Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Mac
- $59
The company will offer only one version of Adobe Acrobat 9 for Mac users, a Professional version, sources said. The company is discontinuing the Standard version on the Mac with the next release. However, Windows users will still have the option of choosing the Standard or Professional version of the product.
In this exclusive preview, a seasoned Acrobat user takes a look at what features Adobe claims are fresh in the release, what has really changed, and whether the new version is worth the price of upgrading.
What’s New in Acrobat 9
The short answer: surprisingly little. Adobe has renamed some features that have been around for quite some time, added a few enhancements to existing features, and baked in other features previously available from third party developers. Overall, my initial impressions are that Acrobat 9 falls far short of groundbreaking.
While Adobe lists many features as “new”, most of them are little more than existing features in a new wrapper, or features you could buy from third-party developers as plug-ins to Acrobat. Here’s a comprehensive list of what Adobe is touting as new along with my take on it:
Include Flash content in PDFs
Adobe has enhanced the support for multimedia files created in the .swf format. This is an enhancement of an existing feature in Acrobat 8.
Add comments to videos
If you use Adobe video editing products, you know that you can comment and annotate video frames using PDF annotations. Acrobat adds this capability. While it is cool, I don’t see too many production houses or movie studios rushing to adopt Acrobat as a result of this enhancement, and the average user doesn’t generally want to add a sticky note to a particular frame of a movie.
PDF portfolios
This renamed feature was called Packages in previous versions of Acrobat. It does have an updated interface, and some splashy graphics allow you to cycle through the various PDF files that are housed inside of the PDF portfolio. You can change color schemes, so the portfolios can be more customized and look more visually appealing. The core functionality of merging together multiple PDF files remains unchanged from previous versions.
Convert paper documents to PDF
This feature has been around since version 3 of Acrobat, so there is nothing new here except a new engine powering the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) of scanned text, which can help make scanned PDF searchable.
Convert web pages to PDF
Another long-time feature that has been around for more than a decade. It never worked very well, so if they’ve finally gotten it to function correctly, it’s difficult to justify charging users to upgrade.
Compare PDF documents
Another feature that surfaced way-back-when, is also being listed as new. The only thing new about this feature is that it now sports a wizard to walk you through the process, and the end-product report showing what has changed has been updated slightly.
Search across multiple PDFs
While the interface is slightly modified, search capabilities are basically unchanged from version 8 to version 9.
Use Acrobat.com for shared reviews
Acrobat 9 adds the capability to use Adobe’s servers to facilitate the review of PDF files. You can upload the file to be reviewed to Acrobat.com, and then reviewers can download the file and add comments to it. This will be great for small business owners who need to facilitate reviews with users, but large business are unlikely to send their sensitive data to Adobe’s servers for hosting.
Collaborating in online meetings
Adobe will launch alongside a new version of Connect, which was previously known as Breeze under the Macromedia brand. ConnectNow is described by Adobe as “a personal web-conference tool, to conduct real-time meetings on your desktop.”
This feature already exists in Acroabat 8, and except for the new name, it remains little more than Adobe’s way of trying to nudge your into their Connect product, hoping you will use it instead of products such as LiveMeeting, WebEx or GotoMeeting.com.
Use Acrobat.com to upload and share large documents
This is a new feature, and lets you use Adobe’s server in place of an FTP server. The cool thing is that it works from both the paid version of Acroabt and from the free Adobe Reader. Large business that are security sensitive may not like to share their files on Adobe’s servers, but this will certainly be appealing to many smaller businesses.
Collaborate Live
A real-time review and chat session lets you share your document with others, once again using Adobe’s servers to host the sharing.
Electronic forms
Acrobat 9 will also let you create PDF forms and convert scanned documents to PDF. Acrobat 8 already automatically recognizes form fields. As such, Adobe has simply updated the interface and made it a more refined step-by-step process to change the way forms are created.
Collect form data
You can now route your form data through Adobe’s servers, making it easier to collect data from PDF forms that you have distributed. But, like many “new” features, this has been available for many years from a third-party software developer, Form Router. Adobe’s implementation works only with PDF forms, while Form Router’s lets you work with all types of forms such as HTML or Info Path. It’s a great feature for small to mid-sized businesses, but large corporations are not likely to want their form data sitting on Adobe’s servers.
