Adobe's CREATIVE SUITE 2: Domination attempt round two!
Written: May 27 '05 (Updated Mar 15 '06)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Integration, functionality, Bridge, PhotoShop, Acrobat Pro, CameraRAW, industry acceptance
Cons: Price, complexity, slightly overhyped, load times, resource hungry, Illustrator
The Bottom Line: Mostly carried by the power of Bridge, PhotoShop and Acrobat, CS2 is an excellent graphics suite.
|
|
|
| theuerkorn's Full Review: Adobe Creative Suite® 2 Premium Full Version ... |
Adobe didn't wait long to release an update of the relatively recent Creative Suite and certainly outpaced Corel's CorelDraw Graphics Suite and even Macromedia's Studio MX (design suite). However, it also carries a hefty price tag (even for upgrades) which raises the question: "How much do you get for the money?" Well, let's find out ...
CROSSGRADERs WELCOME
If you're like me, you can't dish out $1,100 easily on software, no matter what the scope of your work is. So I kept wondering how home users could afford (or justify) the $600 for a full version of Photoshop alone. Of course, there is other ways to bypass the money issue, but since I already paid for Corel's suite there was little incentive to leave the legal path. (Especially getting into paid contract work makes the use of pirated software a dangerous gamble.)
Anyway, it wasn't until Corel goofed up in revision 12 of their Graphics Suite and crippled tablet and VBA support (a know bug). While nobody is perfect, one year without any fix in sight finally pushed me over the edge to look somewhere else. I already used Macromedia Studio in parallel. Dreamweaver MX and Flash MX are indispensable tools. However, Fireworks MX never really appealed to me for standalone work, and Freehand is great but for my purposes doesn't match CorelDraw!, nor does Freehand MX fix the craving for better tablet support.
In the end, Adobe is a natural consideration -- maybe a little influenced by the extreme hype surrounding Photoshop. I mean pick up any magazine and try to find coverage of any other graphics program than Photoshop. It became a household name, even if some of the praise has no foundation in actual user data. Amazingly, people "drool" over Photoshop without ever having used it.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
Installation of CS2 is easy but also with 4 CDs one of the most involving of any graphics suite. The typical online registration is required to use it after a 30 day trial period -- but it's slightly more rigorous than both Corel and Macromedia.
Starting the software for the first time was combined with many mixed emotions. Load times are long, interface layout excellent but not very different from Macromedia or Corel. Bridge is a great tool that's easily overlooked but should be the first stop. It's great and hopes for the rest are immense. Starting up PhotoShop makes one thing clear: Similar is not the same and this beast needs some taming (getting used to) to quickly do the same things I know in the other packages. Then Illustrator added to the reality check, and made me realize that CorelDraw may still be used for quite a while. As the learning process goes on, I couldn't help feeling highs and lows when matching CS2 with my expectations.
Whether the price is right is certainly out for debate. However, professional strength color management and the excellent integration via Bridge are the most compelling arguments specifically for CS2. Add the Adobe-typical consistent user interface to the underlying powerful software and the suite is a winner -- it just may not be everybody's number one.
In the end it's still the most expensive package and with that in mind specifically Illustrator and somewhat GoLive fall short of expectations. Complexity makes it a recommendation for dedicated users only, and plain overkill for casual users (who might get frustrated by the steep learning curve). Not everybody needs Photoshop (check out the free "The Gimp 2.0) ... unless you're looking for bragging rights.
PREMIUM COMPONENTS
The premium package differs only slightly from the $300 cheaper standard suite. GoLive is not included in the standard version and Acrobat is reduced to the standard version as well.
Bridge: This may sound odd, but one of the greatest improvements in CS2 is the new "Bridge", at first glance a "simple" picture browser, but truly a central piece in working with CS2. From here you can browse and open any CS2 document and even setup the centralized color management for all Adobe applications. Invoking CameraRAW on multiple pictures without even opening Photoshop is just as easy as accessing the net to purchase online stock photos and even automate labor-intensive tasks across components. The rating system allows to mark each document with 1 to 5 stars, and later on simplify selection of the perfect version.
Stock Photos: Easy to use and a great resource, but mostly relevant for professionals since those pictures cost often ~$50 (6"x10", 72dpi) or even ~$300 (11"x17", 300dpi) each. With the right gear you may be better off creating some of it yourself. (At those prices even an EOS 20D is relatively quickly paid for.) However, the so-called comp picture (low resolution) is free to download and while intended as a space holder it may be suitable for some web applications (on-screen display). Note: Comp pictures are still copyrighted!
