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Microsoft, Adobe Unveil Web Tools for Mac

Adobe acquires GoLive CyberStudio, Microsoft upgrades IE.

By Yvonne L. Lee, PCWorld   

Microsoft, the featured developer at the MacWorld Expo keynote address, announced a new version of Internet Explorer. Adobe announced products for developing Web pages: an update to After Effects, and the news that it will market CyberStudio after acquiring GoLive Studios.

Although Microsoft's Ben Waldman originally received a cool reception from the MacWorld audience, the crowd responded enthusiastically during his demo. They liked Internet Explorer 4.5's Forms AutoFill feature, which inserts name and address information into Web forms. Also generating whoops were enhancements that let users control the appearance of printed copies of Web pages. Internet Explorer also features drag-and-drop installation and works with the MacOS 8.5 Sherlock search tool.

Some new features work only on Macintosh versions of Internet Explorer 4.5, Waldman said. For example, the ability to drag images from a Web site onto the desktop and see an icon that looks like the image will not appear in Windows, he said.

In addition to announcing the browser upgrade, Microsoft announced a new portal for Macintosh users, called Mactopia, on Microsoft's site.

Adobe rounds out its line of Mac Web development tools with its acquisition of GoLive CyberStudio.

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The San Jose, Calif. company already markets PageMill, a popular tool for beginning Web page designers. PageMill provides drag and drop tools and image libraries so that customers can create Web pages without having to know HTML.

CyberStudio is a more industrial-strength tool for experienced developers who want more control over their pages. It supports Dynamic HTML, JavaScript, and Cascading Stylesheets. CyberStudio also provides site-management features, such as built-in file transfer and link verification.

After Effects 4.0, scheduled to ship next month, has new tools for those who create moving images used on the Web, as well as in video and film. The three key enhancements in After Effects 4.0 are closer integration with other Adobe graphics software, new masking features, and a slew of audio and rendering effects.

Adobe will offer two versions of After Effects 4.0: the $995 standard version to develop simple visual effects, such as Web animation and animation for opening a presentation. The $2195 Production Bundle is intended for those who do more intricate visual effects, such as those used in television and movies.

Adobe claims 95 percent of After Effects users also use Photoshop for image-editing and graphic design. The update imports Adobe Photoshop graphics, preserving Photoshop 5.0 layer effects, such as drop shadows, inner shadows, bevels, and embossing. The product also boasts tighter integration with Illustrator and Premiere.

After Effects' new masking features make it easier to manipulate background images. Some of the new functions, including the Bezier warp, Mesh Warp, and Reshape, are available only in the Production Bundle. Users can add sound to After Effects graphics with new audio-processing features; greater options are available in the Production Bundle.