Track forms
If you share a form, you can determine who has completed and returned it. This could be useful for HR departments or compliance forms that require completion from a larger group.
3D
Adobe has added a 3D Reviewer to combine multiple CAD formats into one PDF file for reviewing. With Acrobat 3D sales being slow, and Adobe needing to drop the price of its stand-alone Acrobat 3D product, it is no surprise to see these features added here.
View and interact with PDF maps
Adobe appears to be eying Google Maps and Microsoft Virtual Earth. They’ve added the ability to search, measure, and mark up geospatially-enabled PDF maps. This feature had been available through a third party developer for a number of years, and Adobe has now built it into Acrobat.
Redaction
Acrobat 8 added redaction features that were essentially a copy of those available from third-party plug-in developer Appligent. Acrobat 9 expands these features by borrowing from InDesign, allowing it to find things like patterns of Social Security numbers and permanently remove them from a PDF file. Lawyers and courts can get this feature much less expensively by sticking with the current version of Acrobat and getting the plug-in from Appligent.
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Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4) Master Collection
- $149
The Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection is made for professionals who need a jam-packed toolbox for multimedia content creation. There are applications for concocting and editing digital pixel and vector graphics, print layouts, video, web pages and animation, and then repurposing that content for mobile devices. Those who don’t need the whole thing might consider suites that cost less, such as Web Premium or Standard for web design, Design Premium or Standard with tools for printed media, or Production Premium for film.
The release of Adobe Creative Suite 3 in 2007 was the first to incorporate former Macromedia products, such as Flash. With Creative Suite 4, Adobe has unified the interfaces of all the applications for a more seamless experience. The Flash-based panels within CS4 are more nimble than its predecessors, and handy pull-down menus with preset styles enable you to shift among work space layouts quickly.
You’ll need powerful hardware to run the heavy - duty CS4 applications: Users of Windows XP SP2 or Vista must have a processor of at least 2GHz, or 3.4GHz for working with high-definition video. Photoshop now natively supports 64-bit Vista, while Premiere, After Effects, Soundbooth, Encore and OnLocation are certified for 64-bit Vista.
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Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4) Master Collection MAC
- $149
Create visually rich content for virtually any media - print, web, interactive, video, audio, and mobile - using the tightly integrated tools and services in Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection software. From producing printed pages to distributing engaging content online, on film, on air, and on device, you get the ultimate design environment to keep pace with your imagination. New features enable students and faculty to review projects live online. New curriculum and community technical support help faculty implement programs that enable students to build the skills they need to excel in today’s competitive workforce.
Combines:
InDesign CS4
Photoshop CS4 Extended
Illustrator CS4
Acrobat 9 Pro
Flash CS4 Professional
Dreamweaver CS4
Fireworks CS4
Contribute CS4
After Effects CS4
Premiere Pro CS4
Soundbooth CS4
OnLocation CS4
Encore CS4
Top reasons to upgrade to Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection
More speed and control in everyday design tasks - Catch production errors on-the-fly with Live Preflight and manage placed files more efficiently with the newly customizable Links panel in Adobe InDesign CS4. Zoom in on images more smoothly and rapidly than ever, and rotate your canvas to any angle in Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended. Combine multiple artboards in a single document in Adobe Illustrator CS4. And do more with dozens of other enhancements that help you deliver the design work you do today, faster.
New dimensions in image editing - Use the indispensable tools in Photoshop Extended as a starting point in any medium: Apply the revolutionary new Content-Aware Scaling to automatically recompose an image as you resize it, smartly preserving vital areas of the image as it adapts to new dimensions. Paint, composite, and animate 3D models using familiar tools. Enhance video footage, even syncing visual effects to an audio track.
Rich interactive documents - Export a dynamic presentation or interactive brochure as a SWF file with interactive buttons, hyperlinks, and unique page transitions, such as curl, wipe, dissolve, and fade. Or, combine the page layout strength of InDesign and the authoring power of Adobe Flash CS4 Professional to customize rich interactive documents. For example, export an InDesign layout as an XFL file and open it with full visual fidelity in Adobe Flash Player. Then add sophisticated interactivity, animation, and navigation in Flash to produce engaging online experiences.
