Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Design Premium Upgrade Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a long-time fan of Adobe, and eagerly anticipated CS3. I hoped they would work out the many Macromedia bugs, but they managed to add a few of their own! And the promised product integration simply isn't there:
The Dreamweaver inteface is unchanged, except for renaming the Layers panel, and adding a new Objects tab. It won't correctly display interactivity in a SWF preview (the first click works; subsequent click are treated as a right-click, showing the FlashPlayer drop-down menu rather than the functionality in the SWF!)
Photoshop may be the reason most people upgrade, but its most touted new feature--non-destructive filters--is implemented very poorly. Rather than working like adjustment layers currently work, SmartFilters, as they are known, convert the underlying Photoshop layer into a SmartObject and places the SmartFilter on top. You CS2 users know that you can't edit a SmartObject in Photoshop--you have to go to the object's native application. So to edit the image under a SmartFilter, Photoshop opens it in a new document window (meaning you can't see its interaction with layers underneath as you edit it, and can't see how the various SmartFilters make the changed composition look until you save and return to the original document.
Flash was the reason I purchased this upgade: I was elated about importing layered PSDs and AI files. PSDs work great; AI files cause Flash to crash! (and Adobe tech support will not even respond)
Flash added a couple of new tools: shape primitives, which came from Macromedia Freehand: they allow you to easily edit the corner radius of a rectangle long after it's drawn--even editing each corner independently!
But do they offer a Primitive Star or Polygon tool like Freehand had (which allows you to edit the number of sides on stars and polygons)?
No.
Are the new Primitive Shape tools in Illustrator or Photoshop?
No.
Are the tear-off tool sets from Illustrator and ImageReady CS2 in Photoshop or InDesign CS3?
No.
Speaking of ImageReady, does it exist anymore?
No.
Can Photoshop CS3 open and edit multiple frames of an animated GIF?
No!(Don't delete ImageReady from your hard drive yet!)
Can you move the new collapsable tool panels onto your second monitor?
No.
Does Flash correctly auto-format ActionScript?
No.
Can you open an InDesign CS3 document in CS2 if no CS3 features were used (would be useful for all the non-early-adopters, such as printers receiving the jobs files)?
No.
Can you open a Flash CS3 .FLA with Flash 8, even if no CS3 features were used?
No.
Should you buy CS3?
No.
Not even at the academic price. It's a beta-version at best; wait for CS4.
UPDATE: A week later I'm STILL waiting for Adobe's reply, even after opening a second support case! It's like they outsourced their software development and support to Microsoft.

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Adobe CS3 Design Premium Mac Upgrade.Upgrade from Creative Suites Premium or Standard or Studio 8.

