* Up to 5-way group video call
* Redesigned calling experience
* Improved video snapshots gallery
* Improved browser plugins performance on some websites.
* Reduced false positives on browser plugin phone number recognition.
Changes:
* Call host is not displayed anymore in the user interface
* Windows 2000 is not supported in this Beta version
* Call host is not displayed anymore in the user interface
* Windows 2000 is not supported in this Beta version
Fixed issues:
* Microsoft Lifecam Show webcamera crashed Skype
* CPU usage was high on low-end computers during video calls when using a TouchCam N1 or Twincam encoding camera
* 'Test' button name was changed to 'Record' after testing
* Skype did not always ring on all audio devices when it was selected to.
* Accessibility was always turned on
* Skype browser plugins for Internet Explorer and Firefox ignored meta tags not to highlight phone numbers.
* Skype browser plugin may have hanged or frozen Internet Explorer browser.
* Refreshing webpage turned off phone number highlighting in Internet Explorer browser.
* Skype browser plugin highlighting tags become visible in webmail
* The Skype browser plugin highlighted phone numbers and names while creating content on various popular websites.
* Skype sometimes crashed when importing contacts through welcome screen.
* Only one field change was saved when editing phone contacts.
* Skype sounds were not working over remote desktop
* Microsoft Lifecam Show webcamera crashed Skype
* CPU usage was high on low-end computers during video calls when using a TouchCam N1 or Twincam encoding camera
* 'Test' button name was changed to 'Record' after testing
* Skype did not always ring on all audio devices when it was selected to.
* Accessibility was always turned on
* Skype browser plugins for Internet Explorer and Firefox ignored meta tags not to highlight phone numbers.
* Skype browser plugin may have hanged or frozen Internet Explorer browser.
* Refreshing webpage turned off phone number highlighting in Internet Explorer browser.
* Skype browser plugin highlighting tags become visible in webmail
* The Skype browser plugin highlighted phone numbers and names while creating content on various popular websites.
* Skype sometimes crashed when importing contacts through welcome screen.
* Only one field change was saved when editing phone contacts.
* Skype sounds were not working over remote desktop
Known issues:
* It is not possible to restart video sending in a group video call, only local preview is working.
Workaround: Restart the Skype call.
* "My Video" button may be missing in a group video call
Workaround: None available at this time
* One or more participants may not be able to start their video in a group video call
Workaround: None available at this time
* Webcam may switch off during a group video call
Workaround: Updating webcam drivers may solve the issue for some users
* The call quality indicator will say "Video not available" during a group video call.
Workaround: Ignore this false message.
* Messaging around the maximum number of particpants allowed on a group video call may be wrong.
Workaround: None available at this time
* After a user drops off a call or hangs up, it's not possible for the group to re-add the participant to a group video call.
Workaround: Callee has to join call manually from the "Join call button"
* Video can't be resumed after holding a call
Workaround: Restart the call
* This version of Skype has increased CPU usage which may effect video quality on some computers.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype memory consumption increases with every video call by about 6MB.
Workaround: Restart Skype after video call.
* Video calls may not work with virtual machines.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Video calls on a secondary display causes higher CPU load compared to use on the primary display.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype may not work properly with virtual cameras
Workaround: None available at this time
* Some old graphics cards models such as ATI RAGE Pro, NVIDIA Riva TNT2 or NVIDIA Vanta may not render Skype video streams
Workaround: None available at this time
* My video button will not appear after switching devices.
Workaround: Change the device before starting the call.
* My video preview may freeze after unlocking a locked PC.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype may crash when viewing video preview in Options.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The ASUS virtual webcamera remains open after terminating a video call
Workaround: Select the actual camera in Options->Video or uninstall the problematic virtual software
* Video may freeze on the other side in the following cases: two incoming calls at the same time > accept first call with video > accept second call with video while putting the first call on hold > hang up first call
Workaround: None available at this time|
* After holding and resuming a Skype call the video quality may be degraded
Workaround: None available at this time
* The Skype video snapshots feature is not working on Windows XP SP3.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Late switch to hardware video encoding when using TouchCam N1 or Twincam encoding cameras
Workaround: None available at this time
* When receiving screen sharing or sending video, then the video preview feature will not be aligned correctly
Workaround: None available at this time
* The microphones of the TouchCam N1 and Twincam encoding cameras generates CPU spikes in every 20 seconds that may result in lower video quality
Workaround: Avoid using the encoding camera microphone
* Changing audio or video devices during a call is not supported
Workaround: Don't change devices during a call.