New animation controls for richer online experiences - Simplify the creation and updating of animations with Flash CS4 Professional without losing creative flexibility. Apply tweens directly to objects instead of to keyframes with greater control over individual animation attributes. Use the new 3D translation and rotation tools to animate 2D objects on x, y, and z axes in 3D space. Create more natural animated interactions between linked objects or distort a single shape using the new Bones tool.
Easier interactions with complex web pages - Design and develop more sophisticated websites with new Live View in Adobe Dreamweaver CS4, which features interactive code editing. Use the new Related Files and Code Navigator features to dive deeply into complex pages that include HTML files, link to external JavaScript documents, and integrate XML data. Update your code in the associated files, and then review changes in the master document’s Design view.
Exceptional productivity in video post-production - Move content among Adobe After Effects CS4, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, Soundbooth CS4, and Encore CS4 with unparalleled efficiency, so you have more time to craft your vision. Expanded Adobe Dynamic Link enables you to link content between components, so you can see updates without rendering.
Direct-to-disk recording and tapeless workflows - Shoot footage directly to disk from nonfile-based cameras with redesigned Adobe OnLocation‚Ñ¢ CS4, which now runs natively on Windows and Intel based Mac OS systems. Import and natively edit a wide variety of tapeless formats–including AVCHD, P2, and XDCAM EX–without transcoding or rewrapping in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4.
Project intelligence with XMP metadata - Capture valuable XMP metadata from your camera, and accumulate key information throughout the production process for intelligent media management. Use new Speech Search technology in Adobe Premiere Pro and Soundbooth to turn spoken dialog into metadata, making it easy to find particular clips and your video assets searchable online.
Intuitive audio - Amplify your impact in your video, film, and online interactive projects with Soundbooth CS4. Multitrack recording capabilities, a visual approach to professional audio editing, and tight integration with Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Flash, and Encore, make Soundbooth a valuable addition to your creative work.
PDF collaboration - Communicate effectively with clients, colleagues, and others using Adobe PDF files. Add video and audio created in Flash to PDF files for smooth playback in Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro and Adobe Reader 9 software. Quickly export interactive web prototypes from Adobe Fireworks CS4 to PDF for client review. Embed video into PDF files for clients to add timecode-specific comments, and then view those comments mapped to an Adobe Premiere Pro timeline. Package documents in dynamic PDF Portfolios with customizable interactive navigation.
Top reasons to buy Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection
Ultimate creative toolset - Design across media using a comprehensive, integrated creative environment. Work deeply in one discipline, such as print, web, video, or audio, and then move your skills and content to another medium efficiently. For example, export rich interactive documents from Adobe InDesign as SWF or PDF files or as XFL files that you can open and edit in Adobe Flash. Or, import live Adobe After Effects compositions into Adobe Flash to add interactivity.
Industry-leading graphic design tools - Create eye-catching vector graphics in Adobe Illustrator CS4, produce powerful digital images in Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended, and lay out visually rich long and short documents for print and digital delivery in InDesign. Showcase design work in dynamic, customizable PDF Portfolios, and prepare PDF files for high-end printed output.
Efficient creation of websites, applications, and digital experiences - Prototype and create leading-edge digital experiences, including interactive websites, applications, user interfaces, presentations, and mobile device content, using Adobe Fireworks CS4, Dreamweaver CS4, Flash, and many other tools in Master Collection. Exchange creative content between designers and developers without rework.
A complete pre- and post-production toolset - Work with a highly efficient pre- and post-production toolset to do video and audio editing, still and motion graphics, visual effects, and interactive media design, and then deliver for film, broadcast, and DVD as well as Blu-ray Disc and mobile authoring.
New dimensions in image editing - Use the indispensable tools in Photoshop Extended more efficiently: Pan and zoom on images more smoothly and rapidly, rotate your canvas to any angle, and resize images without distortion or pixelation using revolutionary new Content-Aware Scaling. Paint, composite, and animate 3D models using familiar tools.
Rich animation - Produce animations for virtually any screen with the utmost control in After Effects, or create rich interactive animations with new easy-to-use, object-based controls in Flash.
Cutting-edge web technologies and industry standards - Prototype in Fireworks and build standards-based websites and applications in Dreamweaver, whether you’re working with client-side HTML/XHTML, CSS, and XML; server-side application languages like Adobe ColdFusion, ASP, and PHP; or advanced JavaScript and Ajax. Get consistent cross-browser-compatible results with virtually any development platform.
