Expression® Studio 3 Top Features

Expression Studio 3 Features Expression Studio 3 Released and available for download the trial version from Microsoft website. Featured are tools including Expression Blend 3, for interactive design and improving designer-developer workflow; Expression Web 3, for building Web sites using standards such as PHP and HTML; Expression Encoder 3, for video-encoding; and Expression Design 3, for illustration and graphic design.

Top 10 Features

- SketchFlow revolutionizes the speed and efficiency with which you can prototype a vision for an application

- Rapidly demonstrate and iterate on ideas, application flows, screen layouts and functionality with your client using a SketchFlow prototype.

- Enable interactivity without writing code

- Bring an Expression Blend project to life by adding interactivity, animation and transitions using drag and drop Behaviors, powerful building blocks of interactivity, without writing code.

- Accelerate the design of effective UI with design time data

- Increases the speed and flexibility you can envision a user interface in Expression Blend through the effective use of sample data. Sample data can be seamlessly switched to a live data feed at any time.

- Streamlined design and development workflow

- Share projects, code, and designs for better productivity and quality. The smooth workflow between Expression Blend and Visual Studio help the delivery of superior results to your client, who today more than ever expect; compelling, cutting edge solutions to be delivered in rapid time and on budget.

- Professional tools save time creating Web sites that deliver results

- Expression Web features an advanced code editor with IntelliSense, an editable design surface, and includes Expression Design and Expression Encoder for creating graphics and encoding Silverlight video for Web streaming or podcast download.

- Advanced visual diagnostics speed debugging

- Debug Web pages with Snapshot Preview, which shows rendered page changes while you code, and SuperPreview, which displays your page on multiple browsers on your development machine.

- Rich standards-based Web design with the essential technologies

- Expression Web supports PHP, CSS, HTML/XHTML, XML, XSLT, JavaScript, ASP.NET, ASP.NET AJAX, Silverlight (video, animation, and Deep Zoom), Windows Media, Adobe Flash, and Adobe Photoshop files.

- Prepare video for Silverlight

- Encode a wide array of video file formats, stream live from webcams and camcorders or screen capture your PC with Expression Encoder. Make simple edits to video files and enhance your media with overlays and advertising. Choose encoding settings including IIS Smooth Streaming, choose from a range of player templates and publish rich media experiences with Microsoft Silverlight.

- Team Foundation Server Integration

- Share your Expression Studio project files with those of your colleagues by using check in and check out functionality with Microsoft Team Foundation Server integration.

- Adobe Photoshop Importer

- Import your Adobe Photoshop files with full control over layers and objects straight onto the design surface of all Expression products to ensure maximum compatibility with any original artwork you need to integrate.

"Expression 3 introduces a broad range of new features such as SketchFlow in Expression Blend and SuperPreview in Expression Web. These features and others provide improved usability and productivity across the designer and developer workflow," a Microsoft representative said in a statement.

More info in this Web page, the triad download page also available.