Adbobe used to have great packaging but especially the rainbow-colored "Master Collection" looks gaudy. It wouldn't matter much if these packages were for a cheap mouse or usb thingie but this is for Adobe's premier application that comes with some status for they buyer.

I'm just happy to see that my beloved Fireworks made the cut. If you ever have to build art for the web or prep things for flash, it's the only way to go. Buh-bye lame old Image Ready. Now if only my computer can handle having all 32 applications open at once...

wow - the supremo super-duper master collection needs 36 gigs of free hd space (more during installation). sick

Or what person could afford them?

Well the people who would buy them right away would probably be graphic designers who could write them off as a business expense anyway. It is a necessity for those people because it will be the best program out there. As far as for everybody else we could pay adobe back on a special lay-a-way plan. You know…. d/l the bootleg and pay them back over time by blogging about how great the program is so word of mouth gets around to someone who will actually pay for it. J/K anyway, odds are if you can afford it you wont be worried about the "prestige of the box" like that other guy was talking about. Seriously, who would be walking around with the box trying to show if off anyway, regardless of the colors. Unless you bootlegs the program, and the box and you were like, "check it out, I got the rainbow box for free too"

What I'm wondering is if they'll drop student discounts on the products they picked up from Macromedia... I bought Macromedia studio 7 for about $200. Last time I checked (which was a while ago) Adobe's flash offered no student pricing and was around that much by itself.

Oh great another CS version. Will they actually put something into it worth dropping another small fortune? The jump from CS2 to CS3 offered basically nothing. Not that I've ever personally purchased their software but I do use it at work.

The only thing I'm really interested in is if they improved Premiere. That thing really needed an upgrade. Especially since it doesn't fully support HDV at all. That and it doesn't display or encode most resolutions above 480p properly.

Shows what apps have gone the way of the dodo since Adobe got Macromedia. Note the lack of Freehand and GoLive. Is there anyone who needs both Photoshop AND Fireworks though?

It feels like I just got the CS2 Suite at work. If the student discount doesn't apply, I'm effed to say the least. I only need illustrator and flash, but if there's a big enough discount on the Production Premium, by god I'll take it. This of course if I even feel it's necessary to upgrade, which usually it isn't. I usually do the Madden Law with these, every other version.

"Adobe says this is the largest software upgrade in its history, and the company even goes so far as to say it's the largest software rollout in the history of all software."

To soon be followed by the largest pirated software rollout in history? :o

I dont think they are dropping student discounting on any of their products. We just spend like 5000 dollars on a 15 lab setup with upgrade to CS3 come release, which is well under how much it would have been had we not gotten a education discount on them

Photoshop and Fireworks are two completely different applications. Fireworks replaces ImageReady (thankfully) for creating web graphics - it has few image creation or editing features that compete with Photoshop...

Pretty much anyone doing graphics for the web would need both.

Grrrness!

Any idea on what added features are included?

I really don't need 21 programs. The only one I use are PhotoShop/ImageReady, Flash, Dreamweaver, and sometimes Illustrator. I know that means get Web Premium but $1599 is a lot of money!

Sadness.

Protozoider: I'm not familiar with Premiere, so I couldn't tell you what changes are going into that. But according to previews of the new Photoshop, there's a lot of cool stuff going into it, including tools for video editors and people working in forensics (!).

I'm looking forward to a better ACR plugin, better curves controls, and nondestructive filters.

Especially nondestructive filters.

sammy baby:

video editor going into PhotoShop? um wha? or was that a different thought? I just need to know if it is worth it to update my programs.

Too bad there isn't an "a la carte" where you pick 3 programs for a price.

I'll look forward to the All-In-One DVD(s) to start hitting the web within a week or two then :)

The biggest plus is that these will all run natively on intel Macs which unfortunately, for me, makes it worth the price of the upgrade alone...

Those are the ugliest boxes EVER for these programs.

What about upgrade pricing? Most of us who will buy this software already own CS2 and/or Macromedia suites.

Also, ImageReady used to come with all versions of PhotoShop CS2 (I think), now it looks like you have go with a web package to get Fireworks.

If you're working strictly on the web I'd suggest Illustrator is more useful than Photoshop unless you're dealing with Photographs. And for photos you can get away with any number of lesser programs.

The bundles seem to be designed to maximize the amount of money you must spend to get any type of bundle pricing. The Web standard is useless from first appearances - but it doesn't show a price so it's hard to compare. I would not call it a suite however.

