*** From the Archives ***

This article is from October 2, 2008, and is no longer current.

New Features in Creative Suite 4

This article originally appeared in Design Tools Monthly.

Cross-Suite Interface Changes
Application frame (optional):
* This large window contains all your open documents and panels, on a neutral-colored background. You can move the whole thing around, even onto a second display.
Tabbed windows (optional):
* Each document appears as a tab in the Application Frame
* You can copy an object from one document to another by dragging it onto the tab of your target document. The target document will take focus and you can position and release your object.
Application Bar:
* Its buttons let you open Bridge, switch workspaces, arrange documents, and perform searches
ConnectNow:
* To get there, choose File> Share My Screen in any app
* Connects to Acrobat.com where you and two guests can view your document in real time
* Views are synchronized as you move around
* Has a shared whiteboard for comments
* Chat via audio and/or video
* You can let guests control your screen
InDesign
Flash Authoring:
* Minimal: includes only page transitions, buttons and hyperlinks
* Export to SWF or the new Flash XFL format, then edit XFL file in Flash CS4
* Buttons panel includes a library of drag-and-drop buttons
Smart Cursor, Smart Guides and Smart Align:
* Smart Cursor shows dimensions, rotation and X-Y coordinates of current object(s) in a small pop-up display
* Smart Guides display when a dragged object is aligned with other items or page edges – top, bottom, left, right, or center. Smart Guides also display when the object is evenly spaced with others, or is rotated or resized in relation to nearby objects.
* Smart Align snaps items to alignment locations (great for distributing items)
Links Panel:
* Shows thumbnails of linked items
* Takes you directly to the object
* Multiple instances of a linked item appear one time
* Click to see image’s color space, scale, effective resolution, etc.
* Customizable display of details
Cross References:
* Can also hyperlink when exported to electronic documents
* Can reference one destination in many places
Live Preflight:
* Current status displays at bottom of layout
* Preflight panel takes you to problems
* Uses preflight Profiles, which can be customized
Conditional Text Panel:
* Like a style sheet for visibility
* Lets you show/hide text and create versions of documents
* Helpful for online vs. print versions or student vs. teacher editions
* Apply at paragraph, word, or character level
* Text and anchored objects reflow automatically when you show/hide text
* Pages are removed/added automatically when text shortens/lengthens
Tables:
* Inline notes in table cells
* Edit tables in Story Editor
Other:
* Smart Text Reflow can add and remove pages automatically when text reflows
* Spread Rotation: temporarily rotate spread 90 degrees for editing
* Apply Nested Styles through the end of a line
* Place multiple graphics in a grid, as you place them
* Relink To Folder lets you relink multiple items in a different folder
* Task-based workspaces: shows only the most pertinent controls for tasks (typography, books, interactivity, etc.)
* Power Zoom: click, hold to zoom out – drag to another area, zoom back in
* Add effects to an object’s stroke, fill and/or content
* Support for Photoshop 3D artwork
* Support for Illustrator CS4 multiple artboards
* Edit With menu item lets you specify the application to edit graphics with
* Data Merge outputs directly to PDF without an intermediary InDesign file
* New InDesign Markup Language (IDML) lets XML applications create InDesign layouts without InDesign
Bridge
* Faster
* New views: List view and Carousel View for quickly cycling through assets
* Preview and create HTML and Flash Web galleries, and PDF contact sheets
* One-click full-screen previews
* Collections: organize related assets in freeform or search-based virtual groups–even when assets are spread across multiple folders
* Better searches: integration with Mac’s Spotlight and Vista’s Desktop Search
* Smart analysis and auto-stacking of High Dynamic Range (HDR) and panoramic images for handoff to Photoshop
* Preview 3D images and panoramas
* Camera Raw: nondestructive dodge, burn, sharpen, and other adjustments
* Adobe Bridge Home: Online source of video tutorials, podcast interviews and training events
Photoshop
Smoother interface:
* Quick Zoom in/out for birds-eye view when editing close-up
* Uses computer’s GPU and OpenGL for perfect clarity at random magnifications
* No stutter or preview lag
* Physics engine lets image continue to scroll after you let go of the Hand tool (like iTunes CoverFlow or iPhone apps)
* Drag to resize brushes
* Temporarily access a tool by holding down its shortcut key
* Notes panel: keep notes
Content-aware Scaling:
* Biggest new WOW! feature
* Miraculously preserves important items when you stretch an image
* Recognizes skin tones and automatically preserves “people”
* You can select other items to protect before stretching
Rotate View:
* Rotate canvas to any angle, and rulers and grids will match
* Great for tablet users
Adjustments panel:
* Combines Levels, Curves, Hue/Saturation, etc. for direct, nondestructive editing
* New Vibrance control adjusts saturation without harming delicate tones, such as skin
* Include new presets as starting points
Masks panel:
* Combines mask tools: Refine Mask, feather, Color Range, opacity, etc.
* Color Range vastly improved: can use multiple colors
On-image controls:
* For Curves, Black & White, and Hue/Saturation adjustment layers
* Drag left and right on the image itself to make adjustments
Tool improvements:
* Sponge, Dodge & Burn tools: preserve tonal quality
* Clone Stamp & Healing Brush: live preview before clicking
Smarter Smart Objects:
* Can now transform perspective
* Use layer masks
* Eyedropper can sample any or all layers
Printing:
* Preview out-of-gamut (unprintable) colors
* Streamlined interface
* 16-bit printing for more detail
* Support for Device Link color profiles
Accessibility:
* Preview for color blindness
Photomerge:
* Improved correction for vignetting (darkened edges) and geometry
* Create 360-degree panoramas
* Auto-detect fisheye lenses
Extended depth of field:
* Blend multiple shots containing different exposures, focus & color into one perfect shot
* Brings everything into focus
Integration with Lightroom 2:
* Open multiple images from Lightroom into one layered PSD file, or as an HDR image, panorama or Smart Object
* Changes made to images in Lightroom 2 or in Camera Raw are recognized by each other
Camera Raw improvements:
* Now supports TIFF and JPEG images!
* Nondestructive editing
* Shares same engine as Lightroom 2
* Vibrance adjustment layer
* Adjustment Brush: paint adjustments onto image
* Graduated Filter tool: gradient-based localized correction for skies, landscapes, etc.
* Improved Dodge, Burn, and Sponge tools help preserve tonal and color quality
* Post Crop Vignetting adjusts the darkened edges of a vignette to follow along as you crop an image
* Increased motion graphics support and compatibility with After Effects and Flash
Photoshop Extended:
* 3D engine: entirely new, dramatically faster
* Convert 2D art to 3D primitives
* Paint directly onto 3D objects
* Wrap 2D art and video files into 3D objects
* Make 3D logos move in space
* Use models downloaded from Google
* New Mesh from Grayscale, Invert Visible Surfaces, and Create UV Overlays
* Edit lights, materials and cameras
* New high-quality ray tracer
* Export to OBJ, KMZ, Collada and U3D formats
* Edit video frames quickly; preview and export audio with video
* After Effects can read 3D layers in Photoshop files
* Improved medical and engineering features
Go to page 2 for much, much more!


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