Last month Adobe quietly revealed a first look at Photoshop CS6, which was received with hundreds of thousands of views…  And now we have second and third looks, new sneak peeks which focus on performance gains and vector improvements (with dashed and dotted lines).

As images grow larger and larger in resolution and file size, even simple actions such as saving your files can slow down productivity – which has been a point of interest in Photoshop CS5. In this preview, a smooth and oft-requested Background Save capability is introduced allowing you to fully continue working while all file saving takes place in the background, regardless of size or compression.

Large images also slow down functions like Liquify… In the video, a 100MB photograph lags when loading and editing in Photoshop CS5. Now this new Photoshop (CS6 we presume) uses the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to greater effect to bring real-time loading and editing responsiveness. See how much faster and crisper the Liquify filter works, enabling effectively unlimited brush sizes:

Here’s the most recent of the 3 sneak peeks thus far, this one just out…  Photoshop can now also do dashed and dotted lines – easily creating them with one click, specifically addressing a longtime feature request from many designers and illustrators.  Per Photoshop Product Manager John Nack, note the presence of controls for “real” stroke & fill (not dependent on the modal layer style dialog) on the options bar:

If you missed the first Photoshop CS6 sneak peek, it’s definitely worth two minutes of your full-screen time if you haven’t seen it yet – introducing the new user interface, rich cursor support, plus advancements in the Camera Raw processing engine that will power Photoshop CS6:

Check out what it does to this simple cellphone shot of the Eiffel Tower using just a few (new) sliders, restoring it more accurately to how it looked to the photographer’s eye at the time of capture…

Roll over the image with your mouse (or tap) for the before and after results:

What else do we know about Photoshop CS6? Well, there’s the chance we’ll see the much-discussed Photoshop Image Deblur tool that Adobe showcased at the annual MAX show last fall – and then later published more before-and-after images for demonstration. But from the sounds of what Photoshop Senior Product Manager Bryan O’Neil Hughes said afterwards, it could be too “early stage” to make the CS6 release.

So all in all, some cool and welcome enhancements to the Photoshop product but nothing too earth-shattering quite yet – we think Adobe could be saving the “big gun” new features (a la CS5′s Content-Aware Fill and Puppet Warp) for closer to the actual CS6 launch date.

Related Posts

• When is Adobe CS6 Being Released, including Photoshop CS6?
• Adobe Confirms Release Cycle for Creative Suite; CS6 Out Mid-2012
• Adobe CS6 Upgrade Policy Changes Postponed! CS3 & CS4 on Track
• Adobe Lightroom 4 Beta Release is Here! Now Available Free to Public
• Acrobat & Lightroom: Impact of Creative Cloud and Upgrade Changes

We have word of a new coupon code you can use get an instant 15% off orders placed at the Adobe Store – for eight days only…

You can receive a one-time savings of 15% off orders of US$375 or more containing full or upgrade versions of any Adobe software. In order to redeem the 15% discount, you must have the special promotion code LOVE15 applied in your Adobe shopping cart.

And good news for students: the offer is valid for both commercial and education customers – meaning you can get an additional 15% off the already-discounted academic pricing.

Outside of that exceptional case, the coupon may not be used in conjunction with any other offers – meaning you can’t combine it either with the current half-price on Lightroom offer, or with the 20% discount on CS5.5 upgrades offer (both of which are better anyway, and worldwide).

For this 15% off promotion, orders must be placed by Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2012, at 11:59pm PT. This offer is available only to customers with shipping addresses in the USA, Mexico, and Canada (excluding Quebec, not sure why), with one discount per customer. It’s not valid for Adobe Volume purchases, though you can still buy multiple copies and it will apply to the first two products that bring the total to $375 or more.

These type of unrestricted coupons don’t come along very often for Adobe, so if there’s a purchase you’ve been thinking of, now could be a good time… And as always, you can download and try out any product you like for free, and then convert the trial to a permanent version using this offer if you so decide.

For our international readers, we regret that you aren’t able to take advantage of this discount, but note that other current specials like 50% off Adobe Lightroom and 20% off CS5.5 upgrades are both available to you worldwide now.

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• Adobe Deal: Save 50%(!) on Premiere Pro CS5.5 or Production Suite
• Adobe Coupon Code: Save 10% Sitewide in US, Canada, UK & Europe
• Save 10% on Adobe CS5 Suites with Coupon Code, for 1 Week Only
• Save $40 on Adobe Software with Promotion Code, for 7 Days Only
• Purchase CS4 Products at 10% Off

Anybody interested in some free copies of new Adobe Lightroom 4?

We’ve got them. Adobe says the 4th release of this very popular photography solution is due to ship fairly soon – however if you want to try it out and get your feet wet before then, you can just download and run the free LR4 beta version, though this shouldn’t be used for production or permanent work.

