Image & graphics editing Graphics and publishing

The Bottom Line: Apple iLife '09 is a great application suite for simple media organizing and editing, and the addition of features like face recognition, geotagging, and music lessons makes it worth the update.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Apple MacOS X 10.5.6 or later, Intel PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5 (867MHz or faster) 867 MHz, Intel Power Mac G5 (dual 2.0GHz or faster), iMac G5 (1.9GHz or faster), DVD-ROM, Intel PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5 (867MHz or faster), Intel Power Mac G5 (dual 2.0GHz or faster), iMac G5 (1.9GHz or faster), 867 MHz, MacOS, QuickTime 7.5.5 or later

The Bottom Line: While Adobe Illustrator CS4's most compelling new feature--pseudo-multipage support--can be frustrating to use, overall it makes CS4 a worthwhile upgrade for current users.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 2 GHz or faster (Windows), PowerPC G4 1 GHz, PowerPC G5, Intel multicore (Mac), DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, 2 GHz or faster (Windows), PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5, Intel multicore (Mac), 1 GHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: If you work with 3D, Photoshop Extended is a must-have upgrade; ditto if you think you'd use more of Standard's tools if the interface were less opaque, if you need to upgrade other suite applications, or if you qualify for an academic discount. All things considered, while Adobe Photoshop CS4 makes some improvements over CS3, it might be worth skipping this generation and waiting for the next.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista Business SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, 1.8 GHz or faster (Windows), Intel Multicore 1.8 GHz, PowerPC G5 (Mac), DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, Internet connection, 1.8 GHz or faster (Windows), Intel Multicore, PowerPC G5 (Mac), 1.8 GHz, Windows, OpenGL

The Bottom Line: If you work with 3D, Photoshop Extended is a must-have upgrade; ditto if you think you'd use more of Standard's tools if the interface were less opaque, if you need to upgrade other suite applications, or if you qualify for an academic discount. All things considered, while Adobe Photoshop CS4 makes some improvements over CS3, it might be worth skipping this generation and waiting for the next.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista Business SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, 1.8 GHz or faster (Windows), Intel Multicore 1.8 GHz, PowerPC G5 (Mac), DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, Internet connection, OpenGL compatible graphics card, 1.8 GHz or faster (Windows), Intel Multicore, PowerPC G5 (Mac), 1.8 GHz, Windows, QuickTime 7.2 or later

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 1.5 GHz or faster (Windows), Intel Multicore (Mac) 1.5 GHz, DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, 1.5 GHz or faster (Windows), Intel Multicore (Mac), 1.5 GHz, Windows, QuickTime 7.4.5

The Bottom Line: Though it remains an excellent vector drawing tool, there's not a lot in Adobe Illustrator CS3 to compel CS2 users to upgrade.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, Internet connection, Windows, QuickTime 7.0 or later

The Bottom Line: Though it remains an excellent vector drawing tool, there's not a lot in Adobe Illustrator CS3 to compel CS2 users to upgrade.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, Internet connection, MacOS, QuickTime 7.0 or later

The Bottom Line: Though it remains an excellent vector drawing tool, there's not a lot in Adobe Illustrator CS3 to compel CS2 users to upgrade.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, Internet connection, Windows, QuickTime 7.0 or later

The Bottom Line: The professional's choice for image editing spawns Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended to appeal to select vertical markets, but it delivers mixed results.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Intel Pentium 4, Intel Xeon, Intel Core Duo, PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5, DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, 64MB video memory, Intel Pentium 4, Intel Xeon, Intel Core Duo, PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5, Windows, QuickTime 7.0 or later

The Bottom Line: The professional's choice for image editing spawns Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended to appeal to select vertical markets, but it delivers mixed results.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, 64MB video memory, Internet connection, MacOS