Documents may offer sneak peek at Adobe's plans for Creative Suite 6
A series of documents tied to a recent Adobe client survey suggest the next generation of Creative Suite (Adobe CS6) could include 64-bit versions of Illustrator and Flash Professional, as well as new image enhancing additions to After Effects. [Update: the existence of this survey has now been corroborated several times over.]
The documents provided to AppleInsider this week accompanied an online survey conducted by Adobe this month, in which some features of the next-gen Creative Suite 6 were discussed.
Adobe's Creative Suite software is typically updated every 12 to 18 months. The previous release, Creative Suite 5, shipped last April with 64-bit support for Photoshop, Premiere Photo and After Effects.
Parts of the survey, shown below, included descriptions of Adobe's entire line of Creative Suite products, though much of the material provided is marketing speak identical to previous version of the software. However, certain specific items labeled as 'New Features' in CS6 were also a part of the material.
The portions of the survey that claim to offer a summary of new features in CS6 have been summarized and included below.
Illustrator CS6
The documentation claims that Illustrator CS6 will include 64-bit support for the software, though it does not indicate whether that support is for Windows machines only, or if it will be extended to the Mac.
The new Illustrator would also allegedly include various user interface enhancements, such as scrubby sliders, the ability to edit layer names directly in the panel, and a "dark" mode similar to After Effects.
Other features listed in the documentation include:
New Pattern Creation mode which simplifies pattern creation and editing.
The ability to apply gradients to strokes in 3 different ways.
A new vectorization tool that creates clean vector artwork from images
Automatic corner generation for pattern brushes.
Faster, more fluid workflows for web and interactive design.
Integration with Maestro and CS Review.
Flash Professional CS6
The documents claim that a new Flash Professional for CS6 will bring 64-bit support to the Mac, bringing the software up to speed with its Windows counterpart. Other features claimed in the documentation include:
Usability and performance enhancements on a wide range of platforms and devices
New properties to visually create complex, real-world timeline animations that are editable in Flash Professional.
Tooling improvements for optimizing content creation.
Photoshop CS6
"With new breakthrough capabilities in Adobe Photoshop CS6 software, you can push your photography in new directions, design across screens, and increase your productivity," the alleged survey reads. It lists features of Photoshop CS6 as;
Infuse your stories with motion using DSLR video together with Photoshop. Transform video and stills in ways that were impossible before.
Design across screens and get more accurate results than ever before with reinvented drawing and graphics tools.
Get your work done in record time thanks to major productivity boosters leading to fewer steps and more workflow efficiencies.
Premiere Pro CS6
The new version of Premiere Pro will allegedly include faster performance and stability with the enhanced Mercury Playback Engine. Adobe promises that the update will allow users to open projects faster, scrub through HD and higher-resolution more fluidly, and playback complex long-format and effects-heavy projects with more reliability.
Premiere Pro for CS6 also allegedly includes user interface enhancements designed to simplify everyday tasks, making it easier for users more familiar with Apple's Final Cut Pro, or Avid software, to make the switch.
Premiere Pro CS6 also reportedly includes native tapeless workflow, saving users from having to transcode or rewrap a file. It also adds closed captioning support, with easy-to-create captions and subtitles that meet Section 508 standards.
After Effects CS6
Features of Adobe After Effects CS6, according to the documentation, will include:
Warp Stabilizer - Transform shaky hand-held footage into shots that look like they were shot on a dolly or using a Steadicam.
Persistent Disk Caching - Minimize the need to re-render frames and see previews more quickly as you work by saving previews to disk on a per layer and per comp basis.
Enhanced Stereoscopic 3D workflows - more easily set up stereo camera rigs inside of After Effects and render from multiple cameras without duplicating the comp.
Source timecode support - More easily communicate frame-accurate information with others using the same project footage in other post-production tools.
Small changes that make a big difference to your daily workflow.
New support for importing and exporting tapeless formats.
Other details
While the survey suggests that some applications will be seeing 64-bit upgrades, there is no indication that its Web designing software Dreamweaver will be 64-bit in CS6. The new version promises to help users "stay on the cutting edge of best practices, web standards and related technologies - including HTML5 and CSS3."
Also described in the documentation is the ability of Device Central to allow viewing of mobile content in HTML in addition to Flash. Device Central CS6 also allows the use of features like geolocation, accelerometer and multi-touch.
The survey also makes mention of a new tool in CS6 dubbed Adobe Helium. It will reportedly allow interactive designers to "create animations, interactions, widgets and interactive content using HTML5, CSS3 and other evolving web standards."