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Macromedia Studio MX 2004 Win/Mac Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using Macromedia Products since version 2 of Dreamweaver. I have a thorough knowledge of Dreamweaver and Fireworks. I have a bit less of Flash yet I do use it from time to time to create flash elements in sites that are primarily driven by html or xhtml code. I don't use Freehand because I think it is perhaps the most poorly implemented of all illustration programs bar none. I have always hoped that Macromedia would take Freehand seriously... and till this day I am still hoping.
Regarding the software...
Dreamweaver is by far the most popular web development software on the planet. In fact it has more users than all other web development platforms combined. This is a definite strength since you are able to find a tremendous amount of help around the Internet and in book stores.
Dreamweaver is still very good at what it does, however it has gone downhill with this most recent release (yes, I have installed the newest updater which does improve the software to a degree). The problems with the software are many. Macromedia has sacrificed a nice usable and professional interface for this 'flowery' looking gradient mess. Oh... it's pretty alright. The problem is I'm trying to get work done! The previous versions of the Studio have a much more professional interface. The program seems taxing to the system no matter how powerful your processor or how much ram you have. It also seems to have screen redraw issues. This is especially true when designing forms. Why that is... I have no idea. The way the program handles CSS is quirky at best. You need to basically go thru and make all these changes to the default behavior it is shipped with in order to get it to work and write CSS in an external style sheet else it will be written to the head of the current document (How stupid is that?). Macromedia should have used the Define Site Dialog box and asked developers if they wanted to create a CSS based site or used the older HTML methods. If a person chose CSS the program should have required them to enter the name of an external style sheet that all CSS would be written to by default. Then when using the property inspector, any changes to the design code would automatically be written to the external style sheet and not to the head or body of the document. It definately needs drastic improvement if it will ever be at the level of other Professional CSS coding software (think TopStyle Pro).
Another issue with Dreamweaver that I have is with its lack of ability to support a dual monitor configuration without major bugs, headaches, and screen redraw issues. I know many developers that have gone over to the dual monitor approach to development because of a tremendously improved work flow. YOu could have the design Window in one monitor and the code window in the other (Go to Window -- Code Inspector -- or hit F10). Once the code inspector is open, you can drag it over to the second monitor and thus develop both visually and with code. However, the newest DW version has some serious issues when you do this. First of all, you can't maximize the code window... so you have to manually drag one corner and size it yourself. The other is when you are between documents and have no current document open. The program seems like it just wants to crash, drawing and redrawing the entire interace. 'What in the world is going on here?' is the question that comes to mind minus profanities!
Flash has improved and is more powerful than previous version being more 'coder friendly' and allowing flash apps to be built using a forms based approach although I think they made a big mistake in making two versions of the software. It just confuses people and now is harder to share work within a team unless everybody is using the exact same version! Bad decision Macromedia.
Fireworks is probably the program in the group that deserves the highest honors. It is tops in the field of web graphics and functionality. I put it over Photoshop/ImageReady because it is specifically designed for the web whereas Photoshop is trying to be all things to all people. And to people who need that functionality, Photoshop is King! However, Fireworks is significantly easier to learn and use than PS. It will do anything you could possibly want in creating web graphics and eliminates all the functions that a print designer needs. Fireworks is for the web... not print. If that is acceptable for your work load.... use it!
Freehand is dead at this point in my eyes. Illustrator and Coreldraw are both vastly superior in usability and power. Freehand is a clunky and bug ridden program that does poorly what Illustrator does masterfully! Evidently Freehand has also taken a back seat in the eyes of Macromedia too. Freehand has always been delivered much later than the rest of the Studio. Even to this day in June of 2004, Freehand is still one version behind the rest of the software even though the MX 2004 Studio has been released for nearly a year (August 2003)! Some have argued that Macromedia purposely delays Freehand so that they can make more money off the developers who have already bought the current Studio and then need to purchase an upgrade to the latest Freehand. So perhaps this is a marketing ploy used in order to make more money. My opinion is that they will make more money if they improve their software, eliminate bugs, drop the 'flowerly' interace, and release the Studio as one release for both Mac and Windows (This means no 'pro' and 'non-pro' versions, all version share the same name...MX 2004 or whatever). Another note, Mac users should not be considered second class web developers. This particular offering for Mac users is particularly bad because of the bugs and speed of the software.
The best I can rate this offering is two stars... hopefully things will change in the near future. All that being said, I still consider myself a fan of Macromedia software... and just think they had a major hickup here with this latest offering.

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WebPlus X2 Website Maker Review

