Adobe Streamline 4 (AS) is a graphic editor ... but it is a highly limited specialized graphic editor, as will be explained subsequently. Installation of the AS folder itself took 3.87M on my hard drive, because I didn't choose to install the entire contents of the CD. It comes with a User Guide containing a tutorial which is sufficient to explain the software operations.

AS is a graphic editor tailored specifically for graphic artists. It is aimed at designing one of those modern stylized abstractions of objects and colors, which are used to display or advertise a company's product, resources, or other objectives in an artistic panoply. The graphic outputs are sort of like pop art. For this purpose, AS may be used to extract the fundamental composition structures (line, area, shape, color, etc.) of standard, everyday, bit mapped images and convert these to slick vector artworks.

AS is not exactly a stand-alone editor. It has a limited set of editing capabilities to modify converted images. Image outputs are saved in PostScript language, so for more extensive editing, they must be acted upon by full fledged editors like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, etc. Furthermore, the bit mapped images to be converted must have been saved in TIFF, PICT, PCX or Adobe Photoshop format. AS allows images to be saved in EPS, DXF, PICT, and WMF and, thus, any graphic editor which can read these formats may process the AS images subsequently. The software has no 'Print' capability and some fourteen line and color editing tools which change slightly between pre and post image conversion. Some of the tools like 'Erase' and 'Pen' have step adjustments to control their effects. Also, one cannot open more than one image at the same time, if desired, to combine elements from each, and there is only one level of 'Undo' in the 'Edit' function.

However, despite the limitations of AS, it appears that the numerous modifications of the converted image that can be achieved meet any need. The conversions pare a bit mapped image down, and one can then modify and smooth the fine details of the line, area and pixel geometry, and paint image aspects from an extensive spectrum of colors. A Pen/Tablet is definitely required to make the kind of image manipulations that will result in the creation of a professional output.

Installation from a CD was smooth and straightforward. For newcomers to the AS type of editing, the tutorials furnish simple and instructive hands-on steps on the types of effects that can be achieved. I had no ready bit map graphics that were formatted as required for import. So I first used Paint Shop Pro to convert various graphics from BIT format to TIF format. The revised bit mapped graphics were simply imported with AS and were exact duplications of the originals. For those bit map images I tried, AS worked easily and swiftly to produce vector graphic-type images, even with my 486 computer. Also, I found the AS interface with my scanner trouble free, allowing me to use the scanning software for image editing and then acquiring the edited image exactly.

Needless to say, I didn't create any fancy first-rate graphics, which would take a lot of experience with AS and, more importantly, a great deal of artistic talent. But I do see this program to be a great adjunct for someone who is serious about producing these stylized computer graphics.