Software Reviews

Adobe Photoshop CS2

Adobe Photoshop CS2 is the leader in the line of products working with digital images. The program offers a range of technologies and tools for creative work able to create faultless on quality graphics.

Users:

- Creative professionals, creating and editing images for advertising agencies, design firms, large companies, web-studios, and also the companies, working with video data.
- Professional photographers, working in the sphere of advertising and portrait shooting, shooting in model and fashion-agencies, press photographers and unprofessional photographers.
- Professionals, working with digital graphics in the sphere of scientific research, engineering, medicine, architecture.
- Lecturers and students, who often need to resort to editing and graphics creating during educational process.

Adobe Photoshop CS2 offers:

- tremendous tools for unlimited designer imagination and efficient creative work;
- compatibility with other popular graphic applications;
- high speed and efficiency when creating and processing graphic images;
- convenience and simplicity of working with files, including enterprise, view and work preparation.

The main reasons for updating old version

Adobe Bridge is a manager of graphic files of new generation. Allows intuitively and rapidly work with “raw” files, just downloaded from the camera or memory cards.
Vanishing Point — this filter gives an opportunity to edit image fragments taking into account perspectives, drawing, cloning and pasting image elements, which are automatically add to the perspective of a new image file.
Smart Objects — gives a possibility to create fast and without bugs a link and instill in objects from other CS2 applications in the Photoshop layout file. The activation of the program for editing a pasted object, be it raster or vectorial editor, is possible with a simple mouse click on the object directly in the Photoshop environment. At the same time all corrections will be automatically displayed in Photoshop.
Image Warp is a special function for creating three-dimensional graphic objects by means of image stacking at the necessary form.
Advanced noise reduction — more delicate digital photos purge.
32-bit High Dynamic Range (HDR) support is creating and editing of 32-bit image with wide dynamic HDR range.
Customizable workspaces and menus is a settable working space and user menu. Now you can call only Menus window and delete all the useless from the main menu and from the palette menu.
Multiple layer control - work with layers is fundamentally simplified. Now you can simultaneously select several layers, group and justify them.
Spot healing Brush is a simple editing of photographs, including 16-bit images. The tool is intuitively tweaked to the editing environment and thereby saves the user from the necessity of setting a sample when retouching.
One-click red-eye correction — red-eye correction with one click of your mouse – the only thing to do is to select eye-zone, click with a mouse and it is done!

Adobe Pagemaker 7

Layout and business publishing design program

Adobe PageMaker 7.0 removes gradually from the professional sphere and is aligned more to the office sphere - becomes a business application, as it is pretty easy to use, satisfies the majority of requirements in layout and design. And also it will be useful for “a small publishing house” and home usage. So the price won’t be high enough.

PageMaker support remains and there will be the following versions released not to remain behind the progress. For example, as it is seen from this version there is all file formats support - Acrobat PDF, Illustrator, Photoshop, DataBase. In other words, PageMaker 7.0 on the level of PageMaker 6.5 plus filters (import/export). The main point is that it is the same Aldus program, completed and enhanced with filters.

There won’t be any localization (of the translation into Russian). But, nevertheless, it still works properly with Russian types.

That is why users can still rely on the program today – support is granted, new versions are granted, but they will need to take into account the alignment of the program.

So, what is added to this version?

• Firstly, the program aligned to business applications, small office and home usage.
• There is a close integration with the main Adobe programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat to the extent of “drag and drop” level. Direct arrangement of PDF, Adobe Photoshop 5.0-6.0 or Adobe Illustrator 9.0 files in PageMaker 7.0.
• Reading and understanding electronic worksheet formats and databases.
• Creation and PDF file view (Adobe Portable Document Format).
• Converter of Quark XPress 3.3-4.1 publications in PageMaker 7.0.
• Import/export of files of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) applications.
• Adobe PageMaker is accessible on MAC OS 8.6, 9.1, OS X (Classic), Microsoft Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 +Service Pack 5 or 6, Windows 2000 or Windows ME.

These are perhaps the most relevant innovations, the choice is yours. I think that we shouldn’t dismiss our favorite and tried PageMaker. There something that can be done far more conveniently and faster with the help of it, if we take InDesign for instance.
As usual the main forces of the Adobe company are directed to the development of the InDesign program (as in contrast to PageMaker, it is a home development of the Adobe company), which is positioned as an alternative to QuarkXPress. Besides, InDesign 1.5.2 СЕ program version will influence it in a bit relevant way, which has already released and will soon be present on the market of Russia.

The main advantage is a long-expected Russian language support, and also faster and more stable work of the whole program.

