Adobe CS4 Suite is the next step in web and graphic design programming. It integrates the tools and functions of Adobe InDesign CS4, Photoshop CS4, Illustrator CS4, and Acrobat 9 Pro. There are several versions of this suite including two designer editions, two web editions, one production premium edition, and one master edition. Each version has selected tools and programs that are most practical for specific demographics, so users only have to pay for the tools that they want and need. In addition to the Adobe products mentioned above, the various Adobe CS4 Suites also come with a selection of added tools such as Adobe Bridge CS4, Adobe Device Central, Adobe Media Player, Adobe Version Cue CS4 and Adobe Dynamic Link.

Drawbacks of the Adobe CS4 Suite

Adobe CS4 Suite is a significant improvement over the Adobe CS3 Suite, regardless if you are a novice or professional web designer or graphic designer. However, it still has a couple of drawbacks. The first problem that has been reported about this software suite is its inability to dynamically allocate RAM. You will need to allocate RAM manually based on what your system has available, how much you are willing to sacrifice to the suite, and how much RAM you will need for the type of work you do with various graphic projects. For example, if you work with large scale, high pixel count images, then you will need to allocate more RAM to the Adobe CS4 Suite than if you work with smaller scale, lower quality images.

The second drawback of this product is that it can be difficult to learn, especially if you are working with Adobe Creative Suites for the first time. However, if you want to jump into graphic design and web design using Adobe CS4 Suite then it is highly recommended that you pick up an advanced user guide for the suite as well as a guide on Adobe animation. These references will make learning the Adobe CS4 Suite much easier to do. Also, it’s wise to take advantage of the multitude of online tutorials and video tutorials that are available on the Internet.

Advantages of the Adobe CS4 Suite

The Adobe CS4 Suite has been hailed by users of all levels as a dramatic improvement over the last edition. The first advancement offered by Adobe CS4 Suite over Adobe CS3 Suite is a brand new context-sensitive scaling tool. This tool is used to prevent warping and distortions of foreground objects when resizing your graphic. Another new tool added to the Adobe CS4 Suite is a depth-of-field tool. This tool helps you to bring all of your objects in a photograph into focus regardless of its position in the photograph.

Another new tool that was added is the adjustment palette. This addition places frequently used tools on a toolbar making them quicker and easier to access, which means no more searching through menus for the tools that you use the most. One of the advantages of this tool is that it now allows you to edit in layers. This means when you make an edit it creates a new layer, and preserves the integrity of the original image. You can then turn various editing layers on or off to create the effect that you want. This also allows you to flip back and forth between editing options without altering your original image and without having to save two graphics.

There are two new upgrades added to the Adobe CS4 Suite that will make creating and editing streaming elements much easier to do. The first is the Adobe Media Encoder. It is used for creating and editing streaming content, especially H.264 content. The second upgrade is the Adobe AIR, which allows designers to create and modify streaming content from their desktop, including transparent background applications.

One of the best advancements offered by Adobe CS4 Suite is the new integrated symbol definition program. In previous version of Adobe Creative Suite the user had to define all of the symbols that they used manually. The CS4 automates this process, which is a very valuable improvement for web designers. Another important upgrade to the Adobe CS4 Suite is the addition of the Create Motion Tweens tools. This tool automates the creation of tweens, or time span fluidity, for your interactive and streaming elements.

Overall Impression of Adobe CS4 Suite

Overall the Adobe CS4 Suit seems to be a great product that is worth its high price tag. Its upgrades are valuable and practical and its drawbacks are minimal. If you work with graphics or are interested in designing websites for personal or business use, then the Adobe CS4 Suite looks like a good buy.

Please share with us of your experience with Adobe CS4.