Adobe has today launched its Creative Suite 4 product family. The release, marked as the software vendor's biggest and most comprehensive, includes upgrades of 13 stand-alone applications, including Photoshop CS4, InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Flash CS4, Dreamweaver CS4, After Effects CS4, and Adobe Premiere Pro CS4.
Adobe labels Creative Suite 4 as "the most comprehensive creative environment ever delivered", and it'll be available in six various suites including the range-topping Creative Suite 4 Master Collection - available to order at a cost of $2,499.
As always, customers can choose from the suites on offer or full versions of all 13 stand-alone applications. But are the high price-tags worth the upgrade?
Areas of improvement include the user interface and under-the-hood performance. Adobe has attempted to unite the interface of all 13 apps, resulting in a seemless user experience filled with common menus and familiar options panels.
On the performance front, Adobe has introduced GPU and multi-core acceleration, as well as support for 64-bit operating systems.
Photoshop, arguably its most popular package, has been given a multitude of enhancements, including a content-aware scaling tool that automatically recomposes an image as it's resized.
Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer at Adobe, said:
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. 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.
It's a mammoth release, armed with hundreds of tweaks and time-saving features. For further information, including in-depth feature lists and technical details, head over to Adobe.com.
Official press release: Adobe Introduces Creative Suite 4 Product Family
