View source for Microsoft Blend

{{Short description|User interface design tool by Microsoft}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox Software
| name = Microsoft Blend
| logo = Blend_For_Visual_Studio_logo.png
| screenshot = Blend for Visual Studio screenshot.png
| caption = Blend for Visual Studio 2012 screenshot
| developer = [[Microsoft]]
| released = 
| latest release version = 2022 v17.13.5
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2025|3|25}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/releases/2022/release-notes#17.13.5|title = Visual Studio 2022 version 17.13.5 Release Notes}}</ref>
| latest preview version = 
| latest preview date = 
| programming language = 
| operating system = [[Windows 7]] and later<ref name=Microsoft-download-blend />
| platform = [[DirectX]]<ref name=Microsoft-download-blend />
| language = <!--Same as Visual Studio?-->
| license = Same as [[Visual Studio]]<ref name=insider-now_GA />
| website = {{URL|https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/}}
}}

'''Microsoft Blend for Visual Studio''' (formerly '''Microsoft Expression Blend''') is a [[User interface builder|user interface design tool]] developed and sold by [[Microsoft]] for creating graphical interfaces for web and desktop applications that blend the features of these two types of applications. It is an interactive, [[WYSIWYG]] front-end for designing [[Extensible Application Markup Language|XAML]]-based interfaces for [[Windows Presentation Foundation]], [[Microsoft Silverlight|Silverlight]] and [[Universal Windows Platform|UWP]] applications. It was one of the applications in the [[Microsoft Expression Studio]] suite before that suite was discontinued.

Expression Blend supports the [[Windows Presentation Foundation|WPF]] text engine with advanced [[OpenType]] typography and [[ClearType]], vector-based 2D widgets, and 3D widgets with hardware acceleration via [[DirectX]].

==History==
Expression Blend was [[project code name|code-name]]d ''Sparkle'', and originally the product was announced as ''Microsoft Expression Interactive Designer'', before it was renamed Expression Blend in December 2006.

On January 24, 2007, Microsoft released the first public [[Community Technology Preview]] of Expression Blend as a free download on their web site. The final version was released to manufacturing along with other Expression products on April 30, 2007. The RTM news was announced at Microsoft's [[MIX (Microsoft)|MIX]] 07 conference for web developers and designers.<ref>[http://blogs.msdn.com/expression/archive/2007/04/30/expression-studio-rtm-silverlight-news.aspx Expression Studio RTM news]</ref> Expression Blend Service Pack 1 was released in November 2007.<ref>[http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=a07196d1-971b-4710-99c8-d3d9603ccfcb&displaylang=en Expression Blend SP1]</ref> Expression Blend requires [[.NET Framework 3.0]]. Expression Blend and [[Expression Web]] are also available as part of the [[MSDN]] Premium subscription.

In December 2012, Microsoft announced that they were discontinuing the standalone Expression suite tools.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.i-programmer.info/news/90-tools/5236-microsoft-kills-expression-suite.html
| title=Microsoft Kills Expression Suite 
| publisher=i-programmer.info
| date=2012-12-21
| access-date=2013-06-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/12/microsoft-killing-off-expression-suite-of-web-and-design-tools/
| title=Microsoft ending development of Expression suite of Web and design tools
| publisher=[[Ars Technica]]
| date=2012-12-20
| access-date=2013-06-01}}</ref> Expression Blend was integrated into [[Visual Studio 2012]] and [[Visual Studio Express]] for Windows 8.

