Adobe Announces Creative Suite 4

Adobe Systems has announced the Adobe Creative Suite 4 product family, a new release of the company's design and development software for virtually every creative workflow.

Adobe officials said Adobe Creative Suite 4 helps smooth workflow among developers and designers, and the software suite includes enhancements in the company's print, Web, mobile, interactive, film and video production offerings. Company officials called Adobe Creative Suite 4 Adobe’s biggest software release to date. It includes Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design editions, Creative Suite 4 Web editions, Creative Suite 4 Production Premium, Creative Suite 4 Master Collection, as well as 13 point products, 14 integrated technologies and seven services.

Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection CS4 combines virtually all of Adobe's new design and development applications, technologies and services in a single box.

“Designers and developers are shaping the way that people consume information, share ideas, sell products, tell stories and create memorable experiences—in print, online and via mobile handsets,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer at Adobe, in a statement. “Whether you’re creating a rich Internet application, a video or a best-selling magazine, Adobe Creative Suite 4 delivers powerful cross-media technologies that have the ability to elevate products, brands and ideas above the clutter.”

With Adobe Creative Suite 4, users can choose from six suites or full version upgrades of 13 stand-alone applications, including Photoshop CS4, Photoshop CS4 Extended, InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Flash CS4 Professional, Dreamweaver CS4, After Effects CS4 and Adobe Premiere Pro CS4.

InDesign CS4 includes a new Live Preflight tool that allows designers to catch production errors and a newly customizable Links panel to place files more efficiently, the company said. The new Content-Aware Scaling tool in Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended automatically recomposes an image as it is resized.

Meanwhile, Flash CS4 Professional now offers the ability to apply “tweens” to objects instead of keyframes, providing greater control over animation attributes. Also in Flash, the new Bones tool helps create more realistic animations between linked objects.

Also, Adobe Creative Suite 4 expands access to services available to creative professionals and developers who want to collaborate online, the company said. Adobe ConnectNow, a service of Acrobat.com, can be accessed from InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Extended CS4, Flash CS4 Professional, Dreamweaver CS4, Fireworks CS4, and Acrobat 9 Pro, allowing real-time collaboration with two colleagues or clients, company officials said. Designers can also share color harmonies with Adobe Kuler, which is now accessible from within InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Extended CS4, Flash CS4 and Fireworks CS4.

Other online resources include: Adobe Community Help for technical questions; Resource Central for accessing video and audio product-related news and tutorials, as well as Soundbooth scores, sound effects, and other stock media; and Adobe Bridge Home, a customizable resource for tips, tutorials, news and inspirational content.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 and its associated point products are scheduled to ship in October 2008 with availability through Adobe Authorized Resellers and the Adobe Store at adobe.com/go/gn_store.

Moreover, Adobe Flash Player 10 is available in beta as a free download from Adobe Labs at adobe.com/go/astro with general availability expected by the end of the year, the company said.

“Adobe Flash technology continues to revolutionize expressiveness on the Web while Creative Suite has become the industry standard for the creation and delivery of online experiences that delight audiences and customers worldwide,” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe, in a statement. “Having impact on the Web is essential for any brand, product, company or organization that wants to remain vital and Adobe Creative Suite 4 has the tools to make the Internet the primary communication channel for any idea or message.”

Meanwhile, “With the next generation of tools in Creative Suite 4 and Device Central CS4, Adobe empowers creative professionals to bring great new content to a broad set of mobile platforms,” said Gary Kovacs, vice president and general manager of Mobile and Devices at Adobe. “Device Central CS4 dramatically simplifies the testing process and reduces production time to bring rich and consistent end-user experiences to hundreds of the latest device models worldwide.”