Project intelligence with XMP metadata - Track, manage, automate, and extract more value from your design and video assets by embedding XMP metadata as you create your projects. For example, use new Speech Search technology in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 and Soundbooth CS4 to turn spoken dialogue into metadata, making it easy to find particular clips as you edit and your video assets searchable when posted online.
Collaboration with clients and colleagues - Access the Adobe ConnectNow service to review creative ideas online in real time with colleagues or clients. Find answers to technical questions with Adobe Community Help. Share color harmonies online with Adobe Kuler. Access improved Resource Central to find new assets, and quickly find news and inspiration in Bridge Home.
Mobile designs for millions - Deliver compelling content to mobile subscribers worldwide. Use Adobe Device Central CS4 to create, preview, and test mobile content easily on an extensive selection of devices under simulated real-life conditions directly from your desktop.
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Adobe After Effects CS4
- $69
After Effects, the popular post-production tool for video professionals, offers numerous workflow improvements for the CS4 release. Echoing its partner CS4 applications, these improvements include pull-down menus for flipping among various workspaces and easily resizable panels.
In addition, you can search timelines and projects. For example, typing “PSD” within a search field will bring up Photoshop files related to your project. That time-saving improvement alone might be worth the upgrade price for a well-funded production studio. Plus, there’s XMP metadata support for managing assets.
Working with 3D imagery expands, as you can import Photoshop Extended 3D layers into After Effects. Plus, 3D compositing gets more control with a Unified Camera tool for viewing every angle, as well as independent animation of X,Y and Z frames.
Creative Suite 4 integration also includes the capability to export layered After Effects work in the new, XML-based XFL format for Flash CS4. You can also import FLV media.
Joining some 250 effects, the new Cartoon option gives an anime look and feel to live footage, similar to what you may have seen in films such as Sin City and Waking Life. Bilateral Blur is supposed to soften the edges in scenes without losing details around edges. The Turbulent Noise Effect is built for whipping up clouds, fog, and flames without needing stock footage.
Adobe is bundling Imagineer Systems’ Mocha for After Effects CS4, for tackling advanced 2.5D planar motion tracking.
The options in After Effects expand to work with the latest video formats, including P2, XDCAM, EX, and XDCAM HD, as well as web applications. Adobe Device Central continues to broaden the number of mobile device skins with which you can preview your projects.
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Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 Portable
- $49
The Dreamweaver CS4 Web Design Software from Adobe is a powerful web development tool that allows you to work with HTML, XML, and CSS data in either a code-based or a powerful visual-based interface. The software features tools that help you better develop “best practices” web sites that are compliant with web standards. Dreamweaver seamlessly integrates with Fireworks, Flash, Photoshop, and Illustrator, making it a crucial component for a powerfully streamlined web development workflow
Features & Benefits
CSS Layouts and Management
Dreamweaver includes an impressive array of tools for working with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Dozens of professional CSS layout templates are included, complete with instructions on how to modify them to suit your needs. The software allows you to work with CSS code snippets that can be shared among different projects.
CSS Advisor
The CSS Advisor analyzes your code to identify common issues with how certain web browsers render CSS pages. The Advisor links to an online development community hosted by Adobe. Not only does this ensure that CSS bugs are up to date, the Advisor community offers fixes and workarounds to help you get your page working correctly in all web browsers
Spry Framework for Ajax
Dreamweaver’s Spry widgets put the power of Ajax coding in your hands; without the need for extensive programming knowledge. You’ll be add interactive features to your Web 2.0 applications and pages. Spry features widgets for tabbed panels, menu bars, accordions, collapsible panels, and more.
Visual XML Authoring
Dreamweaver features a visual interface for working with XML data, including RSS web page feeds. This allows you to more easily see how your XML code will appear on the web. You can even jump back and forth between the visual editing of XML and code-based editing, giving you extreme flexibility in the way you work
Background File Transfer
The background file transfer feature allows you to synchronize the web site you are working on with the live copy on your server while you work. This allows you to continue to make changes and enhancements to your site even as files upload
Powerful User Interface
Dreamweaver features a powerful user interface that allows you to zoom in and out of your web page to get a better idea of how it will operate in a live environment. Layout guides are also available to help you make your web site design more visually appealing. A coding toolbar helps you add common code snippets to your design and you can even visually expand and collapse code blocks to help you concentrate on the task at hand. All this is brought together in a workspace that features completely customizable layouts, letting you configure the software to best suit your preferences.