In the meantime, did you know that Adobe just extended an unprecedented deal on the current full version – Lightroom 3 – for half off the regular price of US$300, save 50% worldwide? Yes, it’s true, and never been done before – but you can take advantage of that here.  And you’d still be eligible and welcome for the free giveaway of version 4 by entering below.

So, we’ve got two brand new boxed copies of the final official Lightroom 4 product all lined up and would love to give them away to our faithful readers…  It’s easy to sign up.  The contest is open to residents of North America, U.K., Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa – and all you need to do for a chance to win is one (or both) of the following:

That’s it!  Each of these actions counts as a single entry into the drawing – so if you do both, you’ll receive a two chances to win the prizes. Be sure your email is correct and current so we can contact you. One entry per reader for each method, but please do share and tell your friends and colleagues who would like the software as well.

Submissions are open until 11:59pm EST on Saturday, March 3rd, 2012. The winners will be drawn at random from all valid entries, and contacted via email – and we’ll announce the lucky recipients (first names only) right here the following week. If you’re one, we’ll ship you a shiny new box of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 the moment it’s out, for free… Good luck!

» Email this to a friend

For Lightroom 3, the Current Release

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Late last week we received these two inquiries via our Contact page:

“Could you please provide a proposed release date for CS6 Design Premium software? I can’t see anywhere on your site where this is mentioned except for the U-turn regarding upgrade policy from earlier versions.”

“I have a budget meeting tomorrow and need to know the approximate release date and projected cost of the CS5 to CS6 Master Collection Suite upgrade.”

So, this is something people really want to know now.  And we have written about it before, giving clues in posts here as far back as March and July of last year…

But it’s clearly time for an update.

Even today, we wish we could give you exact dates and numbers for those questions, but Adobe hasn’t publicly disclosed that information – and likely won’t until CS6 is launched… However, we can make a best estimate of the possible timing for the Creative Suite 6 release window.

On Adobe’s site now there is a document referencing the new CS Release Schedule.  Here are a few of the key elements contained within this Message Summary:

New CS Release Schedule

To enable customers to successfully capitalize on these industry trends, Adobe is innovating quickly and we are introducing a new release schedule for Creative Suite:

• In order to keep customers ahead of these industry trends, we will issue midcycle releases in between our traditional milestone releases.
• We are extending the time between milestone releases to two years.
• There will be one midcycle release during each cycle. So, once every 12 months there will definitely be a substantial release for CS.
• Since features in the midcycle release are primarily focused on keeping users ahead of the industry trends at that time, not all point products will be revised in a given midcycle release.
• This new Release Schedule debuts … with CS5.5 as the first of these midcycle releases.

So reading between the lines here – if milestone (new major number) releases will be every two years, and if every 12 months there will be a new version of Creative Suite coming out, then taking the CS5.5 launch date of May 2011 and adding twelve months would give an expected CS6 shipping date in the May 2012 timeframe.

Of course, software development schedules are never exact, and your mileage may vary – but this is about the best estimate right now from public information.

How about CS6 pricing? This won’t be published in advance, but when moving from CS4 to CS5 Adobe kept prices pretty much the same – so the most reasonable budgeting strategy is to use the same cost figures for Creative Suite 5 for a similar product, or for a similar upgrade.

What else do we know about CS6?

First and foremost, Creative Suite 6 will continue to be available in all the forms you’re used to today with CS5 – download or boxed, full or upgrade, individual or suite, perpetual (perma­nent) or subscription. And based on the Message Summary document, all major products are likely to receive substantial revisions and new features.

What about pricing? There have been no announcements in this regard – but since Adobe just postponed their change in upgrade policy, your best price estimate for modeling purposes has to be to use what’s in place now for CS5, for a similar product or upgrade.

Current CS3, CS4, and CS5 customers will be able to upgrade to their choice of CS6 products. CS2 customers can still upgrade to CS5.5 now, but will be too far back to receive discounted upgrade pricing to CS6. However, there may be a brief grace period where anybody (including CS2 users) could upgrade to CS5/CS5.5 and then receive a free further upgrade to CS6, if Adobe continues what they’ve done after past Creative Suite announcements. Stay tuned here as we’ll have quick news of that if it’s offered.

Adobe will also be offering a Creative Cloud alternative (where access to the software is rented monthly by paid membership) but — and there’s a lot of misunderstanding here — the cloud will be completely optional and not required by any customer (either existing or new) to buy or use it… In other words, it is an addition – not a replacement.

We also now know that Adobe’s two new products Edge and Muse will not be part of CS6, and will be available via separate subscription or cloud only. At the same time, we know that Adobe Acrobat, Lightroom, and Photoshop/Premiere Elements will not be affected by any cloud or upgrade changes.

