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Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium

OVR

Product summary

Specifications: Peripheral / Interface devices: DVD-ROM , Sound card , Internet connection , 1280 x 900 monitor resolution , 7200 RPM or faster hard drive , OpenGL compatible graphics card ; Min processor type: 2 GHz or faster for DV , 3.4 GHz for HDV , Dual 2.8 GHz for HD (Windows) , Intel Multicore (Mac) ; Min processor speed: 2 GHz ; See full specs

CNET editors' take

  • Reviewed on: 09/22/2008

The Adobe Production Premium CS4 package is built for filmmakers. Its key components include the updated Premiere for video editing, After Effects for postproduction effects, OnLocation to assist with perfecting shoots on the spot, and Soundbooth to tweak audio. Adobe integrates Photoshop and Illustrator for graphics, as well as Flash for crafting video and animation for the Web. With this update, Adobe has focused on expanding integration among the apps while improving work spaces and work flows. Options for repurposing work for mobile devices continue to expand.

For professionals, the main competitor to this package is Apple Final Cut Studio 2.

The release of Adobe Creative Suite 3 in 2007 was the first to incorporate former properties from Macromedia, such as Flash. With Creative Suite 4, Adobe has unified the interfaces of all the applications for a more seamless experience. Workspace adjustments to CS4 include panels that are more nimble than its predecessor's and handy pull-down menus with preset styles that enable you to shift among workspace layouts quickly.

Adobe Production Premium CS4 costs $1,699, or between $599 to $799 to upgrade. The charts below detail the contents of and pricing for this and other CS4 suites; please click on the images of individual applications to learn what's new inside each of them.

To install Adobe Production Premium CS4, Windows users need at least Windows XP SP2 or Vista with a 2GHz-or-faster processor (and higher, to support high-definition video). The necessary available-disk space is 16.3GB--perhaps more during installation. Mac users will need an Intel-based machine with at least OS X v10.4.11 to 10.5.4 with 2GB of RAM and 20.6GB of available disk space. For either Windows or Macs, installation comes via DVD. The display must be 1,280x900 with an OpenGL 2.0-compatible graphics card and support for Shader Model 3.0.

We've been tinkering with rough drafts of CS4 applications, and will report back with rated reviews once we put the final code through its paces.

Applications in Adobe CS4 Production Premium

  Price if bought separately

After Effects CS4 Professional
$999/$299 upgrade
Bridge CS4 n/a

Flash CS4 Professional
$699/$199 upgrade

Illustrator CS4
$599/$199 upgrade from CS, FreeHand 9+, or CorelDRAW

Photoshop CS4 Extended
$999/$349 upgrade from CS3/$899 upgrade from 5 or 6

Premiere Pro CS4 with Encore CS4 and OnLocation
$799/$299 upgrade/$699 upgrade from Premiere Elements

Soundbooth CS4
$199/$79 upgrade


Adobe Creative Suite 4 packages

Adobe Creative Suite 4 packages
  Price: Full Price: Upgrade

Creative Suite 4 Master Collection
$2,499 $899 (from CS3); $1,599 from other CS3 suites; $1,199 from two older suites

Creative Suite 4 Design Premium
$1,799 $599 (from CS3); $599-$799 (from Studios or CS 1-2)

Creative Suite 4 Design Standard
$1,399 Special upgrade pricing available

Creative Suite 4 Web Premium
$1,699 $599 (from CS3); $599-$799 (from Studios or CS 1-2)

Creative Suite 4 Web Standard
$999 Special upgrade pricing available

Creative Suite 4 Production Premium
$1,699 $599 (from CS3); $599-$799 (from Studios or CS 1-2)

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Where to buy

Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium: $699.95 - $2,174.45
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Where to buy Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium

Price range: $699.95 - $2,174.45
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Reviews from around the WebPowered by alaTest

  • alaTest.com

    Editors' rating: 96

    Summary: alaTest has collected and analyzed 29 reviews of Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Standard from international magazines and websites. Experts rate this product 80/100 and users 65/100. Comparing these reviews to 30892 other Business reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 96/100 = Excellent.

  • macworld.co.uk

    Read full review

  • pocket-lint.co.uk

    Editors' rating: 80

    Summary: If you're a light user of CS3, then the move to CS4 isn't probably a necessity, however this will get any design job done as long as you've got the creativity

    Read full review

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