Adobe unleashes Creative Suite 3 product line

As previously revealed by AppleInsider, there are six all-new configurations of Adobe Creative Suite 3. These include, 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.

The majority of Adobe Creative Suite 3 editions will be available as Universal applications for both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs and support Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista. The San Jose-based Adobe promises increased levels of performance and speed running the software suites natively on Intel-based Macintosh systems and the latest Windows hardware.

“Creative Suite 3 is the biggest launch in Adobe’s 25 year history and a milestone for the creative industry,” said Bruce Chizen, chief executive officer at Adobe. “This release reflects the powerful integration between Adobe and Macromedia and how our products bridge the gap between designers and developers. With new workflows that streamline collaboration and impact the development of rich content, designers and developers now have the creative license to engage audiences across virtually every medium.”

Customers will be able to choose from the six all-new suites or individual full version upgrades of 13 stand-alone applications, including Photoshop CS3, Photoshop CS3 Extended, InDesign CS3, Illustrator CS3, Flash CS3 Professional, Dreamweaver CS3, Adobe Premiere Pro CS3, and After Effects CS3.

Each edition of Adobe Creative Suite 3 integrates different configurations of Adobe's creative products to serve a breadth of design needs: Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium delivers an essential toolkit for print, web, interactive and mobile design while Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Standard focuses on professional print design and production. Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium combines the leading web design and development tools and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Standard serves the professional web developer. Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium, meanwhile is a complete post-production solution for video professionals. Lastly, Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection combines 12 new creative applications in one box, enabling customers to design across all media—print, web, interactive, mobile, video and film.

With the Creative Suite 3 family, Adobe is increasing its focus on mobile development and the delivery of video rich content. Noting that Flash technology is emerging as a leader for the mass distribution of video across the Internet, the software developer said its making its video technologies available, cross-platform, to any creative delivering rich media experiences. In addition, a new common suite component, Adobe Device Central will be aimed at boosting the productivity of creative professionals who develop content for mobile handsets.

Other shared features across the product line included an updated version of Adobe Bridge CS3, the hub of Adobe Creative Suite, providing instant access to Version Cue CS3, Acrobat Connect, and an expanded Adobe Stock Photos service.

To celebrate the unveiling of Adobe Creative Suite 3, Adobe will host a launch event in New York City that will be webcast live on today at 3:30 p.m. EDT.

Pricing and Availability

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 for Mac OS X on Intel-based systems and for Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista platforms will begin shipping worldwide in the third quarter of 2007. All configurations will be available through Adobe Authorized Resellers and the Adobe Store. Estimated street price for the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium is US$1799, US$1599 for Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium, US$1699 for Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium, and US$2499 for Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection. There are numerous upgrade paths available for Adobe customers. For more detailed information about features, upgrade policies, pricing, and international versions please visit: www.adobe.com/go/creativesuite .