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Macromedia Freehand MX Training SolutionsAn error occurred. Please try later.An error occurred. Please try later. |
If you are like me, you were probably wondering if Freehand was going to receive the “face lift” that marks the whole new revitalized Macromedia product line. The wait is now officially over with the release of Freehand MX. Available as a stand alone application and as part of the sweeping new Macromedia Studio MX Plus Suite, Freehand has now joined the rest of the family as a full fledged MX program.
When I first bought a computer, the second application I purchased was Macromedia Freehand 5. At the time, and this was some time ago, the Adobe Windows equivalent was not on the same par as the Mac version. Since I was running Windows 95, Freehand appeared to be a solid choice. After running it for many years, there was little to cause disappointment. It was full featured and fairly easy to use when compared to what was out there to work with in the Windows world. It offered the kind of professional functionality one would come to expect from a vector graphics program. Plus, it was just a tad easier to use than the competition.
Now several years and versions later, Freehand looks poised to take on all comers as a new revitalized program. The first advantage Freehand MX has is speed. This is hardly a slow poke from start up to shut down. This aspect of the application really surprised me, and it is a welcome surprise. While my experiences with the application go back, version MX is familiar, but at the same time much reconsidered. The good part is that much of the ease of use is still present.
The most visible change with Freehand MX over other renditions are the implantation of panels. The flyout menus of versions 5, 8, 9 and 10 are no more. Much like Dreamweaver and Flash, Freehand now incorporates the same type of menu layout. For most purposes this is a solid approach. However, for users accustomed to the old format, this may require an adjustment period. While this format is not as configurable as Illustrator 10 or CorelDRAW 11, it does have its virtues. The chief one being the new help menus on the right side panel.
Clearly aimed at those learning the application, there is now a plethora of help features accessible from the right panel. Just as Dreamweaver and Flash utlize similar help features, now Freehand MX is invested with the same new help functionality.
While this may not be a completely new feature to Freehand, I have noticed a huge improvement in jpg import over other versions. This gives even more flexibility, and no doubt is a way to incorporate a tighter integration with other graphic applications and formats.
One tool set that really impressed me was the new Blend tool. Freehand MX now allows you to drag a line to create a blend between two shapes. This is an interactive item that may recall shades of Xara X. One feature that separates Freehand MX effectively from others is the use of multiple pages. While this feature is absent in Adobe Illustrator, it is fully implanted in MX. Another area that Freehand exploits is interaction with Flash. Since Flash has become the defacto standard for Web designers everywhere, the ability to edit and import back and forth with greater ease gives the program a leg up on everyone else. This is one prime feature that may make MX a real asset for graphic designers moving to the Web. The Extrude tool, if memory serves me, is much improved over previous versions. Over all the new features are those that add greater creative freedom without cluttering the essentially clean menu system. Aside from a few very minor concerns, Freehand MX looks ready and able to handle professional uses and Web creation effortlessly.
The overhauled Freehand MX brings to mind the ease of use of the past with a cleaner more user friendly interface. For Web designers and graphic designers that need support for other members of the Macromedia MX family, Freehand MX serves as both an independent vector graphics application that can also do double duty as a Web graphics creation tool. Even if your needs are strictly vector graphics, there is much here to recommend Freehand MX as a capable, fast easier to master application than others in the field.
While this is clearly a professional tool, the ease of use and help menus may mean that the audience for this application can, and no doubt will, encompass those with less that sturdy industrial needs. Even the graphics dabbler will find something to make the process of design creation just that much easier. Plus, if you consider Freehand MX as part of the new Suite from Macromedia, this is just one more reason why Macromedia can be seen as a standout in both print and Web design. This application may be a hard act to follow and certainly maintains the ease of use I recall from Freehand 5. This new release of Freehand may very well silence some of the harshest critics of this professional powerhouse.
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