Adobe Photoshop CS6 – a Sneak Peek?

Did you catch the little “sneak peek” video that Adobe slipped out on YouTube last week, presumably a first look at what’s to come in Photoshop CS6?

[UPDATE (February 1st) – More sneak peeks of Photoshop CS6 have also just been released.]

There were some interesting details revealed – confirming longtime rumors, Photoshop is getting a darker and redesigned user interface that allows for a more immersive experience and consistency between other Adobe applications, plus rich cursor support that gives a floating heads-up of significant brush metrics right near the action. And as is customary, Photoshop CS6 will continue to use the same new Adobe Camera Raw 7 processing engine that’s also available now in the free Lightroom 4 beta release.  ACR 7 has been rewritten and can do some pretty amazing things very quickly, as shown in the video.

Check out what it does to this iPhone camera shot of Paris – how easily it brings up the foreground without blowing out the background, recovering highlights and boosting clarity for a more compelling image using just a few sliders…

Just roll over with your mouse (or tap) for the before and after results:

So the video is definitely worth two minutes of your full-screen time if you haven’t seen it yet – and we’re likely to get more previews in the coming months because it’s titled “#1″ in a new YouTube playlist Adobe created called “Sneak Peeks”:

What other features coming in CS6?

Well, of course we also have the possibility of the stunning Photoshop Image Deblurring feature that Adobe demoed at MAX last fall – but from what PS Senior Product Manager Bryan O’Neil Hughes said earlier, it sounds like a long shot for deblurring to make the CS6 release.

It seems more likely we could see some of the other MAX feature sneak peeks finding their way into CS6 products, including Liquid Layout for InDesign, plus 3D Video Meshes, Auto-Align New Dialogue Track, and Auto-Sync Crowd-Sourced Video for Premiere Pro & After Effects, as well as all the rest of the sneak peek demos.

Related Posts

• Adobe Confirms Release Cycle for Creative Suite; CS6 Out Mid-2012
• Adobe Photoshop CS6 – Another Look? More Sneak Peeks [VIDEO]
• Acrobat & Lightroom: Impact of Creative Cloud and Upgrade Changes
• The New Adobe Creative Cloud: What It Is and Why You Should Care
• CS5.5 or CS6? New Adobe “Sneak Peek” Preview Videos Out

There’s an amazing deal out that’s just been expanded for Adobe customers worldwide (in US/Canada, Europe/UK, Australia/NZ, and South Africa) – you can get the full version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 for half off the regular price:  now US$149, £99, €125, or A$124 – plus free shipping:

Quickly process and manage your images for less.

Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 3 software helps you bring out the best in your photographs, whether you’re perfecting one image, searching for ten, processing hundreds, or organising thousands.  Read more »

Save 50% instantly on a full version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3, plus free shipping.

Get this deal now for:  N. America – Europe – UK – Australia – New Zealand – Africa

* Receive a savings of 50% off the standard price of a full version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 when purchasing directly from the Adobe Online Store from 19 January 2012 until 5 February 2012. Offer is limited to one discount per customer. Free shipping also applies. The discount will be applied automatically in your shopping cart, no coupon code is necessary. The 50% discount will be taken off subtotalled amounts prior to calculation of tax. Allow 2-3 days for software delivery. Special is not valid for subscription products, OEM bundles, or education versions of software. This promotion is subject to availability and to change or withdrawal without notice.

Note this reduction is not available for upgrades to Lightroom 3, which still cost US$99 from any previous version. And while this deal originally rolled out for international customers only, it is now being offered in North America as well.

Meanwhile, students and teachers worldwide can continue to benefit from deeply-discounted educational pricing to buy a full copy of Lightroom 3 for just US$89, which is more than 70% off the regular price.

So if you’ve been thinking about making the jump to this well-regarded product, here’s a great entry…  If you prefer to try before you buy, you can immediately download the fully-functional free trial, and then just convert it to permanent within the offer period above.

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Content Aware Fill is one of the major features added in Adobe Photoshop CS5, and is said to be one of its greatest new timesavers. CAF allows you to move or delete parts of your image and Photoshop will automatically and intelligently fill in the space left behind. We’ve written about it before with the quote, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguish­able from magic.” [Arthur C. Clarke]

And in our shop here we save hours every month from using Content Aware Fill as well as other CS5 advancements like Puppet Warp and the improved edge/masking tools.

Yet we still see some people claiming that Content Aware Fill “doesn’t work,” “doesn’t give results like in the demo video,” “doesn’t use the right back­ground,” or is just hype, smoke-and-mirrors, or a “gimmick.”