Released last April, Creative Suite 5 updated the applications that allow creation of content for Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR 2. It also added integration with online content and digital marketing measurement and optimization capabilities for the first time. Creative Suite 5 shipped with 15 products including Photoshop, Flash Professional, After Effects, Acrobat 9 Pro, and Encore.
Months before the release of the software, in February 2009, AppleInsider offered an exclusive peek at Adobe Creative Suite 5 for Mac, including the news that Photoshop CS5 for Apple hardware would be a full-fledged 64-bit application.
The documents provided to AppleInsider this week accompanied an online survey conducted by Adobe this month, in which some features of the next-gen Creative Suite 6 were discussed.
Adobe's Creative Suite software is typically updated every 12 to 18 months. The previous release, Creative Suite 5, shipped last April with 64-bit support for Photoshop, Premiere Photo and After Effects.
Parts of the survey, shown below, included descriptions of Adobe's entire line of Creative Suite products, though much of the material provided is marketing speak identical to previous version of the software. However, certain specific items labeled as 'New Features' in CS6 were also a part of the material.
The portions of the survey that claim to offer a summary of new features in CS6 have been summarized and included below.
Illustrator CS6
The documentation claims that Illustrator CS6 will include 64-bit support for the software, though it does not indicate whether that support is for Windows machines only, or if it will be extended to the Mac.
The new Illustrator would also allegedly include various user interface enhancements, such as scrubby sliders, the ability to edit layer names directly in the panel, and a "dark" mode similar to After Effects.
Other features listed in the documentation include:
New Pattern Creation mode which simplifies pattern creation and editing.
The ability to apply gradients to strokes in 3 different ways.
A new vectorization tool that creates clean vector artwork from images
Automatic corner generation for pattern brushes.
Faster, more fluid workflows for web and interactive design.
Integration with Maestro and CS Review.
Flash Professional CS6
The documents claim that a new Flash Professional for CS6 will bring 64-bit support to the Mac, bringing the software up to speed with its Windows counterpart. Other features claimed in the documentation include:
Usability and performance enhancements on a wide range of platforms and devices
New properties to visually create complex, real-world timeline animations that are editable in Flash Professional.
Tooling improvements for optimizing content creation.
Photoshop CS6
"With new breakthrough capabilities in Adobe Photoshop CS6 software, you can push your photography in new directions, design across screens, and increase your productivity," the alleged survey reads. It lists features of Photoshop CS6 as;
Infuse your stories with motion using DSLR video together with Photoshop. Transform video and stills in ways that were impossible before.
Design across screens and get more accurate results than ever before with reinvented drawing and graphics tools.
Get your work done in record time thanks to major productivity boosters leading to fewer steps and more workflow efficiencies.
Premiere Pro CS6
The new version of Premiere Pro will allegedly include faster performance and stability with the enhanced Mercury Playback Engine. Adobe promises that the update will allow users to open projects faster, scrub through HD and higher-resolution more fluidly, and playback complex long-format and effects-heavy projects with more reliability.
Premiere Pro for CS6 also allegedly includes user interface enhancements designed to simplify everyday tasks, making it easier for users more familiar with Apple's Final Cut Pro, or Avid software, to make the switch.
Premiere Pro CS6 also reportedly includes native tapeless workflow, saving users from having to transcode or rewrap a file. It also adds closed captioning support, with easy-to-create captions and subtitles that meet Section 508 standards.
After Effects CS6
Features of Adobe After Effects CS6, according to the documentation, will include:
Warp Stabilizer - Transform shaky hand-held footage into shots that look like they were shot on a dolly or using a Steadicam.
Persistent Disk Caching - Minimize the need to re-render frames and see previews more quickly as you work by saving previews to disk on a per layer and per comp basis.
Enhanced Stereoscopic 3D workflows - more easily set up stereo camera rigs inside of After Effects and render from multiple cameras without duplicating the comp.
Source timecode support - More easily communicate frame-accurate information with others using the same project footage in other post-production tools.
Small changes that make a big difference to your daily workflow.
New support for importing and exporting tapeless formats.
Other details
While the survey suggests that some applications will be seeing 64-bit upgrades, there is no indication that its Web designing software Dreamweaver will be 64-bit in CS6. The new version promises to help users "stay on the cutting edge of best practices, web standards and related technologies - including HTML5 and CSS3."
Also described in the documentation is the ability of Device Central to allow viewing of mobile content in HTML in addition to Flash. Device Central CS6 also allows the use of features like geolocation, accelerometer and multi-touch.
The survey also makes mention of a new tool in CS6 dubbed Adobe Helium. It will reportedly allow interactive designers to "create animations, interactions, widgets and interactive content using HTML5, CSS3 and other evolving web standards."