PhotoShop CS2: The workhorse in this suite and the single most regarded application in the Suite, Photoshop comes with a lot of advance credit. The first contact makes clear why, but further investigation shows that PhotoPaint and others aren't too far behind. Nevertheless, a wealth of plug-ins and workshops make sure that this software grows with your needs. Photoshop is in its own league with the included CameraRAW module and the extended 32 bit support. The new Vanishing Point filter allows placing elements in the right perspective and works really great. Where there is light there is also shadow. I am not too impressed with the object handling (generally also called layers in PS), as it can be complex (though in the end rewarding).
CameraRAW: Most amazing tool for digital photographers and very easy to use (for a change). Though technically integrated in Photoshop, it can invoked independently and pictures can be processed in batches with different recipes. Not only does it include noise reduction (luminance and color) but perspective corrections as well and the automatic function to guess exposure, shadow detail and so on is amazingly dead-on -- most of the time. (Exception: White balance can be iffy!) The offered lens correction addresses vignetting and chromatic aberration but no lens-specific presets are available (as in DxO) and camera specific settings are loaded automatically. Overall this is a great module and even outperforms the excellent Digital Photo Professional software provided by Canon, and even commercial software by PhaseOne and DxO in many ways.
ImageReady CS2: Is basically a customized Photoshop interface, with the most obvious difference being the preview mode (which reminds me of Fireworks) as well as internet browser preview. It further provides the easy creation of image maps. Why it's not directly integrated in Photoshop is somewhat mysterious to me, but then again, all those features I use out of Dreamweaver anyway.
Illustrator CS2: While offering great drawing tools, Illustrator is the weakest link in the suite, if it wasn't for the excellent tablet support (pressure sensitive). Other than that I am still having a hard time to find much of significance that isn't offered in CorelDraw! or Freehand. In fact, Illustrator feels handicapped for technical illustrations. Try including dimensions (as in technical drawings) and then compare with Corel to know what I mean. However, the mesh tool (to control gradients) and the chart tool soften this harsh verdict a little bit. It's powerful for many illustration tasks and the live trace (interactive conversion of pixel into vector graphic) is certainly worth mentioning (though the overall tracing doesn't match CorelTrace).
InDesign CS2: For a long time there was QuarkXpress and not much else (okay, maybe Pagemaker to some degree). InDesign is a slightly different approach and is gaining quickly in popularity. Breaking out of the standard box concept, InDesign offers strong features for page layout and apparently is meant to fill in for Illustrator, which lacks even an easy way to create multiple pages per document. The overall concept follows more the lines of a illustration program with added DPT features, and that's certainly improving on the limitations of a box-only design.
GoLive CS2: [Premium only!] Since I am already using DreamWeaver MX, I didn't explore this program in depth. However, it's powerful web development with great features in the planning stage (interactive site map) and the 100% graphical editor. At the same time code editing and database support is limited. Consider the standard suite if you already own Studio, or GoLive if integration with Photoshop is more important to you.
Acrobat 7 Professional: [Premium only!] Frankly, to me this is one of the most useful developments Adobe ever came up with. The ability to view documents the same way no matter if you're using a PC, Mac or Unix and totally independent from your printer settings too. It's so universal that at my work PDF is widely used for sharing documents and drawings for years. Anyway, the professional version sports one clever feature to allow others mark up specifically prepared PDF documents with the normal Acrobat Reader (7.x). In CS2 Acrobat is the basic format to share data between programs and users. Further, PDF finally seems to have replaced EPS as a professional pre-press format and even printers are now available to work with PDF. Ahhh, the power of standardization ...
VersionCue CS2: At first seemingly redundant with Bridge, VersionCue is geared mostly towards professionals and work groups. It's a MySQL based online database to provide version tracking with implicit versioning (independent from file names), search capabilities with online Adobe PDF reviews for collaborative reviews of Adobe PDF files with Version Cue CS2. The data base allows sharing files with others in a workgroup without fear of overwriting each other's work and track whether a file is in use and by whom in real-time. Very useful in work groups is also the update notification and simple project management functions, so nobody gets surprised anymore.