Adobe FrameMaker is still valid. This product will be further aligned to compound layout - technical and other dedicated publications (medicine, CAD, engineering and etc.).

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is a program package for professional photographers. On the one hand, Lightroom is used when working with more than 150 RAW format specifications with the help of Adobe Camera Raw technology, according to which JPEG and TIFF formats are supported. On the other hand, users have an opportunity to transfer RAW-files into DNG format. It is known that a RAW specification can lose its support any moment; unitized Digital Negative format became a solution to the problem, which allows archiving photographs for the following usage.

With the help of Lightroom users can import images into PDF, HTML and Macromedia Flash formats, view, scale and compare them. Identity Plate option gives an opportunity to add copyright to photos. There is also an opportunity to view them on a color background, with shadows and in a frame. The developers claim that they put on the toolbar only the most necessary commands. If it’s needed all the interface elements can be hidden rapidly.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom consists of the following parts: Library – keeping of photo archive, Develop – image editing, Slideshow – presentations creation, and Print – photo printing. Photo archive suggests fast view of all available photo collections, as one thing in a complex, and sorts them on key words, folders or creation time. In the editing part there are such tools as “manual”, and also numerous toolsets of presets. Below the editor window there is “History” of changes window, which contains a line of miniatures, showing different editing steps.

Library module is added by tools for sorting and searching of photos in large collections and an improved dialog of image importing with more flexible file control give an expanded choice when identifying files location.

Key Metadata Browser module provides fast access to informational indicators. It contains an enhanced assessment system with color shortcuts and “selection/fault” system.

Develop module completed by Virtual Copies and Snapshot tools. They help to compare some versions of the same image without the need to save physical copies. The tool suggests accurate color, saturation and brightness control, though in the final version there are Clone and Healing brushes for removing dust traces on the photo sensor.

The package was also widened by “brushes” for cloning and recovery, which help to get rid of bugs. Besides, there is a numerous image format support in Lightroom, after which the number of supported cameras reached 150.

Adobe InDesign CS2

A standard for professional layouts and designer solutions creating

Join the growing number of professionals with a creative approach to work, which open for themselves a new level of creative freedom and efficiency due to Adobe InDesign CS2 software. Being closely integrated with well-known Adobe applications (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, GoLive, and InCopy), the InDesign CS2 speeds up the work a lot and helps to realize creative ideas in professional layouts with compound graphics and design, transparency effects, objects and text styles.

Adobe InDesign CS2 – what are its functions?

Adobe Bridge — you can view, arrange, categorize graphics, and also InDesign documents, templates and shortcut in Adobe Bridge. Drag the content from Adobe Bridge to layouts easily and efficiently. Realize files search, using metadata, such as key words, colors and images definition.

Objects styles — bring in changes into objects more efficiently using object styles. Save large amounts of graphics, texts and frame attributes as object styles for creating more consistent design elements and reduction of the time for completing many tasks.

Adobe Photoshop and Adobe PDF layers support — you can display selectively layers and their combinations in Photoshop files, and also the layers in Adobe PDF files. Experiment with various options of settings or use numerous variations of the file in your layout — and all associating with one file.

InDesign shortcuts — export easily InDesign objects as shortcuts, which you can use together with colleagues or for the second time in other documents. When you paste or drag a shortcut into a layout, InDesign creates original objects anew, altogether with their formatting and relationally to page location.

Compatibility with InDesign CS — you can export a document from InDesign CS2 into InDesign Interchange (INX) format and open it in Indesign CS for collateral work with those using a previous version of the program.

An option of translation in Adobe InCopy CS2 — translate only the elements of a document, which an editor needs for his work, in Adobe InCopy CS2 at a time, when you work with the left section, was it a special frame, several frames on the page or all frames in the document.

Stationary objects — you can easily attach callouts, extract quotations with a type, and attach memorials to the margin or graphics to the text. Also you have a possibility to control attached objects location exactly, install parameters for a text and etc.

Advanced Microsoft Word and RTF support — allows automatic working with styles, setting when importing Word styles to InDesign styles. Now there is no problem concerning the question of style’s name when importing: you can save Word settings for importing in the future.

Text control — high-end tools for working with the text are available, including the possibility of dragging and pasting without text formatting, and also integrated tools for working with the text for faster editing.