Released last April, Creative Suite 5 updated the applications that allow creation of content for Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR 2. It also added integration with online content and digital marketing measurement and optimization capabilities for the first time. Creative Suite 5 shipped with 15 products including Photoshop, Flash Professional, After Effects, Acrobat 9 Pro, and Encore.
Months before the release of the software, in February 2009, AppleInsider offered an exclusive peek at Adobe Creative Suite 5 for Mac, including the news that Photoshop CS5 for Apple hardware would be a full-fledged 64-bit application.
Comments
Get people to pay for a so-so upgrade AGAIN!
That said, there's always people complaining about being "forced" to upgrade. With the exception of Flash that changes pretty significantly with each release, the Creative Suite tools will continue to work as advertised forever. There's not much forcing going on here. Your copy of Photoshop CS2 will continue to work forever. If the newer features sound worth getting to you then get it. Simple. New customers are buying Creative Suite each year and I'm sure they're more than happy to get the "meh" new features included in the cost.
A couple things I'd like to see: I'd like for Illustrator to have the same drop-down list style as the Windows counterpart, where I can cycle through fonts by pressing up and down arrow keys. I often install a bunch of fonts that might work for something and would like to just cycle through my options instead of the current mac way of re-selecting the list with my mouse each time. Also, I'd love for either Illustrator to get more of InDesign's multi-page abilities (which is preferable) or InDesign to get all of Illustrator's symbol, brush, and type tools. Multiple art boards were a nice start. Oh... last thing: Illustrator needs folders in the layers palette.
Forgot one feature:
Get people to pay for a so-so upgrade AGAIN!
I think what Adobe has done with the update cycle creates a situation where only the well financed pros upgrade every version and the smaller firms update every other version and private individuals upgrade only as needed for compatibility with new clients.
As far as backwards compatibility is concerned, they do a pretty good job with photoshop in that it at least lets you open the document even if some of the advanced features are not supported. InDesign is the worst for compatibility. It seems to break every time. Illustrator breaks as well but I discovered this trick years ago and it still works really real.
If you get a newer Illustrator file that you can't open, simply place it in an inDesign layout and export that page as a pdf. Then open the newly created pdf in Illustrator. 90% of the time you will be able to work with the file just fine. Only in rare instances will there be any non editable pieces.
Here's my survey... How about making the product less bloated?
+1
+ How about a revised installation folder structure in line with Apple's guidelines? Or at least creating a working uninstaller for the mess you are creating (not the ones you usually do)?
+ How about making Dreamweaver as stable and responsive as the last Macromedia version from 2004 (it still runs faster and more stable under Rosetta than anything Adobe has released in ages)? OK, you screwed up the interface like there is no tomorrow, I expected that from a company that has not done a single platform compliant interface since PageMill. OK, you have charged more than $1k in update fees since you bought it from MM without adding a single useful new feature, but does it really need to crash every time it loses the connection to a FTP server? I like a good challenge like the next guy, but why exactly do menus randomly stop doing anything? Why do you overwrite files on the server, even after I have "cloaked" the file type and the directory a million times already? How many more times do I have to tell this program to not touch "dependent files"? Why does the code editor randomly hide the line numbering and why does the damn thing still insist on showing up in every single OS X "Space"... All these problems are there since 5 years, and all of them have been reported over and over again. And now you want to charge for the next bugfix release without any fixes?
+ Repeat almost the same rant for Fireworks, just with more foul language... boy, did they ruin that program.
+ Many thanks for InDesign CS4/CS5 (both initially as buggy as anything Corel has done)... our boss signed the purchase request for 20 copies of Quark Express and our staff is really happy.
How about making Dreamweaver as stable and responsive as the last Macromedia version from 2004 (it still runs faster and more stable under Rosetta than anything Adobe has released in ages)?
Ok If you still own a machine that has Rosetta on it, that explains all the rest of the problems you are experiencing.
Forgot one feature:
Get people to pay for a so-so upgrade AGAIN!
Of course.
Adobe has built themselves a captive audience and will milk it for as long as they can. Especially since much of that audience is companies that can find a way to afford it.
We need a company to step up and offer some real alternatives to Adobes's lineup.
Now what we have a clue to where Adobe could be heading maybe someone can use those ideas to get out a new comparable suite at a lower cost before Adobe does. I would certainly give it a look
That said, there's always people complaining about being "forced" to upgrade. With the exception of Flash that changes pretty significantly with each release, the Creative Suite tools will continue to work as advertised forever. There's not much forcing going on here. Your copy of Photoshop CS2 will continue to work forever. If the newer features sound worth getting to you then get it. Simple. New customers are buying Creative Suite each year and I'm sure they're more than happy to get the "meh" new features included in the cost.