* It is not possible to enter DTMF tones on the dialpad using copy-paste.
Workaround: None available at this time
* It is not possible to enter DTMF tones on the dialpad using your keyboard.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The Skype user interface may freeze when starting a call.
Workaround: Restart Skype
* The call volume slider in the call quality indicator and in the call view are not always synchronized.
Workaround:
* There may be user interface issues when using Skype over a remote desktop connection
Workaround: None available at this time
* The "Call dropped" error message persists for some time even if the next call is successful
Workaround: None available at this time
* It's not possible to see whether a group call participant has put a call on hold
Workaround: None available at this time
* It's not possible to submit call feedback after the call has dropped
Workaround: None available at this time
* On calls with high echo level, it might be hard to hear the other side
Workaround: None available at this time
* It may be difficult to find the Dialpad for entering touchtones in Skype to Skype calls
Workaround: Dialpad can be accessed from the small arrow below the profile image of the callee
* The Skype ringtone will sometimes persist beyond a call being picked up.
Workaround: More information from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/979303/
* The ringtone may not stop if the CPU is overloaded by another application
Workaround: Close other applications.
* When a call is forwarded to a phone number then the user will see myself video preview if he started a video call originally
Workaround: None available at this time
* The country drop down list in the call phones area becomes inactive when inserting an incorrect number
Workaround: Insert the country code manually
* Calls may not be successful when two users call each other at exactly the same time
Workaround: None available at this time
* While on a call to the saved phone number of a contact, it's not possible to access the IM history of this contact.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The dialpad button is missing from the call window if the conversation window is minimised to the maximum extent
Workaround: Open the Dialpad from the dropdown menu under the call receiver's name
* Call quality indicator suggestions may sometimes be incorrect
Workaround: None available at this time
* During a group video call the call quality indicator may not display video quality descriptions.
Workaround: None available at this time
* If a user receives a video call while their webcam is already in use by another application, then the call quality indicator will not display the correct video indicator
Workaround: None available at this time
* The call quality indicator incorrectly reports medium quality when the call is in fact the video call is in high definition.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The call quality indicator may display a slow CPU message during audio-only calls on computers which can handle audio calls without problems.
Workaround: None available at this time
* All web links from the call quality guide direct to the English language site rather than localised pages
Workaround: None available at this time
* The call quality indicator will not update if a webcam is still in use by another application
Workaround: Close and re-open Call Quality Indicator after releasing the webcam.
* Call Quality Indicator says "Medium" for a high quality video call between two Logitech pro 9000 webcameras
Workaround: None available at this time
* The Call Quality Indicator shows a false error message that your webcam is in use by other application, even if it is not in use anymore.
Workaround: Ignore the message.
* Sharing a larger area of your screen than 1696 x 1056 sends a distorted and cropped image to other participants
Workaround: None available at this time
* Users may not be able to switch in between screen sharing and sending video in a one-to-one call
Workaround: None available at this time
* During screen sharing the start and stop buttons may not work
Workaround: None available at this time
* Screen sharing from a multiple desktop setup leads to a compromised display on the receiver side
Workaround: None available at this time
* Taking snapshots of a shared screen produces two identical images
Workaround: None available at this time
* My video button will not appear after a screen sharing session.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Netbooks with Mobile Intel(R) 915GM/GMS,910GML Express Graphics Chipset and Windows 7 can have problems when receiving large screen sharing resolutions beyond 1322 x 823.
Workaround: Set smaller screen sharing size
* Transferring a call to another phone without having Skype Credit will disconnect the call without a proper warning message.
Workaround: None available at this time
* If a user has their call returned after an unsuccessful call transfer, that user must decline the call twice
Workaround: None available at this time
* Transferring a call to a phone contact and Skype user at the same time will cause the call to disconnect for the Skype user when the phone contact answers the call.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Switching between conversations can be slow for some users.
Workaround: None available at this time
* No warning message is being displayed when closing a conversation with the close button in compact mode.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Video snapshots from cameras with a 16:9 aspect ration webcameras are displayed in 4:3 aspect ratio
Workaround: Open the video snapshots in another picture viewer
* Skype 5.0 Beta 1 for Windows does not fully support accessibility.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype fails to detect some screen readers when they are started after running Skype. Workaround: restart Skype.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype will crash when selecting multiple contacts from the contact list.
