Microsoft has released Microsoft Expression studio 4 ultimate with a lot of cool features.

Overview:

Microsoft Expression Studio is a suite of tools for designing and building web and Windows client applications and rich digital media contents.

Microsoft introduced Microsoft Expression on September 16, 2005 at Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles. Microsoft Expression Encoder was introduced at NAB 2007. Microsoft Expression Studio was released to manufacturing on April 30, 2007. The RTM news was announced at Microsoft’s MIX 07 conference for web developers and designers.^[

Microsoft Expression Studio 2 was released on May 1, 2008, which also included a graphical makeover for the suite to an inverse of the previous a white on black theme. This release brings all products in the suite to version 2, and now also includes Visual Studio Standard 2008. Microsoft Expression Studio is also available to students as downloads via Microsoft’s DreamSpark program.

Microsoft Expression Studio 3 was released on July 22, 2009; This release brings all products in the suite to version 3, with significant improvements especially targeting Silverlight 3. Expression Media is no longer a part of package, while all other products have been significantly improved and enriched.

On June 7, 2010, Expression Studio 4 was released. Expression Studio 4 is a free upgrade for licensed Expression Studio 3 users, but only for retail copies

Top 10 Features

1. Revolutionize the speed of prototyping

SketchFlow enables you quickly create an effective prototype to present ideas, user interface flows, screen layouts and application functionality to your clients.

2. Enable interactivity without writing code

Behaviors are powerful building blocks of interactivity that bring a project to life by adding control of transitions, interactivity and animation to your applications.

3. Accelerate the creation of effective UI with sample data

Accelerate the speed and flexibility with which you can create your application designs through the effective use of sample data. Generate design time data on the fly, import via XML, or create from C# objects, then seamlessly swap for a live data connection at any time.

4. Fast, flexible, seamless: a workflow that adapts to you and your team

Expression Blend, Visual Studio, Silverlight and .NET provide the most impactful and seamless workflow on the market today. Ideas are taken from concept to completion with speed and flexibility, challenging you to deliver innovative applications to your customers on time and within budget.

5. Professional tools save time, creating web sites that deliver results

IntelliSense and color-coding for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP make your editing and debugging more productive. Generate elegant, modern CSS layouts with state-of-the-art, editable design surface with the ability to directly manipulate positioning, sizing, margins and padding.

6. 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.

7. 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, & Adobe Photoshop files.

8. 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.

9. Team Foundation Server integration

Share your Expression Studio project files with your colleagues by using check in and check out functionality with Microsoft Team Foundation Server interoperability (sold separately).

10. Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator import — Utilize your traditional design assets

Powerful importers enable a smooth integration with the workflow visual designers are using today. Photoshop files can be imported layer by layer, regrouped and individual elements retain their original formats, layers, layer positions, editable text and vectors.

Expression Studio 4 Ultimate System Requirements

To use Expression Studio 4 Ultimate, you need:

Microsoft^® Windows^® XP with Service Pack 3,Windows Vista™, Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 operating system
PC with 1 GHz or faster processor
1 GB of RAM or more
2 GB or more of available hard-disk space
.NET Framework 4.0
Silverlight^® 4.0
Support for Microsoft DirectX^® 9.0 graphics with Windows Vista Display Driver Model (WDDM) Driver, 128 MB of graphics RAM or more, Pixel Shader 3.0 in hardware, 32-bits per pixel
DVD compatible drive
1024 x 768 or higher resolution monitor with 24-bit color
Internet functionality requires Internet access (additional fees may apply)
Actual requirements and product functionality may vary based on your system configuration and operating system.
Some product features require FireFox 3.0 or later, and Internet Explorer 8

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Microsoft Expression 4