Jun 08
Expression, a free illustration tool from Microsoft!
2004 at 02.28 am posted by Veerle
An innovative vector-based illustration and graphics tool has just earned its place on my PowerBook 17”. Unbelievable, but Expression 3 is free and it’s from Microsoft! Free?Euh?… Is this a way to make up for all the headaches we have with I.E. issues? ;-)
Adobe Illustrator is my number 1 illustration tool since version 3. You can say I’m a stubborn diehard user that can’t get easily convinced of another tool. I tried Freehand, I have it on my Mac since I got the entire Macromedia suite, but I hardly use it. It has another way of working that is different from Illustrator. That’s why the opposite around is also a fact, Freehand users are also not that easy to convince to start using Illustrator.
You get my drift here… If I’m trying this new tool out and I’m still playing around with it after more then 30 minutes without getting bored, lost, stuck or frustrated then it has passed the test :-) I wouldn’t write an article about it if it wasn’t.
This is a fine app which makes you feel like you’re painting directly on your screen. You got a whole set of brushes, patterns etc. It’s very intuitive and you get the necessary explanation by tool tips. You can work in layers, you can use colors from different modes including RGB and CMYK. To draw your vector shapes you use a pencil tool (freehand) or a pen tool.
More good news.... You can export your artwork to Illustrator, PDF and Flash! It’s both for Mac (OS X and OS 9) and Windows. We have to admit this is a nice gesture from Microsoft, if it’s good then we have to say it, right? Of course you won’t be surprised if I tell you that this is software that Microsoft has acquired. Creative House technology are the makers of the program. But nevertheless it’s definitely worth giving a spin.
10served
1
Hey Veerle,
I went to download Expression, but MS wouldn’t let me in unless I either had a Passport or signed up for one.
So I guess Expression is free if you don’t put any value on your privacy ;)
2
@Tim: Yes I know but since almost everybody has MSN this is non-issue I guess. You can’t expect to download something for free (at least not a full functioning app) and not to have to login or register.
If you download a demo at Macromedia or Adobe you have to do the same and that’s just a demo. This app has no limits and it’s not a lightweight tool.
You can’t have it all ;-)
3
Well, I went out of my way to lose my Hotmail account, have never signed up for MSN etc etc. I can see why MS do it this way - it’s another carrot to get people to sign up for Passport. I hate the fact that they’re setting themselves up as an unaccountable authentication provider. What’s in Microsoft’s best interests is no way what is in mine…
I’ve just moved to the Mac from Linux, and I’m just getting used to the idea of having to pay for software again ;)
4
you can get a direct download link after a search for expression at versiontracker.com
5
Kees, you are my hero.
I was going to bitch and complain about the whole passport bollocks, but I didn’t really have anything to add to the conversation.
As for the difference between Adobe/Macromedia and Passport, well, that is so vast it would take too long to explain here. Suffice to say, global single sign-ons are a very bad idea. A/MM does not have anything like Passport.
6
@Tim: Sorry, but you better remove all your personal data from your blog if you’re so paranoia in leaving your email address and name to download the app. Next time please stay on topic and discuss the application instead.
7
Woah. Hold your horses. There’s no need to be agressive. I can assure you that there is quite a difference between signing up for Passport and “leaving your email address and name to download the app”.
And I believe issues about having to sign up with passport is very much on topic, since it is an integral part of being able to download the application.
You might want to read up on this. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
8
@Tulse: nobody is aggressive here. And there is nothing different about leaving your name and address at Macromedia or Adobe. All Microsoft knows about me is my name and my email nothing more and nothing less and I got a cool app in return.
I have passport for many years now and never had any disaster with it. The meaning of this post was to talk about a cool application and to show that it worked great. If you have issues with passport don’t download it it’s just that simple.
9
If you’re so concerned about registering for passport, use a publicly available log in:
http://www.bugmenot.com/view.php?url=msn.com
10
Thanks for the link! Since PhotoShop 7 inexplicably doesn’t have text-on-a-path (they waited until CS to add that), I’ve been dipping into my old version of Illustrator (in Classic, no less!) quite often. While Expression’s interface leaves a lot (A LOT!) to be desired, it’s speedy on my old 400mhz machine and doesn’t require launching Classic. Very, very handy. The little widget for changing the font size made me laugh, too - the numbers roll up and down like on an odometer.