Workaround: None available at this time
* On Windows Vista the Firefox browser crashes if it is running while Skype is installed with the Firefox browser plugin.
Workaround: None available at this time
* When a user opens their web browser with no network connectivity, Skype displays an error message that SkypeNames.exe wants to use Skype. This happens when opening Firefox for the first time after installing Skype with the IE and Firefox add-ons.
Workaround: None available at this time
* On Windows 7 Skype installer offers to install Skype internet explorer browser plugin even if Internet Explorer is not installed in that machine.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The automatic 'Away' status setting doesn't work if it has been set a long time ago.
Workaround: Change the auto away time in options to something else and then back.
* Skype installer may be slow for some people.
Workaround: Download full installer from http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-full-beta
* When exiting from Skype Access a false message is displayed about disconnection.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The Skype Access connection offering does not pop-up correctly when trying to connect to supported hotspot after starting Skype up.
Workaround: Connect to supported Wifi hotspot before running Skype.
* Searching contacts in Korean, Japanese, simplified and traditional Chinese languages may not give relevant results.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Users with screen readers may have problems noticing the new authorization requests in the Notification tab.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype notifications about account changes can be delayed by a few hours
Workaround: None available at this time
* An error message appears when the Extras Manager is started while Adobe Flash Player is not installed
Workaround: Install Adove Flash Player before opening Extras Manager
* DailyMotion videos which have been added to a mood message are not being displayed to other contacts.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Hebrew and Arabic text is incorrectly displayed in the call view
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype will sometimes not correctly display Arabic and Hebrew languages in the user interface.
Workaround: None available at this time
* For people who use Skype in Traditional Chinese the "Give feedback" form is displayed in Simplified Chinese.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype alerts may be displayed in wrong language in the Notification area.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The country drop down list in the call phones tab is not localized to Russian.
Workaround: None available at this time
* 'Full Screen' menu option under View menu is always grayed out
Workaround: None available at this time
* Netbooks can experience problems displaying some of the Skype windows.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Certain graphical components may be misaligned when running Skype with a high graphics DPI setting.
* It is not possible to restart video sending in a group video call, only local preview is working.
Workaround: Restart the Skype call.
* "My Video" button may be missing in a group video call
Workaround: None available at this time
* One or more participants may not be able to start their video in a group video call
Workaround: None available at this time
* Webcam may switch off during a group video call
Workaround: Updating webcam drivers may solve the issue for some users
* The call quality indicator will say "Video not available" during a group video call.
Workaround: Ignore this false message.
* Messaging around the maximum number of particpants allowed on a group video call may be wrong.
Workaround: None available at this time
* After a user drops off a call or hangs up, it's not possible for the group to re-add the participant to a group video call.
Workaround: Callee has to join call manually from the "Join call button"
* Video can't be resumed after holding a call
Workaround: Restart the call
* This version of Skype has increased CPU usage which may effect video quality on some computers.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype memory consumption increases with every video call by about 6MB.
Workaround: Restart Skype after video call.
* Video calls may not work with virtual machines.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Video calls on a secondary display causes higher CPU load compared to use on the primary display.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype may not work properly with virtual cameras
Workaround: None available at this time
* Some old graphics cards models such as ATI RAGE Pro, NVIDIA Riva TNT2 or NVIDIA Vanta may not render Skype video streams
Workaround: None available at this time
* My video button will not appear after switching devices.
Workaround: Change the device before starting the call.
* My video preview may freeze after unlocking a locked PC.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype may crash when viewing video preview in Options.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The ASUS virtual webcamera remains open after terminating a video call
Workaround: Select the actual camera in Options->Video or uninstall the problematic virtual software
* Video may freeze on the other side in the following cases: two incoming calls at the same time > accept first call with video > accept second call with video while putting the first call on hold > hang up first call
Workaround: None available at this time|
* After holding and resuming a Skype call the video quality may be degraded
Workaround: None available at this time
* The Skype video snapshots feature is not working on Windows XP SP3.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Late switch to hardware video encoding when using TouchCam N1 or Twincam encoding cameras
Workaround: None available at this time
* When receiving screen sharing or sending video, then the video preview feature will not be aligned correctly
Workaround: None available at this time
* The microphones of the TouchCam N1 and Twincam encoding cameras generates CPU spikes in every 20 seconds that may result in lower video quality
Workaround: Avoid using the encoding camera microphone
* Changing audio or video devices during a call is not supported
Workaround: Don't change devices during a call.