It’s true that it doesn’t always work and of course has its limitations. You can’t synthesize brand new material or hidden content that doesn’t exist in some related form elsewhere in the image. And often it will require some retouching afterwards to get the final result you want.

But usually it will get you most of the way there very quickly – if you know the most effective ways to use the feature. The best is when it “just works” without doing anything special, and this happens often enough too…

Here is a quick before-and-after example that required doing nothing more than an item selection and a content-aware delete… and one could say that for (literally) a two-minute job, it borders on magic…  Just roll over with your mouse (or tap) for the before and after results:

So what are the tips for ensuring Photoshop’s Content Aware Fill works the way you want? Here are two video walkthroughs to help learn how to make it do your heavy lifting.

The first features Russell Brown showing several before and after examples – with the key technique being to make a tight selection of what you want to fill or remove, and then expanding your selection by 5-10 pixels all around… (use the Select menu > Modify > Expand… Expand Selection by X Pixels) Setting things up that way gives the CAF algorithm just the right amount information on what it should remove and what it should use to fill in the space, without getting things you don’t want or mixing in too much.

The second tutorial is from Terry White and shows how to use Layer Masks to exclude the part(s) of the image you don’t want Content Aware Fill to draw data from at all. Alternatively, you can do the inverse and use the same method to include only the areas you do want the tool to use when composing the filled space. And as the video title indicates – “What to Do When Content Aware Fill or Content Aware Scale Doesn’t Work” – he gives tips for using Photoshop’s Content Aware Scaling feature as well.

And of course if you then combine both of these techniques your results will be better still, and CAF will work as best as possible for you…  Sometimes it takes a little experimentation, and if the area to be filled is complex (or large), then break it up and do it in pieces instead – in other words, take smaller selections and fill them in one-by-one.

Here they are… and hopefully with the skills from these two videos in hand, you’ll get more satisfying – fast and timesaving – results from the latest version of Photoshop.

[Extra:  Watch Part 1 of Russell Brown's show.]

[UPDATE (February 1st) – And another third, quick new video from Photoshop Senior Product Manager Bryan O'Neil Hughes: Getting the Best Results with Content-Aware Fill.]

Download a free trial of Photoshop CS5 and try it out yourself!

Check out more of the best tutorials for Photoshop (any learning level or product version).

Watch other video demonstrations of more Content-Aware Fill tricks & techniques.

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If you’d like to learn how to use Adobe’s Creative Suite tools to easily and portably create websites and apps for tablets, smartphones, and mobile devices there’s a new 2¼-hour course you’ll be interested in…

Guru Paul Trani teaches an extensive free class with 18 video chapters that will take you step-by-step on how to create portable content that will run on both Apple iOS and Google Android devices with a wide variety of screen sizes using a single code base. Basic usage of HTML5 and CSS3 is covered, as well as how to bring in Adobe’s recent additions PhoneGap (for building fast, cross-platform mobile applica­tions) and Typekit (for delivering custom web fonts).

The first half of the video series employs Adobe Dreamweaver CS5.5 to develop both websites and apps, with steps on how to convert a website into a portable mobile app. The tutorials then move on to using Flash-based tools (with Adobe AIR) to build multi-platform mobile apps. We already know that Flash Professional CS5 can be used to build apps for the iPad and iPhone, but this takes it a step further. The videos guide you all the way through to how to publish your app to your device and to the Android Market (which shows immediately) or to the Apple App Store.

If you don’t own the Adobe software yet but would like to use it to follow along with the training, you can easily download the free trials, which will be fully-functional for 30 days. The tutorials also include downloadable sample files to use as you go along, so be sure to look for those.

The CS5.5 Web Premium suite is used in the demonstrations – which coincidentally we’re also giving away for free!

Here’s the 2¼-hour course:

And here is the first segment (the Overview chapter) to get you started:

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The long-awaited Adobe Lightroom 4 beta release finally made its appearance last week (free download here), and has some folks pretty excited about the collection of new features. There’s a complete list further below, but some of the biggies include much better video support, soft proofing, integrated maps and photo books, and some amazing improvements to the Develop module.

We’ve got a new video here from the popular Terry White giving a fine walkthrough of what’s new and improved…  Adobe has said they expect the general featureset to remain consistent between the beta and the final release (see when that will be).

This “public beta,” so that means it’s not done yet – it’s a beta product, it’s not been released… so therefore you should proceed accordingly. This is not “ready for prime time” nor ready for for production work. However, as a public beta you can freely download it, install it side-by-side with any earlier versions of LR you may have, begin testing it, try out the new features, and check out what’s in store – and more importantly give Adobe feedback on what you’d like to see in this version or in future versions.

How does Lightroom 4 compare vs. Lightroom 3?

