As anticipated after the release of Acrobat X last fall, and quick on the heels of the February announcements about the upcoming release of QuarkXPress 9, Adobe has announced a significant upgrade to its Creative Suite portfolio, the enhanced version 5.5.
Major changes are based around Adobe’s stated objective to ‘Create, Deliver, and Monetize’ for any device, with support for mobile apps, browser content, as well as digital magazines and collateral. This includes updates to the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, which was announced late last year. This suite is designed to simplify and allow for the easy integration of the steps in a digital publishing production workflow. It is meant to allow publishers to create and produce content, while also providing subscription and fulfillment. The services also include reach analysis, and targeting – offering publishers insights on how their readers interact with content and advertising.
The ‘Enterprise’ version of the Digital Publishing Suite has been available since March 23, the ‘Professional’ version will be available when CS 5.5 ships later this spring.
According to Adobe, there are currently over 200 titles available through its digital publishing service, including National Geographic, Reader’s Digest, and Wired magazine, making Adobe one of the leaders in offering rich media titles.
Interactive
In version 5.5, Adobe is supporting the latest Web standards, including HTML 5 and CSS 3. As well, Adobe has updated Flash Professional to include improved ability to publish out to multiple devices, across multiple platforms, with minimal hands-on changes to code. As well there are improved abilities to debug files.
The latest version of InDesign is designed to extend the ability for designers to incorporate interactivity, making it easier to incorporate movies, build slideshows – the use of hand gestures to flip through a slideshow, pan images, rotate objects 360 degrees. It makes it easy and straightforward for designers to create these interactive final files through selectable options.
Mobile Content Creation
In addition to producing content for mobile devices, the new release continues Adobe’s move to enabling creation on those devices. With their existing Apps, Adobe claims 2 million users for Adobe Ideas, an Illustrator-like tool, and 20 million users for Photoshop Express.
This latest release adds an interesting new Photoshop Software Developers Kit (SDK), to allow third-party developers to design applications for mobile devices that will allow users to connect and interact with Adobe applications.
Adobe announced ‘Adobe Eazel’, a watercolor painting app that uses gestures and finger touch to change colours, mix and paint. Users can change size of brush and paint, colour bleeds – water colours dry and interact. As well there is ‘Adobe Color Lava’, an app to allow users to mix and build new colours, load them into swatch sets, and change the active colour in Photoshop. There is also ‘Adobe Nav’, an app that allows a tablet to be used as a touch screen to access the navigation tools in Photoshop.
Video
Adobe also continues their ongoing development of tools for video editing. The latest edition of Premiere Pro includes updates to the ‘Mercury Playback Engine’, from CS 5. This tool runs native in 64-bit, and takes advantage of multicore processors, and GPU-acceleration to provide improved editing across a wider range of hardware – including some laptops.
Another welcome feature is the ability to use embedded time codes in sound files captured with auxiliary devices, to ‘auto merge’ and sync the clips.
The Warp Stabilizer is a new feature that can automatically scale and rotate handheld shot footage, to make it look smooth and more professional.
Subscription Model
Also new with CS 5.5, Adobe will now offer consumers the ability to purchase software through monthly subscriptions. Prices start at US$19 per month (Photoshop is US$35), and users get access to the latest version for a much smaller up-front fee. Annual subscriptions can be converted into a purchase as well. The software requires periodic access to the Internet, in order to verify that the account is current.
Adobe has developed this solution in a test market, and expects it will allow its software to be used in situations with freelance or contracts, as well as non-creative professionals, marketers, small business owners and managers.
Adobe CS 5.5 will be shipping in May. Pricing and exact shipping date are to be determined. CP
