One of the biggest changes users will notice is the implementation of a new tabbed interface in CS4 applications. Adobe has included in all its applications the ability to use tabs, so that you can have multiple tabs open simultaneously, although all of them are limited to a single window.
Files and objects can be shared between tabs by clicking and dragging to drop them onto a new tab. Of course, if the use of a multi-window based interface in the style of previous Adobe products is preferred, it is still an available option.
The main products released as part of CS4 are Photoshop, Photoshop Extended, InDesign, Illustrator, Flash Professional, Dreamweaver, After Effects, and Adobe Premiere.
The new tabbed interface is present in all CS4 applications.
If there is anything consistent throughout Creative Suite 4, it is integration. Adobe has integrated its Flash multimedia application across all CS4 applications. The company is also focused on integrating common functions into other applications as part of an effort to make professional users more efficient.
As Chad Siegel, group product manager for Adobe Creative Solutions points out, “One of the things we are determined to do is help users express their ideas. We are not just providing the tools, we are creating a platform that allows them to express themselves in new ways. “
Siegel has indicated that Adobe has spent a great deal of time with its customers, observing what they do on a day-to-day basis. Isolating workflow-related issues from a variety of professional users has allowed the company to focus on the needs to be met by CS4.
According to Siegel, Adobe has focused on four key aspects throughout its application suite: effective collaboration between designers, developers, workflow specialists, and professional creative clients and their clients; support for mobile devices and new media; the use of new media; and the monitoring, management, automation and value derived from digital assets.
To enable collaboration Adobe now offers a suite of online services on Acrobat.com to enable designers and clients to create and share documents. Groups also use Adobe ConnectNow for online meetings on the web and sharing their computer screen. This provides designers the opportunity to get immediate feedback and make necessary changes to a design without the need to send documents to clients and wait for their return.
On the mobile platform side, the applications throughout the suite are more integrated with Adobe Flash, allowing designers to use the SWF format on mobile devices.
The ability to use new media has been a critical factor for many of the companies Adobe has been talking to since the release of the previous Creative Suite.
CS4 includes an expanded version of Dynamic Link in the Production Premium suite, allowing users to move content between After Effects CS4, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, Soundbooth, and Encore, so updates can be viewed instantly without the need for render them previously.
Other new tools like Photoshop’s content-sensitive scaling let you automatically recompose an image as its size is changed, preserving vital areas as it adapts to your new measurements.
Adobe has also made some major changes to collaboration and sharing options in CS4. Adobe ConnectNow is accessible from InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Extended CS4, Flash CS4 Professional, Dreamweaver CS4, Fireworks CS4, and Acrobat 9 Pro, enabling real-time collaboration between two colleagues or clients.
Adobe Kuler, a web-based application for generating color themes, is now available from InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Photoshop CS4, Photoshop Extended CS4, Flash CS4, and Fireworks CS4, and can be shared by designers. Kuler is available to users of standalone applications or suites.
Adobe Creative Suite 4 will be available in October. Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium will have a guide price of 1,200 EUR and includes InDesign, Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Flash Professional and Fireworks; Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium will have a guide price of 1,100 EUR and will include Dreamweaver, Flash Professional, Fireworks, Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Soundbooth, Acrobat and Contribute; and Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium will be priced at $ 1,200 and includes After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Flash Professional, Soundbooth, OnLocation and Encore.
Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection will be priced at $ 1,700 and includes InDesign, Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Flash Professional, Fireworks, Contribute, After Effects, Premier Pro, Soundbooth, OnLocation, and Encore.
Web: www.adobe.es