First off, we should mention something a little controversial regarding older computers: Adobe is dropping support for the ten-year-old Microsoft Windows XP with this release… The official LR4 system requirements call for Windows Vista or 7, or a 64-bit capable Mac OS. And if you’re wondering why they did this, Adobe has just put up a new post explaining why.

For the rest of what’s changed, we had planned to put together an detailed, comprehensive overview with the details and screenshots for every new feature and function – but then we found Ian Lyon’s excellent and comprehensive review which already did exactly that…

So here’s the punch list of top-level new features in LR4:

And for more details and the best coverage we’ve found, check out [via] Ian Lyon’s page.

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= BREAKING NEWS =

Two months ago Adobe made a major change in the Creative Suite upgrade policy that had been in place since CS3 came out in April 2007…

Had you heard about it? If not, here’s what they said on the new upgrade policy for CS6…
In a nutshell, Adobe said only customers running Creative Suite 5 products would be eligible for discounted upgrade pricing to the new CS6 when it comes out.

Customers spoke up and reaction to the change was pretty unfavorable across the web… Results from our own poll here showed a striking 91% against the move including the company’s related business model changes to the Creative Cloud.

And now, in a stunning turnabout, Adobe says they have been listening and are backing off the new policy, in response to customer feedback…

Yes, it’s true – and just as we were one of the first to break the original story, we’re back now with the good news that the older Creative Suite versions like CS3 and CS4 will indeed be able to get upgrade discounts to CS6 in the future.

Here it is from our Adobe Partner Update:

CS6 Upgrade Offer for CS3 and CS4 Customers

With these great new releases coming in 2012, we want to make sure our customers have plenty of time to discover which offering is best for them. Therefore, we’re pleased to announce that we will offer special introductory upgrade pricing on Creative Suite 6 to our customers who own CS3 or CS4.

This offer will be available from the time CS6 is released until December 31, 2012. More details on this offer, as well as any introductory offers for existing customers to move to Creative Cloud membership, will be announced when CS6 and Creative Cloud are released later this year.

In other words, Adobe will effectively be restoring their longstanding “three versions back” upgrade policy through the launch of CS6, until the end of this year…

You can read more details about the new policy here, under the section, “What is Adobe’s upgrade pricing policy?”  Note you will be able to purchase future CS products just like today, as perpetual (permanent) desktop licenses.

So, all you folks with CS3 or CS4 can now rest easy if your plans have been to upgrade to CS6 all along, as this will give you the chance to do it with lower prices as you had been expecting. For those customers now on CS5 or CS5.5, it should cost even less for you to upgrade to CS6 under Adobe’s Tiered Upgrade Pricing Policy, because you own a more recent version.

Note the company has not announced CS6 pricing for anybody yet, so at this point we don’t know these exact numbers and how different they’ll be from those for CS5, if at all.

But if you do get on board with CS6 later this year, then looking forward under the new policy starting in 2013, you’d have nearly four years to think about later upgrading from CS6 to CS7 down the line.

So it’s good to see that after all the discussion, Adobe listened – and rethought this policy in a way that gave enough notice and made more sense for customers.

Please spread the word and share this news with anyone who you think should know!

See also:  Acrobat, Lightroom, and Elements – How Are They Affected By Creative Cloud?

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NEWS FLASH – Adobe has just announced a free public beta release of the eagerly-anticipated Photoshop Lightroom 4, with new tools and advancements to enhance and share your digital photograph library:

“Available as a free public download from Adobe Labs for Windows and Mac, the Lightroom 4 beta is a preview of new features and capabilities that will be offered in the final release of LR4, expected in early 2012.

The beta features refined technology for superior shadow and highlight processing, expanded management capabilities including enhanced DSLR video support and the ability to create beautiful photo books from within Lightroom. Adobe encourages photographers to try the beta release and provide feedback to the product team.”

The news comes six years to the day from the very first beta release of Lightroom 1 on January 9, 2006, where it all started…  Lightroom is Adobe’s digital photography workflow solution helping amateur and professional photographers quickly import, manage, enhance and showcase their images.

And great news – some long-requested new features are here now in LR4…

New Features in Lightroom 4 Beta

• Highlight and shadow recovery brings out all the detail that your camera captures in dark shadows and bright highlights.
• Photo book creation with easy-to-use elegant templates.
• Location-based organization lets you find and group images by location, assign locations to images, and display data from GPS-enabled cameras.
• White balance brush to refine and adjust white balance in specific areas of your images.
• Additional local editing controls let you adjust noise reduction and remove moiré in targeted areas of your images.
• Extended video support for organizing, viewing, and making adjustments and edits to video clips.
• Easy video publishing lets you edit and share video clips on Facebook and Flickr.
• Soft proofing to preview how an image will look when printed with color-managed printers.
• Email directly from Lightroom using the email account of your choice.