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(More customer reviews)WebPlus X2 is an amazingly powerful, if eccentric, site-building program, and an incredible bargain at Amazon's current price.
I've been using it for a few weeks now, and I'm constantly being pleasantly surprised by the ease of use and the depth of the options. The individual features are way too elaborate to address here; one can download a full manual from Serif's site to get a sense of the full scope of the program.
If you're a raw beginner, prepare to put in a lot of work before you can take full advantage of the software. But if you give it time, you'll be rewarded. The combination of the enclosed printed manual and the help files are very well-produced, and don't make any unwarranted assumptions about the skill levels of the user.
About that eccentricity: An important thing to understand about WebPlus is that in many respects it's more like a desktop publishing program than a traditional WYSIWYG web page creation program. You specify a page width and depth, and build within that canvas. It relies on a lot of absolute positioning of graphic elements, which means you need to make a good assumption about the screen resolution and and browser window size your viewers will be using. And there are a lot of type effects inherited from the program's cousin, PagePlus, which result in creation of graphics files that are placed within the page. Attractive, but at the price of compatibility with web standards. (I've been using different incarnations of PagePlus for years, so I started out being familiar with Serif's tools and tactics.)
The skilled web programmers who offered rotten reviews, comparing with the likes of Dreamweaver, are missing the point. Dreamweaver (which I've used) is a muscle program that costs about 10 times what you'd pay for WebPlus. Different products, different markets.
I was surprised and delighted when I opened the package from Amazon and found not just a program CD and a jam-packed resource CD, but also a printed manual and two template packages, one with sample business sites and the other for home and hobby use. Those last three items are a la carte products elsewhere. Also, there's a thriving user forum that offers great tips and quick advice.
This latest incarnation of WebPlus was marketed strongly on the abundance of Smart Objects, which rely on a Serif host server to make response forms, forums, blogs, analytics tools, etc., a drag and drop process, rather than items that require scripting on a full hosting service. Giving credit, these are free with the software, with only modest limits on total data volume (you can buy extra). But in the past few weeks that server has been plagued with large chunks of downtime, which can cause a whole site to hang. The user community has been up in arms, and Serif recently responded that the problems came in their expansion to a bank of multiple servers, and said they believe the worst is over. The service has been stable for several days, but I'd say the jury is still out on whether these tools are reliable in a commercial setting.
Bottom line: If you're starting out with a modest understanding of computers and the web, you should be able to use WebPlus X2 and its templates to produce professional-looking sites rapidly, at invitingly low cost.


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WebPlus X2 makes it quick and painless to produce professional-looking sites featuring interactive forums and blogs, polished animated photo galleries, podcasts and cool YouTube videos, Flash animations, secure password-protected pages, easy e-commerce sites with partners including PayPal, and much more, with handy on-screen help to guide you every step of the way.Whether a novice or a seasoned designer, a hobbyist or commercial manager, WebPlus has something to offer everyone, resulting in amazing websites without the headaches - and without breaking the bank.

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Web Easy 7.0 Professional Review

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(More customer reviews)I used Web Easy 7 Professional to make a very professional-looking web site, equal to sites created by much more expensive software. Web Easy did almost everything I required. I created my own page style and format, inserted text and hypertext links, and imported graphics and photos. Pages within a site can be different lengths, but if you start with a supplied template of a certain width, you apparently can't change it.
It's easy to preview the site you create, and what you see is really what you get. You can include meta tags on your site, but it seems that all pages of your site will have the same meta tags. You can insert a visitor counter, but you may need assistance from your ISP to have it count correctly. Many feedback form styles are available, but I haven't yet figured out how to make them send all of the information entered in the fields. The tables I could make in Web Easy were not satisfactory for a catalog with more than 50 items. You could divide your catalog up into several web pages, or use a link to open an Excel spreadsheet or Word document. Also, I couldn't paste a whole Excel or Word table into a Web Easy table.
Learning to use Web Easy took some effort, particularly because I wanted to create my own web site from scratch rather than using one of the templates supplied. The user's manual is pretty elementary, but the help menu is detailed, searchable, and generally helpful. Uploading my site to the web was frustrating. You need to enter host information into the Publish Assistant without many clues from the manual or the help menu. When I finally entered the right information, I got the cryptic error message "The web site package is older than the web site document", and only one page of my site uploaded, even though the site looked fine with the preview function. The error message should have described how to fix the problem. Eventually I figured out that it could easily be fixed by clicking Build / Web Site. You can visit my site at www.KeySynthesis.com


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Create a great website has never been easier. WebEasy includes everything you need in a one box to create your ideal website with built-in templates and e-commerce tools. Drag-and-drop simplicity and automatically HTML code generation, create the website you want without any programming or technical skills required.

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Serif WebPlus X5 Review

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(More customer reviews)With a little basic knowledge of working your way around a computer I created a 26 page web site in two days. Once it is hosted and on the web i will post it here so you can see what you can create. I know I am scratching the surface and the site could be cleaned up to look and opperate better, but a multi-layered web site was pretty easy to create.
The help feature is great. No matter what my question I found a very imformative help section that guided me through the process. Many questions I had were answerable through a very helpful video, no more than 2-3 minutes a piece, on the subject in question. Serif has made the process of designing a website as painless and easy for novices as possible.
I was worried that since they did not have religious templates to guide me or work from, the church web site I designed would not look right. I was wrong. The predesigned templates on the program were a good starting point and were quickly edited and redesigned to make my site look professional and original. In most of the 26 pages I never used a template and just designed on the fly. It was easy and a lot of fun.
I highly recommend this product.