* It is not possible to enter DTMF tones on the dialpad using copy-paste.
Workaround: None available at this time
* It is not possible to enter DTMF tones on the dialpad using your keyboard.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The Skype user interface may freeze when starting a call.
Workaround: Restart Skype
* The call volume slider in the call quality indicator and in the call view are not always synchronized.
Workaround:
* There may be user interface issues when using Skype over a remote desktop connection
Workaround: None available at this time
* The "Call dropped" error message persists for some time even if the next call is successful
Workaround: None available at this time
* It's not possible to see whether a group call participant has put a call on hold
Workaround: None available at this time
* It's not possible to submit call feedback after the call has dropped
Workaround: None available at this time
* On calls with high echo level, it might be hard to hear the other side
Workaround: None available at this time
* It may be difficult to find the Dialpad for entering touchtones in Skype to Skype calls
Workaround: Dialpad can be accessed from the small arrow below the profile image of the callee
* The Skype ringtone will sometimes persist beyond a call being picked up.
Workaround: More information from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/979303/
* The ringtone may not stop if the CPU is overloaded by another application
Workaround: Close other applications.
* When a call is forwarded to a phone number then the user will see myself video preview if he started a video call originally
Workaround: None available at this time
* The country drop down list in the call phones area becomes inactive when inserting an incorrect number
Workaround: Insert the country code manually
* Calls may not be successful when two users call each other at exactly the same time
Workaround: None available at this time
* While on a call to the saved phone number of a contact, it's not possible to access the IM history of this contact.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The dialpad button is missing from the call window if the conversation window is minimised to the maximum extent
Workaround: Open the Dialpad from the dropdown menu under the call receiver's name
* Call quality indicator suggestions may sometimes be incorrect
Workaround: None available at this time
* During a group video call the call quality indicator may not display video quality descriptions.
Workaround: None available at this time
* If a user receives a video call while their webcam is already in use by another application, then the call quality indicator will not display the correct video indicator
Workaround: None available at this time
* The call quality indicator incorrectly reports medium quality when the call is in fact the video call is in high definition.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The call quality indicator may display a slow CPU message during audio-only calls on computers which can handle audio calls without problems.
Workaround: None available at this time
* All web links from the call quality guide direct to the English language site rather than localised pages
Workaround: None available at this time
* The call quality indicator will not update if a webcam is still in use by another application
Workaround: Close and re-open Call Quality Indicator after releasing the webcam.
* Call Quality Indicator says "Medium" for a high quality video call between two Logitech pro 9000 webcameras
Workaround: None available at this time
* The Call Quality Indicator shows a false error message that your webcam is in use by other application, even if it is not in use anymore.
Workaround: Ignore the message.
* Sharing a larger area of your screen than 1696 x 1056 sends a distorted and cropped image to other participants
Workaround: None available at this time
* Users may not be able to switch in between screen sharing and sending video in a one-to-one call
Workaround: None available at this time
* During screen sharing the start and stop buttons may not work
Workaround: None available at this time
* Screen sharing from a multiple desktop setup leads to a compromised display on the receiver side
Workaround: None available at this time
* Taking snapshots of a shared screen produces two identical images
Workaround: None available at this time
* My video button will not appear after a screen sharing session.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Netbooks with Mobile Intel(R) 915GM/GMS,910GML Express Graphics Chipset and Windows 7 can have problems when receiving large screen sharing resolutions beyond 1322 x 823.
Workaround: Set smaller screen sharing size
* Transferring a call to another phone without having Skype Credit will disconnect the call without a proper warning message.
Workaround: None available at this time
* If a user has their call returned after an unsuccessful call transfer, that user must decline the call twice
Workaround: None available at this time
* Transferring a call to a phone contact and Skype user at the same time will cause the call to disconnect for the Skype user when the phone contact answers the call.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Switching between conversations can be slow for some users.
Workaround: None available at this time
* No warning message is being displayed when closing a conversation with the close button in compact mode.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Video snapshots from cameras with a 16:9 aspect ration webcameras are displayed in 4:3 aspect ratio
Workaround: Open the video snapshots in another picture viewer
* Skype 5.0 Beta 1 for Windows does not fully support accessibility.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype fails to detect some screen readers when they are started after running Skype. Workaround: restart Skype.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype will crash when selecting multiple contacts from the contact list.
