This is the big one, the first Adobe web software suite with the Macromedia apps—not counting the transition package we’ve had over the last several months. Adobe has finally put their mark on the Macromedia stable of apps.

[1] Adobe Systems announced the release of its CS3 Web Standard and Web Premium packages, combining components of the Design Collection with Macromedia’s Studio 8 suite. It’s an impressive pair of packages, with a lot of software. Here’s the lineup:

• Flash CS3 Professional
• Dreamweaver CS3
• Photoshop CS3 Extended (not included in Web Standard)
• Illustrator CS3 (not included in Web Standard)
• Fireworks CS3
• Contribute CS3
• Acrobat 8 Professional (not included in Web Standard)

CS3 Web Premium will appeal to designers and creative pros who use the full gamut of graphics and web design software out there. For those who don’t need as much image processing features, CS3 Web Standard will do fine—it includes Fireworks CS3, which itself has been improved for this launch.

CS3 WEB PREMIUM

[2]

Click the box art to view at a larger size.

For users of Macromedia Studio 8 combined with Adobe’s CS2 applications, the CS3 Web Premium package will be very familiar. Contribute CS3 is the only new application; Freehand is out of the picture (my sources at Adobe say 70% of Flash users were using Illustrator anyway for their vector graphics). The selling points for the new CS3 combination:

• Better integration. You can now import native Photoshop and Illustrator files into Flash and Dreamweaver (you can even paste Photoshop files right into Dreamweaver!).
• Flash CS3 developments. Flash is one of the most updated apps in the entire Creative Suite 3. ActionScript 3 is the big development, a whole new iteration of the programming language that powers Flash and its interactivity. An example of Adobe synergy is the new Pen tool in Flash, which now operates the same as in Illustrator (the standard for pen-based vector drawing).

Flash can now convert animations on the timeline into pure ActionScript.

• Photoshop CS3 Extended. Most current users could get away with Photoshop CS3 Standard, which closely resembles Photoshop CS2. However, having Photoshop CS3 Extended opens up new possibilities in three-dimensional graphics (I’ve seen a demo of this, and it is awesome), cloning (the Clone Source palette allows cloning across video frames) and many other little tweaks that make it a great upgrade.
• Illustrator CS3’s integration with Flash. I know from experience that in years past, moving vector graphics from Illustrator to Flash could be less than easy. Now that Adobe owns both applications, those difficulties have been removed completely. There’s a very robust Import dialog box that can bring native Illustrator graphics into Flash with a maximum of control and minimum of fuss. I’ve seen this in action too, and it’s smooth. You can even set Illustrator text to be one of Flash’s three text types (static, dynamic or input) and Flash will recognize it.

Native Illustrator files are now much more integrated with Flash and Dreamweaver.

• Dreamweaver CS3, Ajax and Spry. Like Flash CS3, Dreamweaver CS3 is one of the most radically revised apps in the suite. All the Adobe technologies you’ve seen coming out of [3] Adobe Labs is now bearing fruit—and a prime example is Spry, Adobe’s framework for easily creating Ajax effects and functions. Spry widgets and effects allow snap-together user interfaces, effects and page transitions that are spectacular but easy to use and render.

The Spry widgets toolbar allows easy implementation of Ajax technology.

• Adobe CSS Advisor. This is a layout and not a part of CS3, but it’s important nonetheless. It’s a repository of CSS knowledge designed to help you make the most of Dreamweaver CS3 (which offers CSS layout templates for the first time).
• Compatibility with the latest operating systems.The Adobe Creative Suite apps are finally Universal Binary, which means they work great on Intel Macs. Adobe also made sure they worked well with Windows Vista (as if they didn’t see that one coming…)

For pricing and upgrade information, go to the bottom of this article.

CS3 WEB STANDARD

[4]

Click the box art to view at a larger size.

Imagine the package described above, but without Illustrator CS3, Photoshop CS3 and Acrobat 8 Professional. That’s CS3 Web Standard. I find the omission of GoLive a sign that it has gone the way of [5] LiveMotion. The strengths of Flash and Dreamweaver alone keep this package robust, and the inclusion of Fireworks CS3 keep this a viable alternative for web designers who aren’t into designing the graphics or PDF publishing. Some things to note about Contribute CS3 and Fireworks CS3:

• Fireworks CS3 is much more impressive. I think Adobe realized that, in order for Fireworks to remain viable, it had to become something more than an image editor and optimizer. It has now become a good tool for conceptual web graphics and output. Layers can now have multiple levels, similar to Photoshop’s layer structures. 9-slice scaling keeps elements of web graphics from distorting during scaling. And its ability to build multiple pages in one document and share graphics between layers (or not) makes it a great prototyping tool. Of course, it is fully integrated with both Photoshop CS3 and Illustrator CS3.
• What can Contribute CS3 do for you? Contribute, a simple app that makes webpage editing easy for non-designers, is something you will have a use for—or not. It depends on if you have a website you want clients or colleagues to edit when you can’t. Adobe has gotten smart and integrated Contribute with Microsoft Office—the new Contribute toolbar shows up in Office apps and allows users to publish a webpage or blog entry without leaving Office. Flash Video support is also new, so users aren’t confined to text and images anymore.

PRICING AND UPGRADES

The CS3 Web Premium package is $1,599 straight up. If you want to upgrade, it gets complicated:

$499 for users of:

• Macromedia Studio MX, MX 2004 or 8
• Adobe CS 1.x or 2.x (Standard or Premium), EXCEPT
• Adobe Creative 2.3 Premium, who can upgrade to CS3 Web Premium for $340

$1,399 for users of:

• Adobe Photoshop 7.0 through CS3 Extended)
• Adobe Illustrator 10 through CS3
• Macromedia Flash MX+ through Adobe Flash CS3 Professional
• Macromedia Dreamweaver MX through Adobe Dreamweaver CS3

The CS3 Web Standard package is $999, and a $399 upgrade for users of:

• Macromedia Studio MX, MX 2004 or 8
• A copy of Dreamweaver PLUS a copy of Flash (MX, MX 2004, 8 or CS3)
• If you have a copy of Dreamweaver OR Flash (but not both) the upgrade price is $799