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Serif WebPlus X5--Professional-Quality Web Sites Made Easy
WebPlus X5 is the ultimate web-site design software for small businesses, organizations, and home users. You don't need to know any HTML--drag-and-drop simplicity, an intuitive interface, and powerful tools help you design sites easily, even if you've never done it before.

Setting the standard for web-design software!
See how WebPlus X5 compares to other packages. View larger.

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SiteSpinner Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been designing and implementing websites for 7 years. Half for work, and half for fun. I am an electrical engineer and have been using Frontpage, GoLive, Dreamweaver, notepad, you name it. I've gotten pretty good at figuring out how to manipulate tables, javascript, alignment, clear GIF's for spacing, etc. HOWEVER, these programs have never been truly what you see is what you get for me. And my webpages always looked differently in Netscape, Safari, Explorer, Opera, Firefly, etc. Really different.
But now with SiteSpinner, everything that took me 7 years to learn and figure out, I learned with SiteSpinner in under a few days. The message boards are great with employees? and people who give real answers that work.
Also, I've even stopped using tables for alignment now because it's so easy to just drag and drop images and text anywhere you want. Then you can control positioning of objects by clicking below.
Bottom line: If you are a beginner wanting to make professional webpages, you gotta get this. For people like me that are pretty experienced, you still gotta get this. I am finishing up a completely overhauled company website now that I budgeted 2 months to do. 4 days so far, and 2 more days to finish.


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SiteSpinner Pro Review

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(More customer reviews)I have used Web Easy 6 and upgraded to 7 when it came out. Although that program was ok, the instruction as well as help from the company is non-existant. If it wasnt for the forums set up for the users, I would have had a heck of time getting my site done.
When Web Easy 8 came out, I decided to look for something else. I was not impressed with the previous WE upgrades. I read other reviews from other sites and decided on SiteSpinner Pro. As with any new program of this type, there is always a learning curve. If you are not willing to look thru tutorials and scour the internet to learn, you may want to go with a site that offers templates where all you do is replace text and pics and your done. That being said, I have found this software to be extremely good and am I'm very happy with it.
STRONG POINTS
It's truly 'what you see is what you get'. I like the fact that where I place an object is where it shows up in my browser. It has a built in Opera browser which is nice since I use internet explorer. So I get to see my design in 2 different browsers to make sure things will look good. Working with text, pics, objects, shapes is a breeze. It's easy to manipulate things and get the results you want. I just recently messed around with adding audio and video and it was easy also. Most everything is built in: want to add your own Javacode? click the code box and type it in. Want to add an mp3? click the multimedia button, choose song, browse to find it and your done. It's just as easy to make a mouseover too!
There is a very strong forum too with lots of help from other users as well as company staff. A few of the users have their own websites dedicated to SiteSpinner for help. Very handy. You can use it to build site for mobile phones (although I have not used this feature yet but sounds interesting). I also really like the eyedropper in the pic & text boxes that allows you to get a color from anywhere (even outside of the program!). It also has a built in animation tool for objects/text to do animations on your page.
WEAK POINTS
It doesnt have an option to give pics or text a drop shadow. There are ways around this but would be nice if built into the program. There are many tutorials with the program that are very good; however, a few of the advanced features lack examples to follow to learn how to use. Other than that i have not found too many things I dont like at this point.
OVERALL
The thing to remember, there is no perfect software out there and all of them will have the high and low points and their own learning curves. I think that Virtual Mechanics is on the right track with this. They seem to also take note of what users would like to see in their forums and try to implement it into their next update. If you dont want to take the time to learn Dreamweaver or spend the money, this is a great alternative and worth your time. I can't give anything a '5' since that means there would be nothing to improve. There is always room for improvement or more features.
You can check out my 1st website I've done with this program here: [...]


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