Real World Illustrator Blog has a rundown of the new CS4 features. Some seem
like they may have been influenced by FreeHand: Multiple Artboards, Blob Brush,
Clipping Masks, Bleed, Pathfinder.

http://rwillustrator.blogspot.com/20...cs4-facts.html

> Real World Illustrator Blog has a rundown of the new CS4 features. Some seem
> like they may have been influenced by FreeHand: Multiple Artboards, Blob Brush,
> Clipping Masks, Bleed, Pathfinder.

But not anything about path edining tools - just about the only feature that is unquestionably better in FreeHand. Crap!

Hopefully they have at least fixed a major area text bug that has been 'only' in three consecutive versions. Even Macromedia did not miss a bug that big.

Jukka

Hoo-flippin-ray, Illustraitor now has multiple pages!

still has multiple cursors I see...

I have used the AI multi artboards. It is nice but remember its still not gonna
be just like Freehand but it is very similar. Most of the hardcore freehand
users are still not going to like AI even with these updates. Adobe adding
multi boards is another reason why freehand wont be comin back. They are slowly
adopting features. Now the list of features from freehand I miss is even
shorter.

oh yeah they also added a option to set up AI's workspace as close as they could get like Freehand's under workspaces. It might help some folks with migrating over.

> I have used the AI multi artboards. It is nice but remember its still not gonna
> be just like Freehand but it is very similar. Most of the hardcore freehand

Maybe it is really for importing multipage FreeHand documents?

I've never seen the benefit of having very different kind of pages in the same document, like business cards and lettrheads possibly with a brochure and a website layout. I've always made them in Illustrator way as separate documents.

Jukka

The advantage to having all in one document is to make uni-lateral color
changes, style changes, photo changes, etc. in one document especially
in the early development of the project. This is primarily a
combination of the multiple pages PLUS Graphic Find and Replace which
Illustrator STILL does not have.

BTW- I'm assuming that Illustrator still doesn't even have the ability
to un-embed an imported image, that becomes a real headache when you
receive files from someone else!

Rich

Armadillo wrote:
>> I have used the AI multi artboards. It is nice but remember its still not gonna
>> be just like Freehand but it is very similar. Most of the hardcore freehand
>
> Maybe it is really for importing multipage FreeHand documents?
>
> I've never seen the benefit of having very different kind of pages in the same document, like business cards and lettrheads possibly with a brochure and a website layout. I've always made them in Illustrator way as separate documents.
>
> Jukka

> BTW- I'm assuming that Illustrator still doesn't even have the ability
> to un-embed an imported image, that becomes a real headache when you
> receive files from someone else!

That's the other one I don't get - why embed?

Un-embedding works probably like with Word. Print (or export) a pdf without compression and export images wuth Acrobat. (There is a myriad of more idiots that send images helpfully embedded in a Word file)

Jukka

Now when you open a multiple page Freehand file, Illustrator automatically maps
the pages to artboards. Each artboard can be different in size and orientation.
You can easily create multipage PDF documents. You can place multiple artboards
easily into InDesign and Flash.

In Illustrator CS4, masked artwork is now truly hidden?from view and from your
selection tool.

In InDesign you can use a plugin to make multiple pages whith diferent sizes.
The plugin is named "Page Control". Check the site:
http://www.dtptools.com

I still use freehand but now I'm happy with this safeboat.

Oh! and the gradient tool are wonderful now. It can be from opaque to transparent too.

Check here to love the new feature:
http://www.weichertcreative.com/stored/grads.mp4