CompuServe Messages

I create 35mm slides for corporate presentations for a living. I create them on the Macintosh using, primarily, FreeHand, Persuasion and PhotoShop as well as 3DStudio for the odd 3D illustration. Any non-trivial slide is created with FreeHand, very simple slides are created with Persuasion. I use Photoshop mostly to acquire and clean up images from my scanner. With respect to FreeHand (V4.0b) I do not use some of the "most important" recently introduced features such as multi-page documents, and OLE. However, I liked the introduction of Boolean operations. I don't use the multi-page document feature because I often have to find old artwork to modify it and I find this a lot easier if every slide has its own, descriptive file name. I don't use the OLE feature because I am sceptical that any software manufacturer can pull off such a relatively complex feat of software integration without severe problems. Since I create slides, which are continuous-tone RGB files, I also have no need of any of the color separation features. To try and answer your question more directly I'm sure that I use less than half of all the features available in most of the programs I use regularly (even daily). There are two things I would like to add to put this statement into context: 1) In no way do I feel that FreeHand is in any way "bloated" even though I do not use all its features. If they offered a "lite" upgrade that cost half the price but left out features (even those I don't use) I wouldn't go for it. I like to try out all the new features in each upgrade even if I only end up adding one or two of them to my Standard Operating Procedure. 2) I use 3DStudio to produce high resolution, still images for 35mm slides. I have never made a penny using its animation capabilities. Net-rendering, VTR control, FLC formats, IFLs, etc. are all entirely irrelevant to my professional life. I may seem absurd, but I would not have bought 3DStudio if it was not able to do animation. Why would I want to pay so much money for something I don't use? Basically because I am inherently interested in graphics, 3D and otherwise, and am willing to pay for features that I don't need or don't make money from to further my education, stay on top of industry trends, anticipate what my job will be like 5 years from now, and a number of other reasons.