There's not much to wow users of Photoshop who don't work with 3D content, but Illustrator finally manages multipage documents. We find CS4 a more worthwhile upgrade than CS3 was. If you rely on Adobe software for work, then CS4 could be worth the plunge, depending upon your staple tools.
More specifics are available at Adobe's Web site. Mac users need an Intel multicore processor running Mac OS X version 10.4.11 or newer, at least 2GB of RAM, and free hard-disk space of 26.3GB or higher. Photoshop now natively supports 64-bit Vista, while Premiere, After Effects, Soundbooth, Encore, and OnLocation are certified for 64-bit Vista.Ī 1,280x900-pixel display with OpenGL 2.0-compatible graphics card is required, and support for Shader Model 3.0 may be needed, particularly for working with video. You'll need powerful hardware to run the heavy-duty CS4 applications: Users of Windows XP SP2 or Vista must have a processor of at least 2GHz, or 3.4GHz for working with high-definition video.
Adobe's custom installation lets you pick and choose which components to embrace or reject, but there's no mechanism for migrating your settings and all your custom tools. But that's still less time than with CS3. Unfortunately, it took us nearly 2 hours to install the Adobe Master Collection CS4 on Windows Vista and XP machines (we didn't test CS4 thoroughly on a Mac). Plus, the installation "progress" bar bears no relation to reality whatsoever, with its two steps forward and one step back movement. And as before with the updater, you'll get to relive this delightful close-your-apps-or-else experience on a regular basis. That's pretty appalling in and of itself, but in addition to wasting a large chunk of time installing, you can't do anything else but play Solitaire while it's happening. Adobe forces you to close your browser and all Microsoft Office applications, because many of the programs in the suite-primarily Acrobat-spread octopus-like tentacles throughout your working environment. Every Windows application installer suggests you close any running applications, but you can usually ignore it and 99 percent of the time everything works out fine. The Web abounds with complaints about Adobe's installer and updater, and most are justified. If so, don't make the mistake of paying full price for the applications individually.
The five CS4 packages (see chart below) are a relative bargain if you regularly rely on at least three of the included applications. Those on a budget who don't need so many tools might consider alternatives, such as CorelDraw graphics suite. Artists who access this software from their workplace or purchase it at an educational discount might skip more than a few meals to afford it. Prices for the individual applications haven't changed since CS3, but we wish that Adobe would lower the costs, or perhaps allow mix-and-match pricing for more flexibility.
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