With the release of Creative Suite 3, Adobe has completed the largest software release in the company’s history. This release also sees the integration of the Adobe and Macromedia brands and products into a tightly integrated suite.
Creative Suite 3 comes in six configurations, covering the spectrum of creative professionals. The configurations are Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium and Design Standard editions; Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium and Web Standard editions; and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium. Rounding out the product line is Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection which combines 12 of Adobe’s new design and development applications in a single box.
Standalone application upgrades are also available if you choose to upgrade the applications individually. Upgraded applications in the suite include Photoshop CS3, Photoshop CS3 Extended, InDesign CS3, Illustrator CS3, Flash CS3 Professional, Dreamweaver CS3, Adobe Premiere Pro CS3, and After Effects CS3.
While the individual applications have a host of new features, Adobe said they actually spent a lot of time simplifying the applications and how they work together. Adobe also kept its new users in mind when developing the Creative Suite 3 applications. With Flash behind two of the most popular sites on the Internet—YouTube and MySpace—Adobe recognizes that new users are not the same as the traditional designers they have been catering to for the last number of years.
Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium and Standard and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium and Standard will begin shipping in April 2007. Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection will begin shipping worldwide in the third quarter of 2007.