Well said, and I agree with the exception of Camera RAW support in Photoshop. I have Photoshop CS3 and it will not support the latest cameras. Even more frustrating is that viewing the RAW files in Adobe Bridge CS3 will show no thumbnails of the images (and of course not open them in Photoshop), yet it's able to see all of the metadata and rotation information just fine. Surely updating Photoshop and Bridge to be able to see RAW files from newer DSLRs is a simple update. Instead, I'm forced to buy a newer version of the Creative Suite if I want to tweak my RAW settings in Photoshop or Bridge.
I won't upgrade past CS4 until I have to, because I refuse to pay $1300 for the hope of bugs being taken care of. In AI CS4, there is a long list of bugs and inconsistencies that Adobe KNOWS about, but never releases an update for. They won't ever release an update...they want you to buy the next FULL update/version...at the premium price. It's absurd.
What's worse is that the development team knows about a lot of problems, they know what the solution is, but aren't allowed to do anything about it because the Marketing muckity-mucks won't let them. It's all about the next great feature (aka bloat). New stuff is cool and all, but geesh... I'm sick of having to collapse all the layers back up upon opening a file, because AI can't remember the open/closed state of layers/sublayers. Piss poor implementation on many levels.
I've heard that AI CS6 is supposed to fix a lot of bugs, but only time and some real with with a trial/beta will tell.
Ok If you still own a machine that has Rosetta on it, that explains all the rest of the problems you are experiencing.
Huh? What are you talking about?
I have a current 8-core Mac Pro running 10.6 and the previous model MacBook Pro 17" with 10.6, and they both have Rosetta installed, as we still have some apps which are not compiled for Intel CPUs... Guess what, even if you buy the newest Mac available, Rosetta is still an optional install on the installation disk. And I have absolutely no idea how that should "explain all the rest of the problems", as Rosetta does exactly nothing to Universal or Intel-only apps...
Once you explain that, then maybe you can also explain why Adobe's support confirms these issues as known, if only I have them (and about 20-30 other people I know)?
Are you just talking, because you like to hear yourself?
Control-Command-D bring up a pop-up window? No way!
Access to the iPhoto library? Not on your life! (I use InDesign a lot personal work, and I would love access to my iPhoto library, just as Apple provides in their programs.
Only last version did we get the ability to change the Adobe default of Command-H to hide the program instead of the selection. (I know, Adobe had Command-H first, but still!)
Illustrator needs folders in the layers palette.
It has it already.
How about a revised installation folder structure in line with Apple's guidelines
/QUOTE]
Don't you know Adobe absolutely refuses to make their programs Mac-like? They insist that their programs are the same on the PC and Mac. I hate that!
- Release an updated version of Freehand, Adobe you cretins!
I realise this is a fruitless wish, Adobe having originally bought Macromedia to satisfy their twin goals of: (a) getting their grubby hands on Flash; and (b) shutting down Illustrator's main (only?) competitor...It would be great if Apple were to spend a tiny chunk of their loose change on buying Freehand from Adobe. Then Apple could release a decent drawing/illustration app that would blow Illustrator away (and cost a 'one size fits all' $24)!
Oh, if only...
A
It has it already.
I have Illustrator CS5 open in front of me just to check. There aren't folders. There are layers (or it wouldn't be a layers palette at all). No folders.
Huh? What are you talking about?
I have a current 8-core Mac Pro running 10.6 and the previous model MacBook Pro 17" with 10.6, and they both have Rosetta installed, as we still have some apps which are not compiled for Intel CPUs... Guess what, even if you buy the newest Mac available, Rosetta is still an optional install on the installation disk. And I have absolutely no idea how that should "explain all the rest of the problems", as Rosetta does exactly nothing to Universal or Intel-only apps...
Once you explain that, then maybe you can also explain why Adobe's support confirms these issues as known, if only I have them (and about 20-30 other people I know)?
Are you just talking, because you like to hear yourself?
Ok let me revise that. Sorry you have so many problems. You must be very unlucky or have done something to screw up your computer because I have the latest OS X updates and the CS updates and experience no issues, and no crashes. I do this professionally all day long and also have 8 core w 8 gigs. I use PS, AI, IN, DW, FL and usually have them running all at the same time along with half a dozen other apps like textmate, fetch, safari, grab, skype, itunes and acrobat. No problem whatsoever. I have been using all of those application since the 1.0 versions (yes including Illustrator 1.0a). Have not had a crash for years and I leave my machine on 24 hours a day and often log in with back to my mac remotely from home.