Adobe has dominated the design software market for close to two decades now. Their kingpin is Photoshop which, in the past decade, has grown to include support for 3D modeling, video and web design. So what can we expect from the next generation of Photoshop?
Well, no one is sure yet but the new features in some of the products in Adobe’s may provide some insight as to what the future holds.
Adobe has just announced that the newest versions of several Creative Suite titles, namely, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Soundbooth, can now be downloaded for a test run.
There’s a catch. If you’re not currently using the CS3 versions of Dreamweaver and Fireworks, the trial period for these programs will end within 48 hours. Otherwise you can request serial numbers to use them during Adobe’s prerelease period.
CNet has a more in depth run down of the new features available in some of the Betas but doesn’t quite have the scoop on Photoshop.
We took a quick test drive of the Dreamweaver trial and liked some of the changes. Among the touted enhancements are a Related Files Toolbar and Code Navigator. The Properties panel integrates HTML and CSS coding, which could save time for those who edit dynamic sites. A new Live View Mode, driven by Webkit open-source rendering, previews pages within Dreamweaver, eliminating the need to open a browser. Adobe intends for this feature to make it easier to debug JavaScript as well as to work with Flash animation.
There’s no word yet on whether the next rough draft of Photoshop will be available for a free trial. However, Photoshop’s next iteration may become available in widgets, enabling users to mix and mash up some features with third-party content, according to a blog post last week by Photoshop product manager John Nash. We suspect that there will be more opportunities to blur the lines between the desktop, the Web, and mobile platforms within the next Creative Suite.
I have a theory that Adobe will aim at integrating all of it’s products into sister web applications like Photoshop Express (above), but that’s just my own speculation. However, some type of interface like Google’s Gears would be the big step towards cloud computing that Adobe has yet to take.
With the growing use of web apps for professional work, it’s inevitable that Adobe enter that realm.
No Responses to “What To Expect from Adobe CS4”