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[Multimedia software]
Tuesday 23rd September 2008
Adobe unveils Creative Suite 4 features and pricing 7:44AM, Tuesday 23rd September 2008
Adobe has unveiled Creative Suite 4, the latest version of its renowned applications for cross-media publishing.

It will be available in October in the same suite configurations as its predecessor, though Web Premium now includes Soundbooth. Fireworks was added to several bundles at the release of Creative Suite 3.3.

Photoshop includes a Content-Aware Scaling tool that recomposes an image as its dimensions are changed. It also leverages the Mac's graphics processing unit for better performance. The Extended edition has new 3D painting and compositing features, such as painting directly onto models.

InDesign adds live preflight checks and makes it easier to manage multiple versions of a document as one with Conditional Text, which marks up text with a context. Cross-media publishing is made easier with XFL export that takes layouts into Flash to add interactivity to online editions.

Motion tweens in Flash are now object based and keyframes in animation are automatically retimed whenever the duration is changed, whlie the Motion Editor adds an After Effects-style grid to animate several attributes alongside
 
 
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each other. Flash's repertoire is extended to inverse kinematics with the new Bones and Bind tools.

The new Related Files bar in Dreamweaver keeps track of the the parts of compound documents. The new Code Navigator provides a direct route from elements to any attached style, and Live View integrates WebKit so you can see the impact of code changes without launching a browser.

Fireworks now handles layered Photoshop and Illustrator documents, and its prototyping credentials are expanded with the ability to export AIR applications and interactive PDFs.

Video editors now benefit from a native Mac version of OnLocation rather than having to run it under Boot Camp. Premiere Pro natively edits Red, P2 and various other footage without transcoding and includes a new version of Encore DVD, which remains one of the few Mac applications to output to Blu-ray.

Our reviews of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Bridge can be found in the 26 September issue of MacUser. Reviews of Flash, Device Central and Production Premium's video applications will follow in the 10 October issue.

Creative Suite 4 is scheduled to ship in October. The estimated street prices (excluding VAT) are:

Master Collection for £1969
Production Premium for £1409. Upgrades start at £515.
Design Premium for £1249, Upgrades start at £515 (Design Premium) and £355 (Design Standard).
Web Premium for £1195. Upgrades start at £455 (Web Premium) and £315 (Web Standard).

More detailed upgrade policies and pricing is available from Adobe's website.

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