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Adobe offers HTML5 pack for Illustrator CS5

The big news last week was Apple's reprieve for Flash developers on its mobile platforms, but Adobe is still forging ahead with its tools for creating HTML 5-compatible content.

Lori Grunin Senior Editor / Advice
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
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Lori Grunin

It was just last week that Apple relented on its ban of ported Flash applications for iOS devices, but unsurprisingly, Adobe is still toddling along with its piecemeal rollout of HTML5 support in its Creative Suite 5 applications. The HTML5 pack for Dreamweaver became an official update patch at the end of August, and now the company is following up with an informal update for Illustrator CS5. Adobe refused to call it a beta, but neither is it a final version; it's a "compatibility update and will not roll out through the normal update process, and will change as standards change and users provide feedback," according to David Macy, senior product manager for Illustrator. For now, it's a free download from Adobe Labs. The pack includes support for CSS3 and canvas tags, and expands SVG export capabilities.

One of the key new features is the integration between artboards and both CSS and SVG (scalable vector graphics). In the SVG export dialog, you can have it save each artboard as a separate file, with concurrently generated CSS media queries for each. In addition, the program can generate CSS directly from the Character Styles and Appearance panels; so for example, with properly structured layers in your illustration, you could export the layout and style (such as gradients or drop shadows) CSS code separately. You'll also be able to turn graphics into new Canvas objects (though you still have to manually code the linked Javascript), and export variable-driven SVG objects.