===Release history===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
|-
! Release
! Release date
! Highlights
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 2008-04-28||Support developing [[Microsoft Silverlight]] browser-based [[Rich web application|rich web applications]] providing [[animation]], [[vector graphics]], [[interactivity]] and [[video]] playback capabilities. Version 2.0 supported only Silverlight 1.0 applications at release and Microsoft had planned Blend 2.5 for Silverlight 2.0 applications, however the capabilities of the preview version 2.5 have been added to Blend 2.0 Service Pack 1.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 2009-07-22||Support for PSD and AI files, SketchFlow,<ref>[http://electricbeach.org/?p=214 SketchFlow Concepts: An Overview]</ref> TFS support and number of other significant improvements.  Sketchflow is a user experience prototyping module implemented in Blend.<ref>[http://electricbeach.org/?p=145 SketchFlow – Sketching and Prototyping in Expression Blend]</ref><ref>[http://electricbeach.org/?p=332 SketchFlow: A Bit of History]</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| style="text-align:center;" | 2010-06-07||Support for Silverlight 4 and WPF 4 while also remaining compatible with Silverlight 3 and WPF 3.5 SP1 applications.  Other improvements and additions: shapes library, improved Photoshop file support, added pixel shader effects, path layout, transition effects, ListBox item transitions, [[Model-View-ViewModel]] pattern support, additional Behaviors, conditional Behaviors, sample data from CLR classes, design time resource resolution, easing functions for WPF 4, cleaner XAML, and .ZIP support for projects and templates.<ref>[http://www.microsoft.com/expression/products/Blend4RC_Features.aspx What’s New for Expression Blend 4 Release Candidate]</ref> Support for Windows Phone 7 projects to Expression Blend 4 Release Candidate.<ref>[http://www.microsoft.com/expression/products/Blend4Beta_WindowsPhoneReleaseNotes.aspx Microsoft Expression Blend Add-in Preview 2 for Windows Phone Release Notes]</ref><ref>[http://www.microsoft.com/showcase/en/us/details/61ed7e86-0b1c-432e-a1fb-a882f95ec250 Microsoft Expression Blend 4 for Windows Phone video]</ref><ref>[http://www.microsoft.com/expression/products/Blend_FAQ.aspx Blend FAQ]</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 2012
| style="text-align:center;" | 2012-08-15||Name changed to "Blend for Visual Studio 2012". Released alongside the Windows 8 & Visual Studio 2012 RTMs. Includes support for WPF version 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5, Silverlight 4.0 and 5.0, SketchFlow, and Blend tools for Windows 8.<ref name=insider-announcing>{{cite web|last=Arthur|first=Erik|title=Announcing Blend + SketchFlow Preview for Visual Studio 2012|url=http://blendinsider.com/technical/announcing-blend-sketchflow-preview-for-visual-studio-2012-2012-08-15/|work=Blend Insider|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=26 April 2013|date=15 August 2012}}</ref><ref name=insider-now_GA>{{cite web|last=Schormann|first=Christian|title=Available Now: Blend for Visual Studio 2012|url=http://blendinsider.com/technical/available-now-blend-for-visual-studio-2012-2012-08-15/|work=Blend Insider|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=26 April 2013|date=15 August 2012}}</ref><ref name=Microsoft-download-blend>{{cite web|title=Download: Blend + SketchFlow Preview for Microsoft Visual Studio 2012|url=http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30702|work=Download Center|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=26 April 2013|date=15 August 2012}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 2013
| style="text-align:center;" | 2013-10-17||Released alongside Visual Studio 2013 RTMs
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 2015
| style="text-align:center;" | 2015-07-20||Released alongside Visual Studio 2015 RTMs<ref name="Microsoft VisualStudio blog 2016-06">{{cite web|title=Visual Studio 2015 RTM|url=https://www.visualstudio.com/en-us/news/vs2015-vs.aspx|work=Visual Studio News|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=20 June 2016|date=20 July 2015}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 2017
| style="text-align:center;" | 2017-03-07||Released alongside Visual Studio 2017 RTMs<ref name="Microsoft VisualStudio blog 2017-03">{{cite web|title=Visual Studio 2017 RTM|url=https://www.visualstudio.com/en-us/news/releasenotes/vs2017-relnotes|work=Visual Studio News|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=8 March 2017|date=7 March 2017}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 2019
| style="text-align:center;" | 2019-04-02||Released alongside Visual Studio 2019 RTMs<ref name="Microsoft VisualStudio blog 2019-04">{{cite web|title=Visual Studio 2019 RTM|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/releases/2019/release-notes|work=Visual Studio News|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=8 April 2019|date=1 April 2019}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 2022
| style="text-align:center;" | 2022-04-19
|Released alongside Visual Studio 2022 RTMs<ref>{{cite web|title=Visual Studio 2022 RTM|url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/releases/2022/release-notes|work=Visual Studio News|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=14 March 2023|date=1 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|}

==See also==
*[[Glade Interface Designer]]
*[[Interface Builder]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Microsoft Expression|state=open}}
{{.NET_Framework}}
{{MS DevTools|state=collapsed}}
{{GUI builders}}

[[Category:Microsoft Expression products|B]]
[[Category:User interface builders]]
[[Category:2007 software]]