This big box of goodies will run $2,499 to $1,999 if you upgrade from CS2 or CS suites; Studio 8, MX 2004, or MX; or Adobe Production Studio Premium or Standard. Those who own any two of those older suites may opt to upgrade to the Master Collection for $1,399. Adobe intends to ship its Creative Suite 3 Master Collection in the third quarter of 2007, when the video applications are available. Until that time, you have the option to purchase Adobe Production Studio Premium, After Effects 7.0 Professional, or Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 and upgrade to their Creative Suite 3 counterparts for free.
For now, Photoshop CS3 beta is available free for download; it has a two-day time-out that you can extend with a valid Photoshop CS serial number. Free beta trials of Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 and Adobe After Effects CS3 Professional will become available for download from Adobe Labs beginning April 16.
For most users, the Adobe CS3 Master Collection will be overkill, despite the significant cost savings over acquiring the apps individually. Unfortunately, it's licensed--and activated--on a suite basis, so you can't buy the Master Collection and distribute the apps around a workgroup, a department, or a small studio, which seems the most effective use of an uber-suite like this. We'll report back again after we test the various applications.
| Price if bought separately | |
 Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional | $449 |
 After Effects CS3 Professional | $999 |
| Bridge CS3 | n/a |
 Contribute CS3 | $149 |
 Dreamweaver CS3 | $399 |
 Fireworks CS3 | $299 |
Flash CS3 Professional | $699 |
 Illustrator CS3 | $599 |
 InDesign CS3 | $699 |
 Photoshop CS3 Extended | $999 |
 Premiere Pro CS3 with Encore CS3 and OnLocation | $799 |
 Soundbooth CS3 | $199 |
| Ultra CS3 | n/a |
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