It's definitely the biggest consumer software money grab in history.

Looks like whoever designed the box for the master suite was under the influence of something you'd get from a master hippie. Far out man.

This totally sucks for those users that had CS2 Professional which had Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Golive and Acrobat. Now there is no simple upgrade path for those who have this package.

I hope this is just a faked leak.

At this price... I think there will be a lot of people waiting. Me included.

Any idea if these new programs will work with old programs?

Somebody really needs to come along to knock Adobe off their pedestal.

Their pricing has become so outrageous, it's no wonder they get pirated left and right.

I'm shocked that in all this time, no one has released a viable Photoshop competitor - and I mean a real one for professionals, not the GIMP or whatever. If I'm wrong about this, please somebody enlighten me.

permissionmag

Microsoft tried to with the effects or something like that but I don't think that ever took off if it was ever released.

You guys make it sound as if your existing CS2's are going to stop working once this is released...

In the words of my favourite Deadwood character, CS stands for "ock ucker". And Adobe sure has you by the balls on this product. I bet they have a 24/7 staff now to hand registering/activation for all that complicated carp.
BTW, Adobe is announcing this tomorrow..

Wish they'd have mentioned educational pricing, hopefully we'll know tomorrow.

The biggest benefit is the Intel compatability with new Macs, but the amazon pages doen't even list Mac OSX on the system requirements, what's up with that?

>permissionmag
Yeah there was a Quark vaporware that went around about 6 years back, and I tried one from Macromedia called "XRes". Or you could run the official Photoshop rip-off JASC paintshop, I think they actually steal the code and just resell it.

makes Vista OS pricing look like a bargain

kracer22

You are right...except for the fact that you are getting multiple high level programs with new upgrades as opposed to just getting a flashier OS that wants to look like OSX.

Of course I am not sure what is added, surely there is something.

cnet says it was Amazon CANADA that made the accidental posting, so those prices might be in Canadian dollars.

Look at the price of these Adobes, I am now wondering how Bill Gate could sold Vista for so little money. Perhaps Adobe guy(s) figure that if they wanted to replace Bill Gate as richest guy on earth, they have to charge so much for their stuffs.

Quote:BlindsidesDork says:
"video editor going into PhotoShop? um wha?"

Where do you think all the motion graphics come from? Titles? Logos? they dont fall from the sky you know.

Software prices like that are the lifeblood of the Usenet news server pay subscription business model. God Bless the Internet.

The pirates of the seven servers shall distribute the free copies - but i wonder if apple and adobe have had a word with each other and agreed on a launch date / time frame for their software.

that price is insane.. we got the cs2 professional suite for like $200. And who needs SO MANY darn programmes?? JUst combine them all into about 5 good ones.

Adobe hasbeen treading water since CS.. and macromedia was in the same pattern. Still, maybe they'll finally synchronise thebest features accross the range of software.. so every one doesn't work frustratingly differently.

Adobe really need a system to give away "non-commercial use" ones for free, or $20 or something.. otherwise how is anyone ever expected to LEARN to use these programmes.. unless they download an illegal copy to learn with.

the "non-commerical use" ones are the student/education packages.

i'll be picking up the student versions as soon as i can afford to.
hopefully my school will upgrade to cs3 on their intel macs.

i'm ready to see the changes in photoshop, illustrator, and indesign.

Anyone who uses photoshop, illustrator or indesign to even HALF of their potential can't seriously question these prices. Anyone else should just go find a copy of paint shop or corel.

You guys are funny! You all act as though this is the best thing since sliced bread and none of you have an idea what the "upgrades" contain or do. You are the people who drive all software prices into the heavens. You are so enthralled with buying/stealing the new PS... That not a one of you has questioned the need for it. You just assume it is a gotta have.As far as I am concerned, I am using GIMP and occasionally PS4.As a photographer I see no need to shell out big bucks to impress all the other wannabe first on the bandwagoners.

Unless you are a professional graphics artist, there is no reason to ever upgrade to CS3 or any other version of PS. For cryin' out loud, get a hold on reality.
Michael

The pricing, in a word, sucks, I am afraid Adobe has replaced Quark as the 900 pound gorilla on the bus. I bought CS2 Premium academic lisc. last August for $280 a seat now they want me to pay $350 a seat AGAIN for Design premium. Can you say monopoly?