Microsoft PhotoDraw

Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 is a vector graphics software developed by Microsoft in 1999 for release with Microsoft Office 2000 Premium Edition. It spans 2 CDs. It needs to be installed separately since it is not available from the main installer for the core Office programs. It was also released as a stand-alone product. A later version called Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 Version 2 was released around 2000. Both versions are branded as "Microsoft Office Application", even though Version 2 was not bundled with any version of Office.

PhotoDraw fills a hole in the Office productivity suite, which includes software programs for word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation, but lacks a capable image creation program. Office typically includes Microsoft Photo Editor, a light weight bitmap editor. PhotoDraw, on the other hand, was a full-featured vector graphics software much like Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Fireworks, developed for professional business use.

PhotoDraw includes a vast library of clip-art, and a good collection of additional fonts.

The proprietary PhotoDraw file format has the extension ".mix". This type of file can be imported by Microsoft Office 2000 and later, as well as Adobe Illustrator.

PhotoDraw was a capable software program, sufficient for non-professionals. Version 2 was released as a upgrade with a larger collection of clip-arts and fonts.

Microsoft decided to discontinue PhotoDraw after Version 2 was released. PhotoDraw did not become a very popular software product over its lifetime. It was not useful enough for home users, who are more interested in manipulating digital pictures - which are bitmaps - than creating vector graphics. Microsoft has responded by bundling Windows Picture and Fax Viewer with Windows XP, developing Microsoft Picture It!, as well as creating Microsoft Office Picture Manager for Microsoft Office XP to expand on Microsoft Photo Editor. Furthermore, PhotoDraw was also not good enough to challenge Illustrator, the de facto standard for graphics professionals.

External links

• Microsoft PhotoDraw Homepage