Creative Suite 4 Now Shipping!
Which Choice is Right for You?
There's never been much doubt in my mind that the first three releases of Creative Suite were a work in progress. The first version was really nothing but a collection of applications with one installer but with each new release things have become a bit more integrated.
CS2 saw the introduction of Bridge and with CS3 the Macromedia products were added and new suite combinations were made available capped off with the grand daddy of them all, the Master Collection. Additionally, the user interface become more recognizable from one application to the next.
In my mind however, the choices didn't always work for all customers and the Web vs Design debacle that forced folks to make the choice between InDesign and Fireworks when choosing between the almost identical Web and Design suites in CS3 was an example of poor marketing. The good news is that Adobe did listen to the complaints and corrected the situation with CS3.3 with the inclusion of Fireworks in the Design Premium package.
What's Included in What for CS4?
The suite choices are the same as CS3 but in name only; Design Pemium and Standard, Web Premium and Standard and Production Premium and Standard. The Production Suite focuses on motion graphics and sound and the Master Collection will also be availabe for CS4. Since I'm a print and web designer, I'm going to concentrate on the Web and Design suites and assume that if you're going to buy the Master Collection there's not a whole lot you need to know.
The Web and Design packages have become a bit more focused on their intended target. For the hard core web designer the Web Premium package contains Dreamweaver, Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Flash Professional, Fireworks, Contribute, Acrobat Professional and the newly added Soundbooth. There's no ambiguity here. This is a dream tool box for a dedicated web desiger.
But a lot of folks are crossover designers, designing for print and web. I happen to be one of them and I'm very excited to see that Creative Suite 4 Design Premium contains every program I could possibly use in my day to day work; InDesign, Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash Professional, Fireworks, and Acrobat Professional. This article would be incomplete if I didn't add that all suites include the nicely improved Bridge as well as Device Central.
Don't Need the Bells and Whistles? Standard Editions Will Do.
If you're only doing print design, the Design Standard package includes only InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and Acrobat Pro and for the web designer not interested in the vector tools of Illustrator or Acrobat Pro, the Web Standard package includes Dreamweaver, Flash Professional, Fireworks and Contribute. Read a bit further to see just how much (or little) you'll save by going this route.
Conclusion: Design Premium is the Clear Choice For Most
There's simply no contest here. Most designers do at least a little bit of crossover work between web and print and the Design Premium package has all the tools to handle the day to day responsibilities. Whether you're designing a high end brochure, designing a website or a even a banner add in Flash, it's all there for you.
What's the Bottom Line?
How can we talk about software without at least touching on the pricing and upgrade eligibility? Adobe hasn't always done a bang up job in explaining this very clearly so I'll give it whirl here.
If you're new to this, you're going to have to buy a full version of whatever software you need and the price for the Design Premium package is a hefty $1,799. If you're sure you can live without the web tools you can opt for the Design Standard suite but you'll only save $400 so think very carefully about it. For the majority of experienced designers however, there are highly discounted upgrades.
Upgrade and Upsell Eligibility
If you have a CS3 Design Standard or Premium license, the price to upgrade to the Creative Suite 4 Design Premium is $599.00. Considering the number of newly released applications it's quite a bargain. As above, if you don't want or need the web tools you can go with the Design Standard package and save yourself $200.
Until February 28, 2009, licensed owners of Creative Suite 1.x and Creative Suite 2.x or Macromedia Studio 8 and Macromedia Studio MX2004 will also be eligible for this pricing. On March 1, 2009 the price will increase by $200. If you're in this catagory keep an eye on the calendar.
An upsell version allows you to move up to the suite from CS and later versions of InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop or MX 2004 or later versions of Flash Professional and Dreamweaver. The list price for the upsell is $1,399 or $200 less than the full retail version.
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 CS4 from InDesign CS3, CS2, or CS. 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.