Adobe Announces v4.0 of Persuasion, Includes Web Publishing, Enhanced Authoring Capabilities

Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced Adobe Persuasion Dversion 4.0 for Macintosh /Power Macintosh and Windows 3.1/Windows 95 platforms. Persuasion 4.0 software offers a comprehensive authoring environment for users who frequently create or deliver professional-quality presentations for screen, print and the Internet. With this release, Persuasion 4.0 offers the widest array of presentation delivery options, while the intuitive new user interface and extensive cross-product compatibility ensure high-quality performance at every stage of the presentation creation process. Adobe Persuasion 4.0 is expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 1996 and will contain two fully licensed copies, one for Macintosh and one for Windows, together in one package for $395.

Adobe Persuasion 4.0 is the first product to incorporate ground-breaking new features first introduced in Adobe "Web Presenter" technology that enables users to create graphically rich Web presentations by incorporating hyperlinks, movies, and sounds. Robust new Web authoring capabilities in Persuasion 4.0 software include drag and drop of URLs, customizable Internet autotemplates, tracking of hyperlinks through the Links management dialog box, and support for the popular GIF and JPEG formats. Through single-step creation of Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files, interactive presentations can easily and quickly be delivered over the Internet and corporate intranets.

"With the release of Persuasion 4.0, Adobe provides robust authoring and delivery capabilities for presentations published over the Internet and intranets," said Kevin Wandryk, product marketing director, Internet Division. "By integrating Persuasion 4.0 with other market-leading Adobe applications and providing presentation authoring solutions for the Web, Adobe envisions exciting new areas of growth in the presentation graphics market."

Presentation Authoring Features

Adobe Persuasion 4.0 offers a sophisticated presentation authoring environment, with support for Web authoring, dynamic multimedia features, drag and drop of graphics and multimedia elements, precision tools such as variable-speed transition effects, and high-quality color. Powerful new features enable users to create exciting, dynamic presentations that include movies, sounds, hyperlinks, and other graphically rich elements, then deliver them across the Internet and intranets using Adobe Acrobat 3.0 software.

* Drag and drop of URL addresses -- URLs may be added to a presentation by dragging and dropping the link from a Web browser into Adobe Persuasion 4.0, enabling users to instantly link from their presentation to any Web page on the Internet or corporate intranets. When Persuasion 4.0 presentations are exported to PDF, links to URLs on the World Wide Web and other hyperlinks are retained.

* Customizable Internet and multimedia autotemplates -- Internet autotemplates include coordinated colors, backgrounds, and buttons designed to match AutoTemplate designs for overheads, 35mm slides, and on-screen presentations, enabling users to maintain a consistent corporate look throughout every presentation. Dynamic multimedia templates are preset with automatic layers for bulleted text, predesigned buttons, and animation of text.

* New Layers palette and eyedropper tool -- Similar to the Layers palette found in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, the floating Layers palette in Persuasion lets users view any combination of layers, as well as create custom names for layers. The addition of Adobe's standard eyedropper tool enables users to sample colors from imported graphics or from anywhere on the desktop for sophisticated color control.

* Links management tool -- Indicates at a glance the location, size, and version of linked graphics, movies, and sounds. Manages files in a central location for sharing presentations within workgroups, preparing for a mobile presentation, or transferring files to a service bureau. Allows users to track assigned hyperlinks, and permits modification of the links.

* Slide masters -- If users need to update information or modify the design, slide masters make it possible to make changes globally, instead of page by page.

Integration Features

Extensive integration with other Adobe software, improved cross-platform support, and new import and export filters make it even easier to move photos, illustrations, movies, charts, and other digital assets to and from Adobe Persuasion 4.0.

* Drag and drop of native Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator files -- Users can now import native Adobe Photoshop files directly into Adobe Persuasion 4.0, with layers intact. Single or multiple Photoshop layers can also be animated over time to create an exciting multimedia effect. Native Adobe Illustrator files imported into Persuasion 4.0 retain their full color and high resolution qualities.

* Conversion utility for Microsoft PowerPoint files -- Lets users improve the quality of PowerPoint presentations by enhancing them in Adobe Persuasion 4.0, which offers greater precision and more robust layering, branching, and other interactive and graphics features.

* Improved cross-platform support -- Makes it possible to share Persuasion presentations effortlessly in mixed-platform environments, so users can edit and use presentations created on either platform. Transferring across platforms now preserves Photoshop images, Adobe Illustrator designs, multiple file formats, QuickTime movies, sounds, and other presentation elements.

* More intuitive user interface -- With menus organized even more logically and dialog boxes refined, Persuasion looks and feels even more like other Adobe software. Palettes and keyboard shortcuts have been revised, wherever possible, to match those in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

* New import and export formats -- Persuasion 4.0 now supports TIFF import: Windows and Macintosh; EPS export: Macintosh only; GIF and JPEG import: Windows and Macintosh; and JPEG export: Macintosh only.

Delivery Options

Adobe Persuasion 4.0 provides some of the most extensive, high-quality, and reliable delivery options of any professional presentation graphics program. In addition to on-screen presentations using the Persuasion Player, overheads, 35mm slides, and customizable handouts, Persuasion 4.0 now enables users to publish fully formatted presentations on the Internet and corporate intranets through direct export of presentations to PDF. This seamless process automatically converts outlines to interactive bookmarks, retains URLs, and maintains the rich multimedia elements, color, graphics, and typography available in the original presentation. PDF output also allows users to distribute presentations electronically in 24-bit color for playback, enables printing from any computer, and provides anti-aliased text that appears crisp at any view.

Added Value

Each retail package includes two fully licensed copies of Persuasion software, one for the Macintosh and one for Windows, with 90 days of free technical support available for each product version (30 days for upgrades) to facilitate use in multiplatform environments. Additionally, users will receive valuable software and content including: Adobe Acrobat Distiller 3.0 and Acrobat Reader 3.0 software; Persuasion Player software; extensive, completely revised tutorials on CD-ROM and a user manual; more than 125 autotemplates; over 500 editable color clip art files; a collection of free movies and sounds; Adobe Type Manager and 20 free fonts.

The combined release of Adobe Persuasion 4.0 for Macintosh and Windows, which will ship in one package, is expected to be available from Adobe Authorized Resellers and directly from Adobe in fourth quarter of 1996 for the suggested retail price of $395 (U.S.). Registered users of any version of Adobe Persuasion can upgrade to version 4.0 for $129 (U.S.). Customers in the United States and Canada who purchase Adobe Persuasion after August 26, 1996, are eligible to receive a ftee upgrade to version 4.0.

 

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