Adobe is finally shipping the much-anticipated Production Premium version of its CS3 Suite. I say much anticipated because it contains the programs that motion graphic designers, editors and compositors crave. Specifically After Effects and Premiere Pro CS3. Companion programs included in the bundle, like Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash, shipped months ago. But After Effects users have had to wait.

Sure, there have been beta versions available online and special deals that allowed users to get Photoshop and Illustrator in advance, but now you can get the whole bundle. The good news is that After Effects CS3 is full of new features and integration improvements. It's impossible to describe them all here, but I'll do my best to point out important developments and new features that make this a very exciting release.

Adobe has done away with the lower priced version and is now only offering After Effects CS3 Professional. The docked interface is similar to V.7, but more streamlined and more intuitive. It has been standardized across the other video-related programs like Premiere and Encore. It's different from the new interface in Photoshop CS3 and Illustrator CS3, but similar enough to make you feel comfortable. I particularly like the improvements in layer style compatibility between Photoshop and Illustrator. Drop shadows and other effects transfer much more smoothly. read more...