LR4 Beta Download Availability

The free Lightroom 4 beta program is open and available to the public. Anyone with an Internet connection can download and test it out in full. You do not need to own (or have tried) a previous version of Lightroom, and there is no serial number required. The Lightroom 4 beta will not overwrite or interfere with any existing installation of Lightroom 1, Lightroom 2, or Lightroom 3.

You can download the beta immediately and use it freely until the product expires at the end of March. Please see this detailed post for the minimum system requirements and installation instructions, as well as more information on the new features and known issues. One possible hiccup for some users is that Lightroom 4 is not supported on Windows XP systems.

Also be sure to give your feedback to the Adobe developers…

Introduction to Lightroom 4

And here’s a great video series on what’s new and to get you started…  Afterwards, explore more on the differences between Lightroom 4 vs. Lightroom 3.

For Lightroom 3, the Current Release

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Adobe has just extended their popular current offer for all customers to save an additional 20% off the regularly-discounted upgrade price when you move up to CS5.5 (to either a suite or an individual product) from any earlier qualifying Adobe tool listed below.

This special was set to expire at year-end but has now been extended into March 2012 and continues to be available worldwide, with no coupon or promotion code required.  It’s valid for upgrading to all the latest CS5.5 versions, and also includes Photoshop CS5.1 and Illustrator CS5 as well.

The additional time comes following Adobe’s recent news of a major change in upgrade policy whereby only users with CS5.5 or CS5.0 would qualify for upgrade pricing to CS6 when it is released.

The new expiration dates for the additional 20% off upgrade savings are:

   North American Store:  Extended through March 15, 2012.
   European Stores:  Extended through 15 March 2012.
   Australia/NZ + Asia:  Extended through 15 March 2012.

So if you currently have one of these Adobe products with a valid license (either commercial or for education/student), then you qualify for this promotion:

• Creative Suite 4 Design Premium, Design Standard, Web Premium, Web Standard, Production Premium, or Master Collection
• Creative Suite 3 Design Premium, Design Standard, Web Premium, Web Standard, Production Premium, or Master Collection
• Creative Suite 2 Premium or Standard
• Adobe Production Studio Premium or Standard
• Adobe Design Bundle (Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium and Macromedia Flash Pro 8)
• Adobe Web Bundle (Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium and Macromedia Studio 8)
• Adobe Video Bundle (Adobe Production Studio Premium and Macromedia Flash Pro 8)
• Macromedia Studio 8
• After Effects CS4, CS3, or 7.0 (Professional or Standard)
• Flash CS4 Pro or Flash CS3 Pro, Macromedia Flash Pro 8, or Flash Basic 8
• Illustrator CS4, CS3, or CS2
• Audition CS4, CS3, or CS2
• Dreamweaver CS4, CS3, or CS2
• Fireworks CS4, CS3, or CS2
• InDesign CS4, CS3, or CS2
• Photoshop CS4, CS3, or CS2
• Photoshop CS4 Extended or CS3 Extended
• Premiere Pro CS4, CS3, or CS2
• Any version of Adobe Premiere

If you want to try out the product upgrade first, you can download the free trial for any software you choose, and then later convert the trial to a permanent version using this offer if you like. This works even for upgrades, which will run side-by-side with your other installed Adobe tools without difficulty.

This discount offer is available in the following Country Stores: USA, Canada, Mexico, UK, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia (Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand), China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Hope this news helps save you some money…

Read more about CS5.5

To receive future notification of special promotions and coupon codes like these, get on our free occasional Adobe Special Offers mailing list in the sidebar just up and to the right.

Related Posts

• Adobe Says No CS6 Upgrade Discounts from Older CS2, CS3, or CS4
• Get Your Upgrade to Adobe CS5.5 for 20% Less – Limited Promotion
• Adobe CS6 Upgrade Policy Changes Postponed! CS3 & CS4 on Track
• Adobe’s New Upgrade Policy for CS6: What It Means for You [Poll]
• What are the Differences between CS5.5 vs. CS5 vs. CS4 vs. CS3?

“What’s the difference between the different Photoshops?”

We’ve seen this question sooo many times, we just had to write a complete article about it.  With four different members of the Adobe Photoshop family, it can be confusing what is what and which to get…  And now that Photoshop Elements 10 has just been released, it’s a good time to look at this.

If you ask Adobe, they’ll tell you:

Q:  How do Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Extended, Photoshop Elements, and Photoshop Lightroom software differ?

A:  Photoshop Elements 10 (US$99) is designed for people who are just getting started with digital photo editing, and delivers powerful yet easy-to-use options that help you organize, edit, create, share, and help protect your personal photos.