Device Central
Device Central is designed to help developers create applications for display on mobile phones, PDAs, and other portable devices. Device emulators will show you exactly what your project will look like on a specific mobile device, going so far as to emulate its processing power and memory. You’ll be able to control the application using a clickable interface that reproduces buttons and controls on emulated device. The included library of devices is limited to those that support Flash Lite.
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Adobe Fireworks CS4 10.0 Multilingual
- $69
Fireworks CS4, Adobe’s dedicated web graphics application, finally becomes a fully paid-up member of Adobe’s flagship suite with CS4 and gets a complete interface overhaul, too.
It’s not just the interface, though – Fireworks CS4’s whole working approach has been streamlined. Improved guide handling and the introduction of interactive Smart Guides makes positioning and sizing objects far easier. And to ensure consistent object appearance you can choose from a range of style sets, while the Redefine Style command lets you update object formatting globally.
To ensure total consistency between objects you need to use symbols, and here Fireworks CS4 offers simple in-place editing, support for nesting and automatic updating. Smart Guide alignment, style updating and advanced symbol handling are so central to efficient web page production, it was embarrassing that Fireworks didn’t offer them before – but they’re here now.
Fireworks CS4 also goes back to basics when it comes to its new design power. The core Rectangle tool has been reworked to enable nine-slice scaling of rounded corners. The Text tool has also been re-engineered and is now based on the core Adobe text engine, while the Attach in Path command lets you create text block shapes and runaround effects.
For those who still prefer to work up their design ideas in Photoshop, the new Photoshop File Open dialog and support for editable text and image slicing makes a big difference. As soon as you’ve imported your PSD, you’re immediately ready to export the image slices and HTML/CSS necessary to recreate your graphical layout as a fully-functioning page. Thanks to improved CSS handling, those web pages are also more efficient.
There’s also the option to output multi-page prototypes as interactive PDFs. And you can now output a prototype to a cross-platform desktop-based AIR package. That makes Fireworks CS4 ideal for rapid prototyping, but there’s one major disappointment. Though you can output individual images to FXG there’s no support for XFL, which would allow you to open prototypes directly in Flash.
That aside, this new version of Fireworks sees the program pushing forward strongly on all fronts, with the future looking bright – a refreshing sight when just a few years ago development had all but stalled.
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Adobe Indesign CS4
- $69
InDesign CS4, the latest version of Adobe’s high-powered desktop-publishing app, is slick, elegant, and just plain cool. But its long-document features need polishing.
The most spectacular addition to InDesign is Live Preflight: on-the-fly-error checking with a panel for accessing, creating, and managing preflight profiles. The “live” part of this feature means that as soon as you choose a profile, the document is constantly checked for violations of the profile’s parameters (for example, line weights that are too thin or images whose resolution is too low). Hopefully, the warnings will save you from generating a document that flunks preflight. The feature is exceptionally useful for production environments where consistency (or lack of it) can mean missing a date at the printer.
Most of the improvements to the CS4 version revolve around Flash. InDesign can now create interactive Flash documents that conform to the original layout and export documents in two Flash formats, SWF and XFL. SWF files can be viewed with Adobe’s Flash Player both on and off the Web. XFL (short for Flash CS4 Exchange Format) is new and is basically used to import files into Flash Pro CS4 for refinement. Unfortunately, exportation strips hyperlinks and multimedia objects (audio and video) out of the file.
For those who don’t need Flash-based presentations or XML, CS4 still offers a few improvements and enhancements. Like the other components of CS4, the interface now sports tabbed documents, a context bar, and a workspace switcher. The new Links panel makes it easier to sort, locate, navigate to, and edit external file links.
Taking a leaf from Adobe’s own FrameMaker, InDesign now supports conditional text that can be shown or hidden, depending on output requirements—a great way to generate multiple copies of a document meant for different audiences (wholesale/retail price lists, French/English terms, and the like).
FrameMaker’s cross-references are also now a part of InDesign. This feature is useful for cross-referencing page numbers, tables, and blocks of text in books that see a great deal of editing and reflow. InDesign’s feature is quite powerful, displaying information about the referenced destination and letting you generate context-sensitive information (for example, “See page 123 in chapter 7″).