FACE-OFF: ADOBE vs. MACROMEDIA vs. COREL
Never mind this may be actually just between Adobe and Corel since Macromedia has recently agreed to the take-over offer from Adobe and basically becomes Adobe (in one form or another) mid 2005. What that really means to Studio MX is unclear at this point.
CorelDraw Graphics Suite: offers very competitive vector drawing with some even more advanced features than Illustrator. Especially technical illustrations are completed easier in CorelDraw than Illustrator, not to mention multiple pages and strong page layout tools. (Illustrator relies on InDesign for that purpose.) PhotoPaint is very similar to Photoshop and for most users the difference is in the handling. Even plugins are cross compatible from Photoshop. CorelTrace and CorelR.A.V.E. are unmatched in the Adobe suite. Corel's PDF creation is a little outdated but overall working okay. On the other hand, Corel lacks a control center (Bridge), webauthoring tool (GoLive) and DTP tool (InDesign). Further, Adobe's VersionCue has no equal in Corel nor Macromedia, but it's clearly aimed at professional workgroups only anyway. Applications in Corel's Graphics Suite aren't nearly as tightly integrated as Adobe's or Macromedia's offering. Corel doesn't cater to Macintosh users.
Macromedia Studio MX 2004: is the webdesign suite that's unmatched in many features by both Corel and Adobe. Dreamweaver MX is closely followed by GoLive, but in essence may be regarded the best webdesign program right now. Flash MX Pro is virtually without any competition (just like Adobe's Acrobat Pro). Freehand MX is quite a capable program and not too far apart from Illustrator and CorelDraw. Each has it's niche and Freehand fits the bill best for ... you guessed it ... webdesign. Fireworks is the only application that falls behind Photoshop and even PhotoPaint. However, its tight integration in Studio MX 2004 is great, just like the other components. Overall Studio MX doesn't appeal to print applications as much as it does for webdesign. For Macintosh users, both Adobe and Macromedia provide strong support of Apple's system.
Adobe Creative Suite 2: Best for print applications and when interfacing with professional studios, CS2 is carried by Photoshop, but the distinguishing points go more towards Acrobat, Bridge, CameraRAW and InDesign. With an industry standard defining interface (CorelDraw offers an optional Illustrator layout etc.), CS2 is very approachable but by no means easy to learn. The support of pressure sensitive tablets is best in Adobe. However, the lack of extensive Flash support and makes it slightly less recommended for Webdesign. Since Dreamweaver owns that crown anyway, it may be best to leave that to Studio MX for now.
All three contenders: are powerful graphics applications with their niche cut out for them. Acceptance in the industry is greatest for Adobe though, unless you're talking webdesign and than it's Macromedia. Now that they're one company, that may be an indication of upcoming domination across the board. ;-) However, don't dismiss Corel that easily! For the money, it's a great collection of tools and certainly more than most home users will ever need. Second in the price ranking is Macromedia, which you may have to consider anyway if webdesign (especially Flash) is what you do most. Technical illustration capabilities of Corel Designer are not matched by either suite -- with CorelDraw! coming the closest.
SUMMARY
Adobe's Creative Suite 2 is an awesome package that is pricey and a little bit overhyped, but it also delivers for the money -- most of the time. The integration is amazing and both Bridge as well as VersionCue are great little helpers to make your work more efficient.
However, complexity is significant and exceeds typical casual user applications by far. Those may be better of with more integrated solutions (I.e. Photshop Elements or CorelDraw Elements.) Specifically color management and press-related settings are often hard to understand for less involved users. Not to mention the layering techniques of Photoshop.
Many applications in this suite are well known and respected. While this is a reflection of the powerful functions built in to each of the components, it also discriminates the competing packages a little bit too much. Don't get me wrong, for printing applications Adobe CS2 is the package to use and professional printing services are much easier to work with if you "speak" their language -- in this case InDesign, Photoshop or Illustrator. For web design check out Studio MX before making a decision. If on a budget, Corel Graphics Suite offers excellent performance for a low price. Or simply check out "The Gimp" if all you need is a picture processing software like Photoshop -- for free.
© 2005, theuerkorn
ONLINE RESOURCES
- Corel Graphics Suite 12
http://www.corel.com/
- Adobe Creative Suite 2
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/main.html
- Macromedia Studio MX 2004
http://www.macromedia.com/software/studio/
- The GIMP 2.0
http://www.gimp.org/
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.