Workaround: None available at this time
* On Windows Vista the Firefox browser crashes if it is running while Skype is installed with the Firefox browser plugin.
Workaround: None available at this time
* When a user opens their web browser with no network connectivity, Skype displays an error message that SkypeNames.exe wants to use Skype. This happens when opening Firefox for the first time after installing Skype with the IE and Firefox add-ons.
Workaround: None available at this time
* On Windows 7 Skype installer offers to install Skype internet explorer browser plugin even if Internet Explorer is not installed in that machine.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The automatic 'Away' status setting doesn't work if it has been set a long time ago.
Workaround: Change the auto away time in options to something else and then back.
* Skype installer may be slow for some people.
Workaround: Download full installer from http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-full-beta
* When exiting from Skype Access a false message is displayed about disconnection.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The Skype Access connection offering does not pop-up correctly when trying to connect to supported hotspot after starting Skype up.
Workaround: Connect to supported Wifi hotspot before running Skype.
* Searching contacts in Korean, Japanese, simplified and traditional Chinese languages may not give relevant results.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Users with screen readers may have problems noticing the new authorization requests in the Notification tab.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype notifications about account changes can be delayed by a few hours
Workaround: None available at this time
* An error message appears when the Extras Manager is started while Adobe Flash Player is not installed
Workaround: Install Adove Flash Player before opening Extras Manager
* DailyMotion videos which have been added to a mood message are not being displayed to other contacts.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Hebrew and Arabic text is incorrectly displayed in the call view
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype will sometimes not correctly display Arabic and Hebrew languages in the user interface.
Workaround: None available at this time
* For people who use Skype in Traditional Chinese the "Give feedback" form is displayed in Simplified Chinese.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Skype alerts may be displayed in wrong language in the Notification area.
Workaround: None available at this time
* The country drop down list in the call phones tab is not localized to Russian.
Workaround: None available at this time
* 'Full Screen' menu option under View menu is always grayed out
Workaround: None available at this time
* Netbooks can experience problems displaying some of the Skype windows.
Workaround: None available at this time
* Certain graphical components may be misaligned when running Skype with a high graphics DPI setting.
The Perspective tools are a welcome, if not overdue, addition to the Adobe Illustrator (AI) feature set—one wonders if this feature was on the drawing board for some time or was the technology a pick-up from Adobe FreeHand MX.
Two new tools have been added: The Perspective Grid tool (Shift-P) and the Perspective Selection tool (Shift-V). The grid tools are easy to work with. The Perspective Grid tool adds a default grid to the page that can be visually modified. When a grid plane is active, many of the normal drawing tools work in perspective. When moving or scaling perspective objects, you must be sure to use the Perspective Selection tool to keep the object in perspective.
Think of the new Shape Builder tool (Shift-M) as “Live Paint meets Pathfinder.” You can work with selected shapes (much like Live Paint) to merge and subtract the overlapping areas (like the Unite and Minus Front options in Pathfinder). At first I thought this was a tool for those who didn’t like the Pathfinder panel, but the more I work with it, the more I like it. I wouldn’t necessarily upgrade just for it, but it certainly adds to the overall package.
Variable-width stokes is one of the best improvements to happen to strokes in a long time. The Width tool (Shift-W) allows you to take a standard stoke and change the width dynamically by clicking on a stroke and dragging away from the center of the path. Stokes can be adjusted on one side of the path by holding-down the Option (PC: Alt) key and dragging. The settings can even be saved as a stoke profile for future use. Compared to the old process of outlining a stroke, adding points, and then editing them with the Direct Selection tool (A), this tool is a big time saver.
Arrowheads have been added to the bottom of the Stroke panel and are much easier to implement now. A nice new feature is to have the arrowhead end at the path anchor point, rather than sticking beyond it.
The oft-forgotten Brush panel gets a fun, new type of brush: the Bristle Brush. This allows Photoshop-like brushes to be created and used with the Paintbrush tool (B) in Illustrator. Of course, just like previous brushes, they can be applied to existing paths and shapes. This tool really requires a tablet for proper freehand use—with a tablet you can see the brush shape and angle.
The multiple artboard features get some needed improvement by way of the new Artboards panel. Artboards can be named, reordered, added, duped, deleted, and rearranged with the new panel. In addition, the panel can be used to jump from artboard to artboard.
