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Not all graphics programs work alike--particularly if you're designing for both print and the Web. Tiny idiosyncrasies between programs have been known to transform seemingly simple design tasks into late-night production chores. You need versatile graphics tools that work well in tandem and that are flexible to changes across media.

Enter Macromedia's recently released Flash 4 FreeHand 9 Studio, a formidable combo targeted at designers who deliver layouts for both print and the Web. While individually Flash 4 and Freehand 9 pack only a modest list of new attributes, in combination they offer enough compelling tricks and interwoven features to gratify designers working on both Web and print graphics.

The package sells for $499 (registered users of either program can upgrade to the entire studio for $199). Sold separately, Flash 4 costs $299 ($129 upgrade) and FreeHand 9 costs $399 ($149 upgrade)--some $200 more than the Studio package.

Fast and Flash-y

Generally speaking, you use Flash and FreeHand to create vector graphics, which are smaller and more versatile than scanned (bitmapped) photos. Vector graphics can also be viewed crisply at any screen resolution. Flash graphics are not photo quality, but they can be printed at any size, and downloaded much more quickly. Because vector graphics are so versatile, designers can easily take vector graphics layouts designed for print and repurpose them for online use (or vice versa). For example, a graphic designer at a newspaper might create a FreeHand drawing of a weather map for the print edition, and then animate the graphic with Flash, so visitors to the Web site could see how a storm front was sweeping across the Sunbelt. The same designer could add interactivity by choosing from a list of actions (Play, Stop, Get URL, Loop, Stop All Sounds, and others), so visitors could zoom in on maps or hear snippets of local traffic conditions.

Flash 4's added support for streaming MP3 sound and fill-in text fields (for questionnaires), as well as its increased arsenal of interactive commands, can bring paper layouts to life on the Web. Moreover, Flash 4 movies are scalable, so everything is visible in a Web browser, regardless of the resolution of the viewer's monitor. For example, I created a 179KB Flash movie for my Web site that played at full-screen size for 3 minutes. Over a 33.6-kilobits-per-second modem, the movie played as smoothly on my monitor at 1024 by 768 pixels as it did on my clunky notebook at 640 by 480 pixels. There was no screen jittering or window cropping, nor were there any download hang-ups on either system.

To use FreeHand graphics in Flash, you still have to save illustrations in Flash's .swf format. But you no longer have to launch a browser to preview Flash movies. FreeHand 9 features a built-in Flash Anti-Alias mode, so you can work on images exactly as they will appear online in a Flash movie--with smooth diagonal lines and razor-sharp fonts. FreeHand 9 can also generate high-quality printouts of Flash 4 artwork.