Flexible XML support — you can import XML files under ultimate control, including those connected with XML-content for easier update. Also you can use XML tags in tables, and then import XML-content into tables and export from them.
The main characteristics and advantages of Adobe InDesign CS2
Control your creative work

Layer visibility control in imported Adobe Photoshop and Adobe PDF files.
Transparency effects, such as shades for editing and other.
Access to enhanced means of printing control, including Paragraph Composer, OpenType types, drop cap, margins adjustment and etc.
You can create tables from the beginning or import them containing specified styles from Microsoft Word or Excel.
Control graphics and other files with Adobe Bridge file browser.
Format objects faster and more in coordination, using object styles, which contain such attributes as filling, strokes, falling shades, text frames and etc.
You can create and save the part of your layout, including the text, images and objects, created using InDesign, as fragment files.
The possibility to coordinate the styles of imported Microsoft Word content, avoiding the problems concerning the question of styles’ names, and save import settings.
Flexible export and import control of XML-content, including tables with tags.
Adobe formats support (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe PDF files).
More consistent work with editors on an InDesign CS2 file with the help of InCopy CS2 LiveEdit.
The possibility to export Adobe PDF files directly from InDesign for viewing on-line and high-quality printing.
Content export from InDesign into Adobe GoLive for an easy creating of Web-pages.
Files export from InDesign CS2 into INX format and the possibility to open them easily in InDesign CS2 for ultimate flexibility when working.

System requirements

Macintosh
PowerPC(R) G3, G4 or G5 processor
Mac OS X v.10.2.8 through 10.3.8
256 MB RAM (recommended 320MB)
870 MB of free space on a hard disk
Monitor definition 1,024×768 with 16-bit video display board (recommended 24-bit display)
CD-ROM
The presence of the QuickTime 6 program for working with multimedia
Adobe PostScrip for printers: PostScript, Level 2 or PostScript 3™
Internet or telephone connection for product activation
Wideband Internet connection for Adobe Stock Photos

Windows
Intel(R) Pentium(R) III or 4 processor
Microsoft(R) Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 or Windows XP
256 MB RAM (recommended 320MB)
850 MB of free space on a hard disk
Monitor definition 1,024×768 with 16-bit video display board (recommended 24-bit display)
CD-ROM
The presence of the QuickTime 6 program for working with multimedia
Adobe PostScrip for printers: PostScript, Level 2 or PostScript 3™
Internet or telephone connection for product activation
Wideband Internet connection for Adobe Stock Photos

Adobe Illustrator CS3

AdobeI llustrator CS3 is a recognized in the field tool for working with vectorial graphics. The program has an intuitively understandable interface, with an easy access to many functions, a wide toolset for painting and advanced color control facilities.

A new “Live Color” function simplifies noticeably colors control, helping designers to find a corresponding color for their work and improve experimentation methods with new colors. The “Eraser” tool is added, which cleans vectorial images the same as it’s done in raster editor with a simple picture. The main characteristic of Illustrator CS3 is its enhanced federation with Flash. New facilities include SWF-files export interface. Symbols in Illustrator will be the same as in Flash. Moreover, designers will be given an opportunity to define text in Illustrator CS3 as a dynamic Flash-text or input text. Among other developments of Illustrator CS3, there is a possibility of assigning a layer color, joining two “Live Paint” groups, a fully interactive zone cropping tool in addition to a traditional cropper. Adobe Illustrator CS3 is one of the main Adobe company products, allowing working with vectorial graphics. The program is an acknowledged world leader in this sphere. There is a new function in Adobe Illustrator CS3, namely “Live Color” – a bright color, which simplifies the work with colors over and over again, assists convenient choice realization of an appropriate for a designer color, which masters new color scales. A new “Eraser” tool helps to erase vectorial image as easy as a simple - raster one. Illustrator SC3 can be easily integrated with Adobe Flash. Among new options one can also mention Adobe Flash (.SWF) files export. “Symbols” in the Illustrator have the same behavior, as the symbols in Flash editor. Moreover, designers can redefine text in Illustrator CS3 as a dynamic one or input text. There are other developments in Illustrator CS3, for example, a possibility of assigning a layer color, joining two “Live Paint” groups, a fully interactive zone cropping tool, which may further replace a classic cropper.

The “Live Color” function simplifies noticeably colors control, helping designers to find a corresponding color for their work and improve experimentation methods with new colors. The “Eraser” tool is added, which cleans vectorial images the same as it’s done in raster editor with a simple picture.

The main characteristic of Illustrator CS3 is its enhanced federation with Flash. New facilities include SWF-files export interface. Symbols in Illustrator will be the same as in Flash. Moreover, designers will be given an opportunity to define text in Illustrator CS3 as a dynamic Flash-text or input text.

Among other developments of Illustrator CS3, there is a possibility of assigning a layer color, joining two “Live Paint” groups, a fully interactive zone cropping tool in addition to a traditional cropper.