There’s now a Paste on All Artboards command (under the Edit menu)—handy when working with repeating elements such as symbols. Artboard rulers got a needed makeover, too. Instead of separate rulers that didn’t do much (as in CS4), the traditional ruler changes for each artboard. Each artboard can have a custom zero-point, too. Another big change with rulers is that they’re now oriented in the upper-left corner like InDesign, not in the bottom-left corner like the previous version.
In previous versions, raster-based effects—such as drop shadows, glows, and Photoshop effects—in a print-based document could really bog down your computer. One trick was to work with a lower effect resolution and increase it later during final output. Unfortunately, some effects were measured by pixels; so changing from 72 ppi to 300 ppi could dramatically alter the look of the effect. Now, the settings are recalculated to look similar; however, because they’re being recalculated, the appearance might change slightly.
This feature is important since Illustrator CS5 isn’t 64-bit, but still 32-bit, so it can’t access more than 3–4 GB of RAM. Granted, most users would never need the 64-bit option, but I’ve seen Illustrator slow down due to high-res effects.
There are three drawing modes now: Draw Normal, Draw Behind, and Draw Inside (you can find these options near the bottom of the Toolbox). Draw Normal is what you’ve normally used in AI in the past. Draw Behind does just that: Draw behind the selected object(s). If nothing is selected, it draws beneath all objects on a layer. Draw Inside draws inside the selected object; basically, it creates a clipping path automatically, but it’s much easier than previous methods.
Symbols have had a number of improvements, but the most dramatic is the support of 9-slice scaling. While it was available in the last few versions of Illustrator, it was only for symbols being exported to Flash. The feature was meaningless in Illustrator. Not any more—now it works in AI, too!
When creating graphics for the Web, the Transform panel has a couple of new options: Align to Pixel Grid for existing objects and Align New Objects to Pixel Grid. This prevents any “fuzzy” graphics when exported for the Web. Another feature is similar to the pixel grid feature in Photoshop: When View>Pixel Preview is on and the zoom level is greater than 600%, a pixel grid is visible for precise alignment of objects.
Some of the new features are just improvements of existing features; in other words, they’re not earth-shattering. Overall, this is a nice upgrade—either by itself (does anyone buy separate packages anymore?) or combined in an Adobe Creative Suite.
As the centerpiece of Corel's Graphics Suite X4, CorelDraw X4 ships with significant new features that, while not flashy, are practical, and substantial enough for professionals to find the upgrade worthwhile. Even the interface has been redesigned to present a clean, intuitive workspace.
CorelDraw is the well-established "other" vector drawing program, covering the same ground as Adobe Illustrator does. You can use it to create illustrations for signs, logos, and technical and industrial designs, and for specialized printing like engraving. Draw also works for designing multipage publications. The growing ranks of people who double as the designated designer in multitasking work environments will appreciate the extensive set of easy-to-modify templates and the intuitive help screens. Draw X4 ships with a substantial library of royalty-free artwork, including 1000 high-resolution photos suitable for commercial projects. And Draw X4 meshes smoothly with Windows Vista Instant Search to sort quickly through images on your computer or network from within Draw's Open Drawing dialog box.
More Improvements
Among the more substantial enhancements is a connection to the WhatTheFont Web site: Within the app, you can paste in bitmap captures of type to identify fonts-helpful, for example, for a designer who is asked to duplicate a print brochure's unidentified fonts. Also, you can now preview type flow around images instantly. Publishers who generate data-driven output can use the print/merge features to generate customized publications--so a product press kit, say, could have customized fields that generate a personalized kit for each reviewer.
Draw has always had an advantage over products in Adobe's design suite in that it is both a full-fledged vector drawing program (like Illustrator) and a solid desktop publishing package (like InDesign). Desktop publishing features in X4 now let you create and edit independent layers on each page of multipage documents, as well as implement master layers throughout a publication for repeating elements (such as page numbers or headers). Illustrators who convert bitmap files to Draw's vector format will spot changes in the bitmap trace feature that allow, for example, combining of colors to simplify trace results. Users who found the trace feature in CorelDraw X3 unpredictable will notice improvements here.
The other significant application in Corel's Graphics Suite X4 is Photo-Paint. Almost abandoned in version X3 of the suite, this bitmap-editing application has some new features, including support for the RAW camera format and interactive histograms for previewing image adjustments. But while CorelDraw is a professional alternative to Adobe Illustrator, Photo-Paint is not a professional photo editing app.
Illustrators and designers who don't use Adobe products (a niche community) will find the improvements in CorelDraw Graphics Suite X4 worth the upgrade.
