RECOMMENDED

VERDICT InDesign CS4 boosts productivity, adds advanced long document functionality and enables screen-based publishing via Flash.

InDesign is the central application in Adobe’s publishing vision taking text and images and combining them as multiple page publications ready for output on paper. And now on screen.

RECOMMENDED

VERDICT New gradient handling, vector painting, rich formatting and – at last – support for multiple pages/artboards.

Adobe Photoshop / Extended CS4 review

RECOMMENDED

VERDICT An excellent release that reworks Photoshop’s core colour correction capabilities making them even more productive and powerful.

Adobe Photoshop is universally recognized as the most powerful photo-editor available, but Adobe isn’t resting on its laurels. With Photoshop CS4, Adobe is determined to make the best even better.

RECOMMENDED

VERDICT Adobe builds on its print strengths to take its rich design mission online.

It’s easy to forget these days, but Adobe began life developing software and fonts for imagesetting machines. Things have moved on considerably, but Adobe’s core focus and strength remains in publishing.

VERDICT With its incorporation of Flash-based media handling and new integration with Acrobat.com, the Acrobat platform fully embraces the internet age – at last.
Adobe Acrobat made its public debut back in 1991 and the PDF (Portable Document Format) it introduced was intended to become the universal format for design-rich, cross-platform electronic communication. The launch of the World Wide Web in the same year forced Adobe to radically revise its plans, but the Acrobat platform survived and eventually prospered by making itself indispensable to a whole host of workflows: documentation distribution, forms handling, secure exchange, searchable archiving, document review, commercial print and so on.

VERDICT New photo, 3D, text and web capabilities together with multiple page support and Xara’s unbeatable speed and price.
When Xara first appeared, back in 1995, it transformed the world of computer-based illustration. What made it revolutionary was that it was the first program fast enough to mix vector and bitmap handling in real time so enabling drawing software to move into new photorealistic and artistic territory. While never conquering the mainstream, Xara’s sheer speed, and the creative strengths that flow from it, have won the program many loyal fans over the years. So what does this latest release add to the mix?

VERDICT Impressive and accessible real-time 3D animation power at an excellent price.
If you assume that producing a 3D-based movie demands a film studio with dozens of professional 3D artists working with expensive cutting-edge technology and massive render farms, perhaps you should think again.

VERDICT Improved handling of animation and lighting and new XRef support add to Cinema 4D’s existing strengths.
Cinema 4D has made its name - and repeatedly won recommended awards - by offering professional 3d modelling power at an affordable price. However what really makes the program stand out from its rivals is its comparative ease of use.

RECOMMENDED

VERDICT: Improved recording capabilities, richer design and interactivity and deeper integration with PowerPoint see Captivate build on existing strengths.

Adobe Captivate is a Flash-based solution for computer-based training (CBT). The use of Flash provides an immediate and massive advantage as it means that Captivate’s output is automatically viewable by anyone with the Flash player installed – roughly 98% of users with an internet connection...

RECOMMENDED

VERDICT: A new interface, smart albums, guided editing and photo merging but comparatively little to boost core efficiency.

Organizing and enhancing thousands of digital photographs is a time-consuming task and the digital camera owner needs dedicated help to make the process as productive and enjoyable as possible...