Which Adobe Design Software Should You Buy?
Update (September 3): CS4 Details Will Be Coming Soon
Update (September 23): CS4 Details Can Be Seen By Clicking Here
On September 3, Adobe began promoting the September 23 webcast announcing Creative Suite 4. Once all of the details are available this page will be updated. In the mean time, if you're still interested in CS3, read on.
Click here to learn how you can view the webcast and come on back after watching to see my thoughts on CS4.
It seems that with every new release of its flagship Creative Suite software, Adobe makes the choices more complicated than they need to be. So, I'm going to try to make it a bit easier for you decide by giving you a brief overview of those choices.
Let's get the big one out of the way first. For those with an unlimited software budget and an insatiable desire to learn every facet of web print and video, there's the grand daddy of all design software, the Creative Suite Master Collection which has just about every program Adobe sells.
I'm going to make the assumption that if you've decided on the Master Collection, you don't really need too much in the way of advice. Of course, I always stand to be corrected, so please let me know if that's the case. Keep reading if you're still concerned about upgrade eligibility.
Being a print and web guy myself, I'm going to focus on the choices for like minded individuals which really leaves us with four choices, Design Premium, Design Standard, Web Premium, and Web Standard. We'll look at the Premium Suites first.
Web Premium vs. Design Premium:
InDesign or Fireworks?
The original CS3 release caused quite a stir amongst designers who were involved in both print and web. While the two suites were practically identical (each contains Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Acrobat 9 Professional, Flash, and Dreamweaver) the Web suite shipped with Fireworks while the Design suite had InDesign.
This forced many designers to make a decision on buying one suite and then purchasing a full license to either Fireworks or InDesign. This injustice has been corrected with the release of Design Premium CS3.3.
In addition to Acrobat 9 Professional replacing version 8, Fireworks is also included. However, the Web Premium package still doesn't have InDesign so if you need InDesign and Fireworks, the Design Premium suite is the obvious choice.
Standard vs Premium
With the addition of Fireworks to the Design Premium Suite, that package gets my highest recommendation. That said, I understand that some of you want to save a few bucks (keep reading to find out just how much) by purchasing the standard suite. If you do, here's what you'll be missing out on. While you'll still get Photoshop, you'll only get the standard version as opposed to the extended version. If you can live without some 3D and video feature and you know you'll never need Flash or Dreamweaver, then go for it and save yourself $200.
But if you have any thought at all of moving between print and web, don't skimp now. You'll be very sorry later.
Full Retail Version? Upgrade? Upsell? What's the Difference?
This is the thing that seems to trip up many folks because Adobe simply doesn't do a very good job explaining upgrade eligibility. I'll try to give you brief idea here.
A full retail version has no past purchase restrictions. You buy it and install it and you're good to go. But if you're already an Adobe software user you have some choices to make. If you already own one of the earlier suite versions (CS or CS2 premium or standard) you are eligible to purchase CS3.3 Design Premium or Design Standard Upgrade. The Adobe suggested price for the Standard Upgrade is $399 and the price for the Design Premium $599.
An upsell version allows you to move up to the suite from InDesign CS2, CS, 2.0 or Photoshop CS2, CS or 7.0. You'll save $200.00 off the price of the full versions.
Can I Upgrade Just One Program in the Suite?
In a word, no. Don't be fooled by the wording on Adobe's site saying that you can upgrade to InDesign CS3 from InDesign CS2, CS or 2.0. If your copy of InDesign is part of a suite installation, Adobe doesn't consider that an InDesign license, they consider that a suite license. You must upgrade the entire suite.
If It Sounds Too Good To Be True, It Is...
I'm well aware of the fact that software is expensive. I've only hit on the U.S. prices here. In other areas of the world it's far worse. But please, don't get sucked in by the claims of OEM versions or other assorted come-on's claiming that you can save 80% or more off the price of the software.
These are scams, plain and simple. Not only will you have purchased pirated software, but you will have provided your credit card information to thieves.
If they'll steal from Adobe, Microsoft, Corel, and other major software vendors, they certainly won't think twice about stealing from you.
...With One Possible Exception
If You're A Student or Educator, Please Read This
Like most software companies, Adobe sells highly discounted versions of its programs to eligible students and teachers. Don't cheat yourself out of a great deal if you're eligible. While details vary from country to country, in North America, if you're eligible for academic versions, you're even allowed to use it for commercial work.
Note: Commercial work is prohibited in the cheaper student editions. These versions are usually sold directly by schools and serial numbers are obtained electronically via the web from Adobe.
Because the rules vary, it's important to check with Adobe before using any of these versions for commercial purposes.