Photoshop CS5 (US$699, actually CS5.1) is the professional standard for creating and manipulating powerful images, and Photoshop CS5 Extended (US$999) delivers every­thing in Photoshop plus tools for creating and editing 3D and motion-based images.

Photoshop Lightroom 3 (US$299) addresses the workflow needs of professional and serious amateur photographers, enabling them to import, process, organize, and showcase large volumes of digital photographs quickly.

And indeed they do nicely summarize all the different versions on one page.

So that’s a good starting point, but let’s dig a little deeper. Here’s another way of looking at it, functionally:

• Photoshop CS5 – The latest-and-greatest “flagship” (or regular/standard) version of the breakthrough industry-standard tool – the world’s leading pixel manipulation program.
• Photoshop Elements 10 – A scaled-down, simpler version for hobbyists and home market, with fewer features, functions, and options – it offers “elements” of the full program.
• Photoshop Lightroom 3 – Not really “photoshop” or a pixel-level editor at all, but rather a non-destructive image workflow system for serious and pro photographers.
• Photoshop CS5 Extended – The “top of the line” with everything: it takes Photoshop CS5 and adds editing for both 3D and motion (video!) content, as well as image analysis.

That captures the essence, and we have in-depth comparisons below. But if just from reading that you’re unsure which one is right for you, Adobe offers free downloadable trial editions of all four editions which are fully-functional for 30 days. So you can get any one (or multiple, or all) for tryout to see which work(s) best.

But it’s not “either/or” – many folks actually end up buying two of these: Lightroom together with one of the CS5 editions (or Elements) – they are complementary and integrated to work well together, in fact Adobe offers a 30% discount when those products are purchased at the same time.

All four products are available for both Windows PC and Mac OS – and in fact all of them can be run on both platforms, with the ability to install on up to two computers for each tool. If you own a previous release of the same product, then you may qualify for the Upgrade version which costs less ($US79 for Elements, US$199 for Photoshop CS, and US$99 for Lightroom), otherwise you’d get the Full version.

Compare Photoshop CS5 vs. Photoshop CS5 Extended

OK, we’ve actually written a whole separate article on just that question – the differences between Photoshop vs. Photoshop Extended – so please see that related piece for more details there… 

Importantly, note that in almost all of Adobe’s suites, and in all of Adobe’s education versions for students & teachers, the edition of Photoshop is Extended.  That’s a good thing.

For the other three editions (Photoshop CS5 vs. Lightroom 3 vs. PSE 10):  What are some of the features in one version but not the other(s), or unique to each?

Compare Photoshop CS5 vs. Photoshop Elements 10

As mentioned earlier, most would say that Photoshop Elements 10 is a stripped-down version of the full Photoshop CS5 with significantly fewer features, options, and controls. On the other hand, PSE is targeted towards the consumer market and Adobe has designed it to be easier to get started with and learn to use.

There is a long list of features it does not contain as compared to the full Photoshop CS5. Here are a few that Photoshop CS has, but that Photoshop Elements does not have:

• Puppet Warp
• Pen Tool (vector drawing & selections)
• Content-Aware Fill
• 64-bit support (for performance)
• HDR Pro
• Paths Palette
• Vanishing Point Tool
• History Brush
• Curves
• Full 16-bit RGB
• Creating custom Actions (scripting)
• Smart Objects, Smart Guides
• Color Balance and Match Color
• Channels Palette and Mixer
• Automatic lens correction
• Warp Transform Tool
• 3D objects & text
• Pixel Bender plug-in
• CMYK and Lab color models
• Truer Edge detection technology
• Adjustments & controls for everything

That said, because Photoshop Elements is meant for home use, there are some features it contains that Photoshop CS5 does not have – for example, templates for photo books, slideshows, greeting cards, email, print calendars, scrapbook pages, and online albums, as well as drop-in frames, backgrounds, and artwork, plus online sharing options for Facebook, Flickr, etc.  Elements also offers more user assistance through aspects like Guided Edits and shortcuts like Quick Fix mode, the Smart Brush tool, and Cookie Cutter tool.

For keeping track of images, Photoshop Elements includes the Organizer to manage photos and videos, which is considered to be simpler but slower than the Bridge media browser that comes with Photoshop CS5. However, most users feel that Lightroom’s smooth library and cataloging functions are superior to both, and especially better when you have a large number of images.

Note that for students and teachers, Adobe gives a much bigger discount on Photoshop Extended (80% off the regular price) than on Photoshop Elements (only 20% off).

Compare Photoshop CS5/Elements vs. Lightroom 3

So, how is Lightroom different from all of the above? Lightroom 3 an intuitive digital darkroom and efficient assistant designed for advanced amateur and professional photographers. LR3 lets you manage, edit, and showcase all your photographs – and do it quickly, powerfully, smoothly. It’s a complete photo and data management solution that was built from the ground up by Adobe to streamline workflow productivity for photographers.

