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Adobe ImageReady 1.0 Software

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Product Information
Streamlined processing for Web graphics

Adobe(R) ImageReady(TM) software provides a comprehensive environment in which to refine and prepare Web graphics. This innovative program solves the problem of having to cobble together a Web graphics production process using many different software programs.

Key features of the integrated tool include:

Unparalleled image control
With the Optimize palette, you can select the file format and the type of compression from a palette instantly. You can create images that blend seamlessly using layers to define transparency and specify matte color. ImageReady can also handle the precise alpha transparencies for more sophisticated PNG file formats that will be supported by the next generation of Web browsers.
 

By defining transparencies in the Optimization palette, you can blend
image layers seamlessly with the background, without any banding or
distracting halos. You can also specify any matte color you choose.
 
Until the release of ImageReady, a major challenge for graphic designers was weighing the trade-off between file size and image quality. Now the LiveView window in ImageReady balances these two elements by simultaneously displaying the original and optimized versions of the same file in a tabbed window.
The dual-document window significantly streamlines the production process and lets you preview the final file before saving them out to GIF, JPEG, or PNG format. The History palette keeps track of every compression scheme you've tried, so you never lose any work and you can step through previous versions to compare image quality.

ImageReady color palette management lets designers view, edit, and manage image colors in 8-bit GIF and PNG files for optimal on-screen display. Key colors can be selectively "web-shifted," ensuring that they will not dither on 8-bit displays. This allows designers to combine advantages of adaptive palettes for smooth gradation and the predictable dither of Web palettes into powerful hybrid palettes. Colors can also be "locked," which keeps them from being dropped as you reduce colors.

Sophisticated image control
The Animation palette lets you create or change animated GIFs without ever leaving ImageReady. The Animation palette works with your existing layers to control the placement, opacity, and timing of objects in your animated GIFs. You can even use the Tween option to automatically generate new frames.
 

Since each layer is a separate image, animations are simple to create and edit with ImageReady 1.0.

Images can also be made into image maps by just double-clicking on a particular layer and designating a URL in the window provided.
The image can be previewed at any time, in any browser. The Preview dialog displays the image, a summary of the file specs, and the HTML, which can easily be copied from ImageReady and pasted right into your HTML editor.

Droplets save time and effort
One of the most significant time-saving features of ImageReady is the batch-processing Droplet, which is an icon that automatically processes the files dropped onto it. When you create an image that really works, you can save its file type and settings as a Droplet and then drop a folder of images onto it. The Droplet applies the settings to the entire folder of images. This Droplet can be shared between a Macintosh and a PC or vice versa.

Multi-step Droplets can also be created using the Actions palette in ImageReady.

Compression, animation, and image map settings remain intact through round-trips between ImageReady and Adobe Photoshop.

The cross-platform compatibility, and the seamless integration with other Adobe products (Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator) and file formats (PSD and EPS) make ImageReady a uniquely flexible tool. Other key features of Adobe ImageReady include:

Core set of image-editing tools - ImageReady shares a sub-set of familiar Photoshop image-editing capabilities, including key tools (marquee, lasso, eraser, pencil, paintbrush, and eyedropper), resizing commands, image adjustment commands, and filters.

View Browser Dither command - Simulates browser dithering in the LiveView window, so designers can catch any problems and make appropriate adjustments to the image's color palette.

Gamma preview and correction - Designers can preview screen brightness differences without switching between Mac and Windows machines and even correct for the difference.

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