Adobe® Master Collection 6
By Howard Berenbon
Master Collection 6 from Adobe Systems is an incredible collection of must-have multi-media productivity software in one box. Okay, I did use that line in my overview of Master Collection CS5 in my June 2010 column. But it’s true. It is an incredibly comprehensive collection of great applications for any multi-media designer. Improvements and new features are always added on each new release. The programs get easier and faster to use, with added functions that make designing faster and more fun. Some new features are added because of user requests, others are added because of changes in technology. Mobile devices are the rage these days, and Adobe now has some new features to cover that technology. So, if you’re a graphics designer, illustrator, photographer, commercial artist, publisher, Website creator, video and audio producer, etc, Master Collection CS6 is for you. My review begins with an overview of the collection and then follows with some in depth product reviews in the coming months.
If you thought Creative Suite 5 was perfect, you’ll find CS6 even better with leaps and bounds of improvements. This collection integrates several sophisticated multi-media software tools for use by talented professionals to create print, video, audio and Website publishing for commercial and artistic applications. Adobe does offer several well known programs within the collection including Dreamweaver, Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Acrobat X, Flash Professional, InDesign and Fireworks plus a lightning fast professional video editor, Adobe Premiere, and 8 more applications that will make your design work easier. Also, if you need some help working with any of these programs, you have access to tons of free online resources including video tutorials cover basic and advanced designing, from Adobe design professionals at Adobe TV, to expert users through online forums. You can also find help Adobe Support Center, Adobe Exchange or Adobe Forums from within the collection.
Below you’ll find a description of the tools in Master Collection 6.
Adobe Photoshop® CS6 Extended
Photoshop CS6 Extended is the best and most popular photo manipulation program ever made. This new release includes the Adobe Mercury Graphics Engine for improved performance. Used for manipulating photographs for print and online publishing (use with InDesign and Dreamweaver). Photoshop includes new and improved tools to do just about anything with a photograph. You can easily create movies and 3D content with their new enhancements.
Adobe InDesign® CS6
Adobe InDesign® CS6 is sophisticated desktop publishing program for print and online typesetting. Use to create any type of document, for any printed or online application with text and graphics. Their new Adaptive Design Tools support layouts for mobile device screens.
Adobe Illustrator® CS6
Illustrator CS6 is the best and most well known drawing program for graphic artists and designers. It’s used along with InDesign and Photoshop. In CS6, Adobe has added their new Mercury Performance System for speed and stability on large, complex files. You can join Adobes Creative Cloud and upload your completed projects fast.
Adobe Acrobat® X Pro
Adobe Acrobat X Pro allows you to publish documents with text, graphics and video in a special graphics format called PDF for used in print and online applications. Several formats can be combined into one large file and sent over the Internet. The PDF format has become an industry standard for sharing documents online.
Adobe Flash® Professional CS6
Adobe Flash is used to design efficient 2D and 3D animated graphics for online publishing. Used with desktop computers, tablets, smartphones and televisions.
Adobe Flash Builder 4.6 Premium
Flash Builder is a development tool to help developers build cross-platform Internet applications (RIAs) and content using the open source Flex framework. It’s an Eclipse based tool for quickly building mobile, Web and desktop applications using ActionScript.
Adobe® Dreamweaver® CS6
One of the best and most widely used Website design tool with an intuitive visual interface for creating and editing HTML Websites and mobile apps. Versions CS6 offers the new Fluid Grid Layout for cross-platform compatibility. It’s very popular because it allows the designer to produce professional looking Websites with little difficulty.
Adobe Fireworks® CS6
Fireworks is Website photo manipulation program similar to Photoshop, but with less features. Very easy to use, and also includes lots of tools to create any type of photo effect. Deliver vector and bitmap images, mockups, 3D graphics and interactive content for popular tablets and smartphones.
Adobe Premiere® Pro CS6
Premiere Pro CS6 is a professional video production program that lets you save your completed project to DVD. You can capture, edit, and deliver video online to any device and mobile formats. New to CS6 is the Warp Stabilizer for stabilizing footage, dynamic timeline trimming, expanded multicam editing, adjustment layers, and more. Note: 64-bit operating system is required.
Adobe After Effects CS6
After Effects CS6 is used to create motion graphics and cinematic visual effects, fast. Includes new 3D capabilities and over 90 new and updated effects. 64-bit operating system required.
Adobe Audition CS6
Adobe Audition® CS6 replaces Soundbooth. It offers high-performance, intuitive tools for audio editing, mixing, restoration, and effects. New features include real-time clip stretching, automatic speech alignment, and control surface support help you deliver projects fast.
Adobe Speedgrade™ CS6
Adobe® SpeedGrade™ CS6 is new to Adobe’s creative suite. It’s color grading software that brings the Lumetri™ Deep Color Engine to your production workflow.
Adobe Prelude™ CS6
Adobe® Prelude™ CS6 helps streamline your production tasks. Takes nearly any file-based format creating searchable markers and other metadata that flow through post-production, so you can work faster and stay organized.
Adobe Encore CS6
Encore CS6 is a 64-bit software used to create DVDs and high-definition Blu-ray Discs, and compatible with Adobe Flash Player. Send Adobe Premiere® Pro projects directly to Encore without rendering, and then use flowcharts to define and view their navigation.
Adobe Bridge CS6
Adobe Bridge CS6 is a photo and design organizer that allows you to easily organize, browse, locate, and view your creative assets.
Adobe Media Encoder CS6
Adobe® Media Encoder CS6 automates the process of creating multiple encoded versions of source files, Adobe Premiere® Pro sequences and Adobe After Effects® compositions. An intuitive interface, background encoding, and convenient presets help you quickly output for virtually any screen. It’s included in Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects and Adobe Prelude.
Adobe Creative Suite 6 Master Collection for Windows sells for $2130 for Windows 7 / Vista / XP. If you purchased the applications individually, it would cost up to $6900, so it’s a bargain. The Mac version is a little more, at $2133.44.
This collection will run on any multi-media computer with an Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® 64 processor (Intel Core™2 Duo or AMD Phenom® II recommended) or faster processor running Windows 7 / Vista / XP with 4 GB RAM, 24.3 GB of hard disk space for installation, 1,280 x 900 screen resolution and a DVD burner for video creation. 64-bit edition of Vista or Windows 7 required for Premiere Pro, After Effects and Encore. Intel Core i7 processor required for Adobe SpeedGrade. Also available for the Mac with a Multicore Intel processor 64-bit, Mac OS X v10.6.8 or v10.7, 4 GB RAM, 26.3 GB of hard disk space for installation, 1,280 x 900 screen resolution and a DVD burner for video creation. For more information, or to order, visit Amazon.com.
Adobe Master Collection 6 Windows 7 / Vista / XP - $2130
Adobe Master Collection 6 Mac - $2133.44
Software Companies Mentioned
Adobe Systems Incorporated
345 Park Ave
San Jose, CA 95110-2704
URL adobe.com
800-833-6687
