Software

In many ways, LiveMotion is a better tool for creating vector-based animation than Macromedia's Flash, its very popular competitor. Using a timeline/keyframe metaphor, LiveMotion makes it easy to animate the properties of an object over time. Position, scale, opacity, and rotation all can be controlled with relative ease. It's also painless to create HTML elements, such as animated rollovers for menus and graphics.

However, if you come from a Flash background, you might be a bit disappointed with LiveMotion. For starters, there are no scripting features. Also, LiveMotion's compression isn't quite as good as that of Flash. In a test in which the same animation was exported from both Flash and LiveMotion, the .swf file that was created by LiveMotion was about 15 percent larger. Because file size and download rates are so critical to Web-based graphic design, it's important to be aware of this type of issue.

Despite these shortcomings, we found it easier to draw and animate by using LiveMotion. Superior (in both form and function) Bezier drawing tools make it a snap to set up ready-to-animate graphics. Again, Adobe has kept LiveMotion's "feel" in the family by ensuring that the drawing functions are very similar to those of Illustrator.

If you're looking to create high-quality, interactive Web content, Flash might be the way to go, especially if you're more familiar with Macromedia's look and feel. However, if animation--and not interactivity--is the goal, and you have experience with Adobe's other products, LiveMotion should be a good fit. All in all, this is a very good first release. --Mike Caputo--This text refers to the Mac version of this software.

Split text: Headline Studio has the ability to split animated text into individual words, characters, or lines. You can also determine how much overlap from word to word, or letter to letter, happens with these animated parameters. And splitting text is a simple click once the entire animation has been created.

Color palettes: Choose from different color palettes, such as the built-in Web-safe colors. You also can import color palettes from Painter or PhotoShop, or create custom GIF palettes.

Real-time animation previews: Headline Studio gives you the ability to see your key-point animation and make changes on the fly. You can preview the GIF file instantly and see how it will look with a specified frame rate and color palette. If the file size is too large, simply adjust the frames and colors, then render the file again instantly.

Bandwidt preview: Preview how your animation will look when viewed from a 28.8 Kbps modem, an ISDN line, even a cable modem. Instant bandwidth previews let you tailor your animation to every viewing audience easily.

Import-export index: Headline Studio 1.0 imports GIF, TIFF, and JPEG files natively. Additionally, it supports PhotoShop file-format plug-ins within its plug-ins folder. Headline Studio exports standard GIF89a files, compatible with all standard Web browsers.

In many ways, LiveMotion is a better tool for creating vector-based animation than Macromedia's Flash, its very popular competitor. Using a timeline/keyframe metaphor, LiveMotion makes it easy to animate the properties of an object over time. Position, scale, opacity, and rotation all can be controlled with relative ease. It's also painless to create HTML elements, such as animated rollovers for menus and graphics.

However, if you come from a Flash background, you might be a bit disappointed with LiveMotion. For starters, there are no scripting features. Also, LiveMotion's compression isn't quite as good as Flash's. In a test in which the same animation was exported from both Flash and LiveMotion, the .swf file that was created by LiveMotion was about 15% larger. Because file size and download rates are so critical to Web-based graphic design, it's important to be aware of this type of issue.

Despite these shortcomings, we found it easier to draw and animate by using LiveMotion. Superior (in both form and function) bezier drawing tools make it a snap to set up ready-to-animate graphics. Again, Adobe has kept LiveMotion's "feel" in the family by ensuring that the drawing functions are very similar to those of Illustrator.

If you're looking to create high-quality, interactive Web content, Flash might be the way to go, especially if you're more familiar with Macromedia's look and feel. However, if animation--and not interactivity--is the goal, and you have experience with Adobe's other products, LiveMotion should be a good fit. All in all, this is a very good first release. --Mike Caputo

The Web Workgroup Server site management and collaboration tool lets multiple users track changes--as well as share and manage files--with ease. It adds version control and side-by-side comparison capabilities, including the ability to roll back to previous versions. Designers will also find full support for any WebDAV-enabled application in GoLive 6.0, including support for programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Macromedia Dreamweaver.

Other development features include a QuickTime 5.0 editing environment with streaming conversion and optimization capabilities. There's also a visual authoring environment utilizing video, audio, SWF, and SVG with support for W3C standards (including SMIL). GoLive 6.0 even adds the ability to deliver database-driven content and native support for common dynamic scripting languages, including PHP, ASP, and JSP. And, as always, GoLive integrates tightly with Adobe's entire family of professional design products.

On the surface, Dreamweaver is an easy-to-use Web-page editor and site design tool, supporting all basic page elements. However, it has enough depth to build sophisticated sites with features such as forms, Flash files, frames, cascading style sheets, and ActiveX and Java controls, just to name a few. It offers WYSIWYG editing as well as access to HTML source code.

In version 3.0, editing HTML files has been improved with added support for styles, and an HTML source code inspector, which can be docked (like a Window palette). HTML code can be block-edited in this window as well, by selecting entire lines and dragging them to a new destination.

URLs in imported Flash movie files can now be edited in Dreamweaver 3.0, making it easier for a site administrator to change links in Flash files. Synchronizing local and remote site files works in both directions, ensuring that the latest version of a file is saved on both local hard drives and remote servers.

A history palette has been added as well, and all file editing is recorded and listed. Actions can be undone (like multiple undo) and saved as an action for reuse on other files.

There are more changes and additions that let Dreamweaver work more closely with other Macromedia tools (Flash and Fireworks) and additional HTML-generation tools. We also noticed an improved handling of imported elements. Group-project manageability has been improved via the check-in/check-out file system, and most of Dreamweaver's menus and shortcuts are customizable, making for a better user experience. --Mike Caputo

The main working area of the program deliberately looks much like other Adobe applications, making it easy to move between them. The main editing windows float on the GoLive worktop, with palettes of functions controlling the tools. Users can now drag and stash palette tabs individually at the edge of the screen.

The key new features of GoLive 6.0 can be divided into three areas. Under the design-and-develop category comes greatly improved table handling, with new editing features--particularly selection--and increased control of HTML code. Adobe has also integrated GoLive more closely with Photoshop, Illustrator, and LiveMotion.

Manage functions govern how several people working on same aspect of a site handle different versions and revisions. The revision list is a good example, as it offers full details of who made certain changes to what, along with the time the changes were entered.

Finally, there's the deploy function, for when you finally launch your site. This feature offers new and improved support for WML authoring, writing for display on WAP devices, XML, QuickTime, and more of the growing family of Web standards.

Overall, GoLive is a worthwhile improvement if you're thinking about upgrading from a previous version. For newbies, make sure you're serious about Web site management, as this is a heavyweight tool. --Simon Williams

Incorporating a host of new features, such as ZIP file templates, multilevel navigation bars, a digital photo gallery builder, and Website Pros' QuickTools, NetObjects Fusion 7 takes the strengths of the NetObjects Fusion product line to new heights. Ideal for the novice developer who wants to build a simple family photo album online, the program is also advanced enough for serious Web developers who wish to maintain complete control over their designs.

For anyone looking to sell products on the Web, the new PayPal e-commerce component will get you up and running in no time. This feature lets you add a Buy button to any page, configure it with the appropriate purchase info, and instantly allow users to buy your products online. Best of all, by leveraging PayPal's e-commerce services, you can take credit cards, utilize a shopping cart, and more.