Adobe Illustrator 9.0: Win98/NT4/2K review: Adobe Illustrator 9.0: Win98/NT4/2K

In both the beta and this final release, we noticed Illustrator 9.0's subtle rebranding of the signature Venus logo. The version 8.0 logo spoke to the print designer, with its manuscript lettering hiding behind the soft lines and chalk textures of Venus's illustrated face. Illustrator 9.0, with http:// and Web navigation icons placed over an even-skinned and vectorized Venus, announces itself as a Web designer's tool. While the interface remains familiar, the new features tighten the gap between Illustrator and Photoshop, make it easier to prepare graphics for Flash delivery, and offer extensive export capabilities. In both the beta and this final release, we noticed Illustrator 9.0's subtle rebranding of the signature Venus logo. The version 8.0 logo spoke to the print designer, with its manuscript lettering hiding behind the soft lines and chalk textures of Venus's illustrated face. Illustrator 9.0, with http:// and Web navigation icons placed over an even-skinned and vectorized Venus, announces itself as a Web designer's tool. While the interface remains familiar, the new features tighten the gap between Illustrator and Photoshop, make it easier to prepare graphics for Flash delivery, and offer extensive export capabilities.

Illustrator 9.0 has everything a new release should: a familiar interface that won't disorient current users, coupled with a host of necessary new features that address the changing needs of the industry. Illustrator 9.0 is available for $399. Illustrator users can upgrade their software for $149, and if you're already using another Adobe graphics product or you're willing to switch from a competitor's product, Illustrator 9.0 can be yours for $249.

Web Creation Tools
Illustrator 9.0 comes with better image mapping capabilities, and like Photoshop, Illustrator now offers nondestructive drop shadows, feathering, and inner and outer glows for easier button creation. These Effect menu features allow you to build your buttons as live shapes. If you edit the text on a button, the button automatically resizes to match the length of the new text.

Pixels and Previews
Anyone who has used Illustrator to mock up a Web page has had to blindly estimate the conversion between pixels and points, picas, or inches. (How many Web designers even know what a pica is?) But in version 9.0 you can select pixels as a unit of measure. Choose the Pixel Preview command from the View menu and you can see how your vector artwork will render as rasterized artwork. You can even create and edit artwork in the Pixel Preview mode. Catching up to industry standards, Illustrator 9.0 also offers file optimization previews to help you find the perfect balance between image quality and file weight.

New Layers Palette
The new Layers palette makes managing objects easier than ever. Nest layers within layers for more logical file maintenance, or display all the child objects (such as text, graphics, and paths) of individual layers.

Transparency and Masking
You can now apply transparency to layers and objects. Choose from Normal, Multiply, Screen, and Overlay, and set the transparency percentage. New masking capabilities give you greater control over which parts of objects are visible. Apply the new Opacity Mask to an object and watch it peek out from behind another. Photoshop users will also recognize the lasso tool now added to the global task icon bar.

Integration
When opening a Photoshop file in Illustrator 9.0, you can now preserve masks, blending modes, and transparency, and convert layers to separate Illustrator objects. When exporting an Illustrator 9.0 file to Photoshop, you can preserve layers, opacity masks, transparency, blending modes, and editable type.

Flash Compatibility
Illustrator 9.0 offers new features that make it easier to create artwork for Flash. With the Release To Layers command in the Layers palette, you can automatically generate a separate layer for each object. You can then export the entire artwork as a single SWF file, export each layer to a separate frame in a single SWF file, or export each layer to a separate SWF file. This capability is a great advantage for Adobe users moving into Flash work.

Export Flexibility
Since Illustrator is now based on a PDF format, Acrobat 4.0 and higher will read AI files. You no longer have to export or save your Illustrator files as PDF files. In fact, you can move files from Illustrator 9.0 to Acrobat and back without compromising quality.

A less astonishing but equally useful addition is Illustrator's ability to let you export and save your files in virtually any format, including Illustrator, EPS, PDF, SWF, SVG, GIF, JPEG, PNG, Photoshop (including layers), BMP, PICT, PCX, PXR, TGA, and TIFF. It can read files saved in Illustrator (any version), EPS, PDF (one page at a time), Photoshop (versions 2.5 and later), SVG, Macromedia FreeHand (versions 5.0, 5.5, 7.0, and 8.0), CorelDraw (versions 5.0 through 8.0), BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, Kodak Photo CD, PICT, PCX, PXR, TGA, and TIFF formats.

Quirks
In spite of all the great new features, we found a few quirks in the interface. Many items in the Filter menu are duplicated in the Effects menu, creating a redundancy that could be easily eliminated by combining the two menus. We repeatedly noticed our cursor appearing as an hourglass icon even when no processes were running. We were also surprised and disappointed that such a robust application still won't let you underline text. Perhaps the next release will remedy this persistent oversight.