Our favorite new feature is Smart Text Reflow, which brings InDesign out of the desktop-publishing Dark Ages. We’ve never understood why such a powerful program was incapable of automatically adding pages and text frames to accommodate text. Unfortunately, InDesign automatically deletes pages and text frames if you cut the text. Setting up a document to use this feature can drive you crazy if you don’t plan ahead. And the program still isn’t smart enough to add an extra blank to create even-page chapters, asFrameMaker can.
The last significant additions are the new automated style features, which allow character styles to be applied on a line-by-line basis. In addition, you can apply GREP Expression styles (styles based on pattern searches) within a paragraph style as well. For example, you can search for telephone numbers and apply a specific character style to them.
Among the little tweaks is a Smart Cursor that displays coordinates, dimensions, and the degree of rotation when passed over an object. The new Smart Guides and Smart Align functions are really spectacular, making it a breeze to match spacing, size, and rotation of nearby objects. And there’s now a Rotate Spread view that flips the display 90 or 180 degrees.
Even with all the new bells and whistles, there are a few too many gotchas. Backing text out to Word files is, quite plainly, a disaster. When InDesign didn’t crash (and it did for all but the simplest short documents), the resulting files took hours to restyle correctly. The indexing feature also requires considerable extra work in order to produce an accurate document. InDesign can’t easily scroll through single pages (instead of spreads), and its style dialog boxes need to be laboriously opened and closed instead of being modeless, as they are in FrameMaker. Plus, help is now entirely Internet-based, which could present problems for mobile workers.
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Adobe Photoshop CS4 Portable
- $49
This is a special edition of the popular tool Adobe Photoshop. There are many useless features removed, so that the application requires less RAM and loads up to 75% faster.
Hancock Special Edition Tweaks:
- Editted Resources to make the Loading 75% Faster
- Removed 25 Langauges from EULA
- Removed Adobe Registration
- Removed Adobe Rem Dialog
- Removed RAM Scan on Start-up
- Modify’d ~RAM.dll To make it work faster on 1GB RAM users
- Made Portable
- Added All Regular Photoshop folders (Such as Brushes, Prests etc)
- Added SFX Installer
- If you downloaded any older version, or other portable versions, just remove Adobe_Epic folder in App\Photoshop folder , So you dont have to accept the License anymore
Masks panel:
Quickly create and edit masks from the new Masks panel. This panel offers all the tools you need to create editable pixel- and vector-based masks, adjust mask density and feathering, easily select noncontiguous objects, and more.
Content-Aware Scaling:
Use the new and revolutionary Content-Aware Scaling feature to automatically recompose an image as you resize it, smartly preserving vital areas as the image adapts to the new dimensions. Get the perfect image in one step without time-intensive cropping and retouching.
Extended depth of field:
Easily create a single image from a series of shots that have different focal points with the enhanced Auto-Blend
Layers command, which smoothly blends color and shading and now extends your depth of field, automatically correcting vignettes and lens distortion.
Auto-alignment of layers:
Create accurate composites with the enhanced Auto-Align Layers command. Move, rotate, or warp layers to align them more accurately than ever before. Or use spherical alignment to create breathtaking panoramas.
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Adobe Premiere Pro CS4
- $99
Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 has made improvements throughout the process of video production, starting with video acquisition. The included OnLocation application provides a dedicated environment for recording DV, HDV and DVCPRO footage direct to disk from any FireWire-equipped camera. Its interface has been given a major CS4 overhaul and now provides access to the field monitor, waveform and vectorscope from a single screen. The handling of metadata has also been improved, making it simpler to manage multiple takes, add comments and flag up footage.
Such tapeless workflows are made even more efficient by native support for AVCHD, Panasonic P2, Sony HDCAM and HDV cameras. A new Media Browser panel also makes importing footage easier, as you can view assets on internal and external hard disks.
Editing within Premiere Pro CS4 has also improved. Assembling sequences is faster and more flexible thanks to multiple track targeting and track sync controls. You can quickly apply transitions and effects to multiple clips, copy and paste transitions and save multiple effects as re-usable presets.
