NEW YORK, Oct. 4, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. today unveiled Microsoft® PhotoDraw TM 2000 Version 2 business graphics software, the most recent version of the company’s revolutionary graphics program that seamlessly combines photo-editing and drawing tools into one easy-to-use application. PhotoDraw 2000 Version 2 includes tight integration with Microsoft Office, a new set of Web features and improved performance. These new features empower the average user to easily create and reuse professional-looking graphics for print, Web and presentation documents.
“People today are incorporating graphics into their work on a more frequent basis, and PhotoDraw makes it easier for them,” said Kathleen Hebert, general manager of the Office Family Division at Microsoft. “With this new release we focused on tight integration with Microsoft Office, so it is easy to create a graphic in PhotoDraw and then drag and drop it into a Word document, create a custom background for PowerPoint® , or make a rollover and send it to FrontPage® with minimal time and effort. For even the everyday user, the results are impressive.”
Tight Microsoft Office Integration
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Microsoft Office interface. Familiar menus, toolbars and shortcuts make it faster to create graphics with the comfort of using familiar Office tools.
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Save and send graphics to FrontPage. Users can quickly build Web sites by sending Web graphics and pages directly to the Microsoft FrontPage Web site creation and management tool using the one-step Save and Send option.
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PowerPoint backgrounds. Workers can customize presentations by sending a graphic directly to the PowerPoint presentations graphics program as a background using the one-step Save and Send option.
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Common Office color themes. Graphics coordinated with materials created in Microsoft Office can be created instantly with built-in color schemes and designs common across all Office applications.
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Consistent Office theme elements. Users can quickly create a set of coordinated graphics with built-in Office theme elements including bullets, strokes, tiles and backgrounds that coordinate with common themes in other Microsoft Office applications.
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Batch save and conversion. Users can automatically save or convert all open graphics in one quick batch process. Saving multiple graphics to one file type is easy and efficient.
“The Web has changed our visual point of view, demanding compelling graphics as part of any important conversation,” said Amy Wohl of Wohl and Associates. “Microsoft’s PhotoDraw is an easy and convenient way for Microsoft Office users to apply their existing skills to add artistic content to any document, but especially for their Web sites.”
Stunning Web Graphics
PhotoDraw 2000 Version 2 puts the power of graphics creation into the hands of average users, enabling them to create customized graphics with more than 150 Web effects and styles, 20,000 images, 500 tileable textures and 400 shapes, as well as 300 strokes, stamps and edges.
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Image manipulation in HTML format. Users can easily create, reuse and edit their Web images by opening, editing and saving them in HTML format. PhotoDraw can highlight images on a Web page and allow them to be opened and edited easily. Users can also extend the use of a graphic by saving any image in HTML format.
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Rollovers and animated GIFs. With one click, users can create Web button rollover effects like highlighting and color changes or add animations to graphics for lively and attention-getting Web pages.
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Automated image slicing. Images are automatically sliced, which decreases graphic size as graphics are exported to Web page creation tools such as Microsoft FrontPage. Graphics are sliced to make each element its own object. This speeds the graphics’ redraw time on Web pages and also allows text and other elements to be added to the page.
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Image mapping. Users can quickly link pages to other URLs by including Web addresses in an image map on any graphic.
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Web-safe color palettes. Users can ensure safe Web colors by using the Web-safe and optimized color palettes.
All-in-One Graphics Solution
When PhotoDraw 2000 was first introduced last year it offered users a seamless graphics experience through its revolutionary combination of imaging and illustration. Version 2 builds on this legacy by including more original content and powerful new Web features so that users with no graphic design experience can assemble and customize graphics using text, photos, clip art and drawings with professional results.
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Powerful image editing. Users can capture, retouch, clone and manipulate digital images.
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Illustration. Users can draw customized AutoShapes or use freehand drawing and painting tools including unique Photo Brushes.
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Clip-art effects. Users can transform standard clip art using natural paint brushstrokes and fills.
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High-quality, customizable content. PhotoDraw provides more than 20,000 graphics and 300 professionally designed business templates.
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Point-and-click effects. More than 350 special effects can be instantly applied to photos, clip art, shapes and text.
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3-D capability. Users can apply 3-D effects to clip art, shapes and text with a single click of the mouse.
PhotoDraw 2000 Version 2 simplifies the graphics creation process by giving users a great set of content, an award-winning online tutorial, and built-in templates and wizards so they can focus on the creation process.
Easy to Learn and Use
PhotoDraw 2000 Version 2 enables users to get up to speed creating custom graphics in no time. Users unfamiliar with graphics, but familiar with Microsoft Office, will quickly learn how to create customized graphics and reformat them for print, Web or presentation documents.
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Save For Use In Wizard. The Save For Use In Wizard automates complex file format conversion based on where and how the user wants the image to appear, eliminating the need for users to learn graphics terminology.
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Built-in templates and wizards. Templates make is easy to assemble or create graphics to achieve professional-looking results without design expertise. Wizards help users through the graphic creation process and assist in saving graphics in the most appropriate format for Web, print and presentation.
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Visual menus. Visual menus help users find functionality quickly without requiring them to remember graphics terminology.
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Design expertise. More than 300 customizable Web and business templates created by professional designers ensure great results.
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Online tutorial and Answer Wizard. The PhotoDraw award-winning online tutorial, along with an Answer Wizard, helps users get started quickly and stay on track.
Availability and Pricing
PhotoDraw 2000 Version 2 is scheduled to be available in late October for an estimated retail price of $109 U.S. ($179 Canadian) with a $20 U.S. ($30 Canadian) in-box rebate for Microsoft Office customers. More information is available at the Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 Web site, http://www.microsoft.com/office/photodraw/ . For more information about how customers are using PhotoDraw 2000 Version 2, visit Microsoft’s PressPass Web site, http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/1999/10-04photodraw.htm .
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, PowerPoint and FrontPage 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 on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.
