics editing and effects, better tools for adding connectors and defining actions, and an object properties panel.
And FreeHand now has the standard MX interface, making it easier to move among Macromedia applications. The product also integrates better with products such as Flash, Dreamweaver and Fireworks.
Further reading
I could even create some basic animation and movie effects, with simple timelines, that previously required Flash.
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