The new Transcribe to Text command converts dialogue into time-coded speech metadata. Using the Metadata panel you can then navigate your footage quickly by jumping to a particular word. The quality of the transcription depends on factors such as ambient noise, the number of speakers and accent. In fact, for most casually captured footage the system is practically useless. However, for simple talking head projects, transcription can work reasonably well, and you can easily clean up the text in the Metadata panel. The real strength of speech search is that the transcript can be saved as XMP metadata, which makes it available to Adobe’s own Media Player and to search engines. Making web video text-searchable could prove a must-have feature.
Premiere Pro CS4 benefits from tighter integration with Adobe’s other Creative Suite applications, in particular when importing Photoshop’s PSD format files. You now have advanced control over layers and full support for blend modes - ideal for special effects - and embedded video layers. You can cut and paste text from other CS4 applications to Premiere Pro CS4’s Titler, retaining the font and style.
The benefits of integration are even more apparent when it comes to output. Premiere Pro CS4 includes both Adobe Media Encoder and Adobe Device Central CS4. This means you can output to multiple screen sizes at once and use onscreen device emulators to see how they will look. Premiere Pro CS4 also includes Encore CS4, a standalone authoring application that lets you create menu-based wrappers for your video, complete with pop-up panels. You can then burn them to DVD or Blu-ray discs, or output them to Flash-based Shockwave files for online delivery.
There’s no doubt that Premiere Pro CS4 and its supporting applications provide a highly integrated and feature-packed production environment - and that’s even more true of the Production Premium suite, which includes After Effects and Soundbooth as well as Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash. This multiple-application workflow-based approach is essential for full-time professional teams, but it’s overkill for the rest of us. Even serious standalone film-makers can save themselves a lot of time and money by using Premiere Elements or Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum instead.
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Adobe Soundbooth CS4
- $54
Adobe Soundbooth CS4 software gives web designers, video editors, and other creative professionals the tools to create and polish audio, customize music, add sound effects, and do much more.
Detailed Features
Recording and mixing audio clips
Record high-quality mono or stereo audio files, and work on more than one file at a time. Match the volume levels within a single clip or for multiple audio files.
Adobe Creative Suite integration and workflow
Jump directly into Adobe® Soundbooth® from within other Adobe Creative Suite® components: Adobe Flash® CS4 Professional, Adobe Premiere® Pro CS4, or Adobe After Effects® CS4. Adobe Sound Document (ASND) files can be easily shared with Flash Professional, Adobe Premiere Pro, and After Effects.
Soundbooth Scores and sound effects via Resource Central
Access product-related news and tutorials using the Resource Central panel (Internet connection required). Jump-start projects with Soundbooth Scores and sound effects offered online.
Fast audio cleanup
Use powerful, sample-accurate tools to cut, copy, paste, fade, and stretch audio assets. Intuitive on-clip tools make common edits remarkably easy, and visual feedback keeps you informed at every step.
Improved Soundbooth Score workflow
Easily locate and preview Soundbooth Scores in Resource Central. Select a Soundbooth Score and customize it to match your project. Combine, mix, or match multiple scores on a single track or on multiple tracks.
Visual tools for healing sound
Use tools like those in Adobe Photoshop® software to visually identify, select, and remove individual sounds from a revealing spectral display of your waveform.
High-quality audio effects
Enjoy a library of audio filters to help you achieve your own sound, including reverb, echo, EQ, time and pitch stretch, distortion, chorus, and more. Combine effects to individualize your sound using the Effects Rack.
Fast mastering and vocal improvement
Use streamlined mastering tools to polish your audio files, clarify vocals, and give them punch.
Looping tools
Create loops more easily with automatic beat detection. You can adjust the in and out points by individual beats and adjust the minimum and maximum frequency, as well as the beat detection sensitivity.
System Requirements:
1.4GHz or faster processor for DV; 3.4GHz for HDV; dual 2.8GHz for HD*
Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 (Service Pack 3 recommended) or Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1 (certified for 32-bit Windows XP and 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista)
1GB of RAM; 2GB for HDV and HD playback
10GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on flash-based storage devices)
1,280×900 display with 32-bit video card that supports OpenGL 2.0
DVD-ROM drive
Microsoft DirectX– or ASIO-compatible sound card
QuickTime 7 software required to use QuickTime features
Broadband Internet connection required for online services
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