Illustrator 88 was the first program to let you blend between two paths to create custom gradations, transitional objects, and morphing effects. Together, these two factors make it the best Mac drawing program. Illustrator 8.0 is every bit as streamlined as its predecessor, and it’s nearly as powerful as Macromedia FreeHand. Those who stuck with version 6.0 now have reason to grapple with the Photoshop-inspired interface. Version 7.0 users will delight in the new features and gentle learning curve. Live blends, enhanced distortion controls, Smart Guides, new Actions and Links palettes, easier navigation, and natural-media brushes make this one of the most feature-rich upgrades to Illustrator in years. Refreshingly, Illustrator 8.0 achieves a nearly full recovery. But most will agree that Illustrator 7.0 amounted to damaged goods. Others considered Illustrator 7.0 a structural recovery from the slipshod additions made to versions 5.0 and 6.0. Many point to Illustrator 7.0, which omitted new features in favor of cross-application harmony. Vector-Drawing Leader Finally Delivers By Deke McClellandĪsk longtime Macintosh artists when Adobe Illustrator started to go downhill, and you’ll get a lot of different answers.
