New Update for Deep Zoom Composer for Silverlight 2

Sunday, May 04 2008 - , , - 0 comments

deepzoom Microsoft released an update to the Deep Zoom Composer for Silverlight 2 Beta 1. I'm excited to try this out as I am working on a Silverlight application that uses the "deep zoom" technology and some of the new features/improvements should help it go smoother.

Yesterday I posted that Expression 2 was released, today I see Deep Zoom Composer has a new release ... just a hunch but I feel a flurry of releases coming in May ahead of Tech Ed.

In case you are unfamiliar with the "deep zoom" technology ... basically deep zoom allows users to zoom in and out of images ... ZOOM WAY IN and ZOOM WAY OUT. As a reference point, think about google maps and how you can zoom in and out with them. it provides a way to zoom in and out of images. 

There is a cool example of deep zoom found at the Hard Rock Memorabilia site. Check out how you can zoom in on the memorabilia images or zoom out and view them all.

You can see all of the improvements to Deep Zoom Composer on the Expression Blend and Design site. But here is a summary of the changes:

  • Improved Exporting
    • It now touts that it will out put a working Silverlight 2 project along with the image files. This will support mousewheel, panning, zooming, and keyboard navigation. Very cool indeed!
  • Design Experience
    • Image arrangement is easier with snap lines
    • Images can be selected and moved singly or as a group
  • Collections Export
    • Exporting collections now works better so WYSIWYG
  • Help
    • They've included links in the application for help on the forms so you do not have to visit the blog and search through comments to posts.

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Expression Studio 2 Ready For Download

Friday, May 02 2008 - , , , - 9 comments

x Expression Studio 2 is out of beta and has been released. I've been using the betas and they have been pretty good, but its nice to finally get my hands on the full release as v2 is much better than v1.

Expression Studio contains the following products:

  • Expression Web 2
  • Expression Blend 2
  • Expression Design 2
  • Expression Media 2
  • Expression Encoder 2

Clipped from their web site, here is a list of features for Expression Studio 2:

Design for Windows and the Web

Use a full range of new professional design tools to bring your creativity to the world of the .NET framework and Silverlight. Design the next generation of user interfaces for Windows and the Web.

Designer Developer workflow

Combine Expression Studio for designers with Visual Studio for developers for a powerfully integrated solution for designing and coding innovative applications.

Design for Silverlight 1.0

Expression Studio 2 is the essential design resource for Microsoft's newest web technology Silverlight 1.0 - use a combination of Expression Blend 2 and Design 2 to create your Silverlight application and Expression Web 2 to integrate it into your website.

Standards Based design with Expression Web 2

Design for today's web standards with Expression Web 2, built to translate your visual layouts into fully compliant pages using your choice of versions of XHTML, CSS, XML and XSLT.

Harness the power of ASP.NET and PHP with Expression Web 2

Expression Web 2 is the first web design tool to offer deep support for both ASP.NET 3.5 and PHP which allows designers to collaborate with developers on web projects to make compelling sites.

Design UX with Expression Blend 2

Collaborate with developers to produce applications with great user experience that both look great and function well. Design application skins with interactivity and animation without needing to type a line of code.

Design for XAML

Design graphic elements for Blend and Silverlight and export them in XAML format to retain absolute fidelity through the life of the project. Have confidence that your design lives on.

Create Artwork with Expression Design 2

Create artwork for your desktop and web applications using an exciting drawing tool then either export as XAML or slice your images for the Web.

Manage your design assets with Expression Media 2

Keep track of your graphic and video files using Expression Media, a team asset management tool that lets you sort, keyword and find them with unsurpassed ease.

Encode Video for Silverlight with Expression Encoder 2

Prepare your files for delivery with Silverlight using the Expression Encoder to crop and add markers enabling your websites to interact with your video content.

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