DMN By Kevin Schmitt

Just a few observations to tide you over until shipping time

Such is the nature of the upgrade cycle: just as creative types were getting used to the CS3 line, Adobe goes and announces CS4. And while you've likely seen myriad press releases and first looks and other introductory stuff by now, here are a few "below the fold" observations based on the the experiences I've had with the CS4 betas over the last several weeks.

1) The new design interface is profoundly good, especially on the Mac.

If you've used any of the CS3 products, you've probably noticed by now that Adobe has been trending towards two distinct interfaces. There's the one for the production products like After Effects and Premiere (fig. 1): darker, task-oriented, steeped in the tradition of the video production world. Then there's the design interface found in Photoshop and Flash (for example), which has been more of an iterative process. Sure, things like tabbed panels and docks have crept in over the years (fig. 2), but there hasn't really been a fundamental shift in how these products have looked and behaved. And while the CS4 design interface may not qualify as a true fundamental shift, it is clearly a reflection of today's needs, especially on the Mac. read more...