Microsoft Announces Picture It! 99:

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 14, 1998 — Microsoft Corp. today unveiled Microsoft® PhotoDraw
™2000 business graphics software, a Windows® operating system-based program that seamlessly combines photo-editing and drawing tools, providing business users with a long-awaited solution for easily creating and incorporating professional-looking graphics into Web sites and printed materials. Designed to be as easy to use as Microsoft Office, PhotoDraw 2000 was created from the ground up to meet the special needs of Office users and small-business users.

“Professional business communication is becoming more graphical every day as organizations embrace the World Wide Web and intranets as important communication media,”
said Jon DeVaan, vice president of the desktop applications division at Microsoft.
“PhotoDraw fills the needs of business users of all kinds, providing the ability to create stunning professional graphics without expensive training or graphic design expertise. PhotoDraw’s revolutionary features and easy-to-use interface are designed to enable all PC users to create compelling visual content with a few clicks of the mouse.”

Microsoft designed PhotoDraw to be easy and intuitive to help business users quickly produce professional-looking graphics. Unlike existing programs aimed at design professionals, PhotoDraw introduces a visual menu to help users discover features without requiring them to learn or remember graphics terminology. And, with the inclusion of more than 20,000 graphics and 300 professionally designed templates, users can start creating Web buttons, business logos and other business graphics quickly and easily.

“In the past, users of graphics programs have been forced to learn specialized terminology and concepts in order to adapt to the way computers work with graphics,”
said Alexis Gerard, executive editor and publisher of The Future Image Report, an imaging industry newsletter.
“PhotoDraw is a true revolution, eliminating the learning chasm that has prevented average users from working with and enjoying computer-based graphics. Format conversions are now automated, so users no longer need to know the difference between bitmaps and vectors – they just point and click. Here’s a program that makes computers work with graphics the way average users expect them to, with greater ease, not greater difficulty. This intuitiveness, along with powerful illustration and imaging functions, opens the door for a wide audience to begin creating compelling, professional-looking graphics.”

With PhotoDraw, business users can combine, edit and apply special effects to photos, illustrations, clip art, shapes, existing artwork and text with a few clicks of the mouse. No longer are users required to switch between different photo-editing and illustration programs to create custom graphics. Because PhotoDraw allows users to handle graphics data in the same way, there are no one-way data conversions to frustrate users. PhotoDraw also helps users repurpose their graphics for multiple uses such as Web sites, presentations and printed materials. Users can easily and intelligently publish graphics they’ve created with PhotoDraw to other programs such as Microsoft Word, the PowerPoint® presentation graphics program, the FrontPage® Web site creation and management tool, Microsoft Publisher and others.

About PhotoDraw 2000

All-in-One Business Graphics

  • Powerful image editing. Users can capture, retouch, clone and manipulate digital images.

  • Illustration. Users can draw customized AutoShapes or use freehand drawing and painting tools including unique Photo Brushes.

  • Clip-art effects. These allow users to transform standard clip art using natural paint brushstrokes and fills.

  • High-quality, customizable content. PhotoDraw provides more than 20,000 graphics and 300 professionally designed business templates.

  • Point-and-click effects. More than 350 special effects can be instantly applied to photos, clip art, shapes and text.

  • 3-D capability. Users can apply 3-D effects to clip art, shapes and text with a single mouse-click.

Easy and Intuitive

  • Save for Use In Wizard. This PhotoDraw wizard automatically saves any graphic to the appropriate format and size based on how it will be used.

  • Visual interface. Visual menus help users find functionality quickly without requiring them to remember graphics terminology.

  • Design expertise. More than 300 customizable Web and business templates created by professional designers ensure great results.

  • Automated image correction. PhotoDraw intelligently corrects red-eye, removes dust and scratches, and adjusts color, contrast and brightness.

  • Online tutorial and Answer Wizard. These help users get started quickly and stay on track.

Professional-Looking Graphics – As Good on the Web as in Print

  • Intelligent print capability. Print Preview, automatic fit to page, and quality calibration based on the printer selected provide flexibility while maintaining ease of use.

  • Web graphics. Built-in templates help users start making Web banners, buttons and more. PhotoDraw color palettes are optimized for the Web, and users can preview Web images at different quality settings, with download times before saving.

  • Advanced support for digital cameras and scanners. The process of capturing images and transferring them to a PC is simplified and automated.

  • Broad file-format support. To enable users to draw from the wealth of existing materials and repurpose content, PhotoDraw supports more than 20 graphics file formats including BMP, JPG, GIF, TIF, PCD, PCX, WMF, EPS, FPX and CDR.

Availability and Pricing

PhotoDraw 2000 is scheduled to be available in retail stores this fall at an estimated price of $149. PhotoDraw can be found on store shelves within the new Microsoft Graphics Studio line. The new line will provide customers with easier options for selecting which Microsoft desktop publishing, imaging and business graphics products best suit their needs. Please visit the Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 Web site, which can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/office/photodraw/. Graphics industry visionary Dr. Alvy Ray Smith explores the growth of visual communication and how this lead to the creation of PhotoDraw on Microsoft’s PressPass Web site, which is located at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ .

About Microsoft Graphics Studio

The Microsoft Graphics Studio line offers a wide range of desktop publishing, imaging and graphics software products. All the products in the line deliver professional-quality results, great projects, templates, clip art and powerful functionality developed for specific customer needs. For home and business users alike, the Microsoft Graphics Studio line is the premier line of graphics products and includes PhotoDraw 2000, Microsoft Graphics Studio Greetings 99, Microsoft Graphics Studio Home Publishing 99, Microsoft Graphics Studio Home Publishing Suite 99, Microsoft Graphics Studio Picture It!® 99 personal imaging software, Microsoft Graphics Studio Publisher 98 and Microsoft Graphics Studio Publisher 98 Deluxe.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and

personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, PhotoDraw, Windows, PowerPoint, FrontPage and Picture It! are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information about Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

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