Lightroom has the library and cataloging functions to work with a large collection of images easily and process them rapidly in groups or batches, with a sophisticated database for very fast search, keyword tagging, and previewing functions – even when your image files aren’t accessible on your computer. It has built-in RAW processing (also works with .JPEG, .TIFF, and .PSD images) and can make correc­tions based upon the camera and lenses you use.  LR has terrific tools for “developing” like correcting exposure, adjusting tone, lighting, white balance, contrast, color, saturation, sharpening, and noise reduction, which are state-of-the-art. There’s also a local adjustment brush for dodging and burning, graduated filters, and so on.

And all of it is nondestructive, meaning you can go back and simply undo or redo changes to any image at any time, even years later. This is much like film, where photographers can always return to their original negative – whereas in standard Photoshop, once you change and save an object, you permanently change the pixels.

Lightroom is not for performing detailed raster-level editing, compositing multiple images, using layers, cloning & healing, adding text, drawing shapes, editing objects out of a photos, or many of the other capabilities Photoshop has.  However, many thousands of serious photographers use Lightroom very efficiently every day for 90% of their needs, and then pop out to tightly-integrated Photoshop for the rest (retouching and post-processing).

Lightroom is an end-to-end digital photography solution so it also includes features to showcase your work in customized print layouts, slide shows, and web galleries, and on popular photo-sharing sites.

So if you want the photographer’s workflow to manage thousands of images with ease then you’re talking about Lightroom, but you want to perfect a single image with the “gold standard” professional editing & finishing tool then you’re talking about Photoshop. The two products complement each other and together comprise a complete image processing system.

Adobe has an excellent FAQ on Lightroom and more on the differences between other tools.

This short video answers the question “What is Lightroom?” for new users of the product. Lightroom unites your digital photography essentials in one fast and intuitive package and gets you there with the tools you need to create great images, manage all your photographs, and showcase them with style and impact.

Adobe Camera Raw (ACR)

Interestingly, all products in the Photoshop family share the same underlying image processing technology to ensure consistent and compatible results across applications that support raw processing. This is called the Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) plug-in and it’s packaged in with Photoshop CS, Photoshop Elements, and Lightroom. This is the interface where support for new camera models and lens profiles is added, so Adobe updates this plugin on a regular basis (about every 3-4 months).

You can get access down to the powerful ACR features from within Photoshop CS or Elements, while Lightroom essentially takes Camera Raw and centers a full-featured application around it with all the streamlined workflow and cataloging benefits described above.

Free Tutorials and Training

Learn how to use these tools!  As mentioned above, you can download a free trial of any or all of them to get started, and then:

• Best Free Photoshop Tips, Tricks, Techniques, Training & Tutorials
• 4 Hours of Free Video Tutorials for New Photoshop Elements 10 & 9
• Three Hours of Free Courses on Lightroom 3, plus Other Resources

Have any other questions about the differences between these Photoshop products?  Just ask them below and we’ll answer!

Related Posts

• Buy Adobe Lightroom 3 and Save $100 with Coupon Code, and More
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• Adobe Lightroom 4 Beta Release is Here! Now Available Free to Public

Adobe’s Student and Teacher Editions are already a pretty sweet deal. If you’re eligible, you can get huge discounts off Adobe’s normal prices for software that works the same as the standard editions.

Now, for a limited time only, Adobe is offering an additional $50 off their CS5.5 premium suites for students and educators, on top of the regular discount – and no coupon or promotion code is required, plus you get free shipping via FedEx direct from Adobe…

So now the pricing works out as follows (see all the applications in each of these suites):

The resulting value is pretty remarkable. For example, the retail cost of all the products in CS5.5 Production Premium (if purchased separately) is $6,391. Just for After Effects CS5.5 alone, the normal price is $999 and the education price is $349. But here with this special, you can get Adobe After Effects plus six other major CS5 applications bundled together (including Premiere Pro and Photoshop Extended) for just $399.

If you want to first try out any these suites before purchase, that’s easy – they are all avail­able as instant trial downloads – then just make up your mind before the extra discount runs out. All trials are fully-functional for 30 days after installation.

And in most cases, you can install and run Adobe Student & Teacher Editions on up to two of your own computers.

Even for countries not participating in this special promotion, or after the offer ends, the Adobe Student & Teacher Editions are a smart and safe bargain. They are available in: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxem­bourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.

This $50 “back to school” offer is available for one week through Saturday, February 4, 2012, at 11:59pm (PST). The software must be purchased through the Adobe Education Store, and your product can either be downloaded instantly or delivered in boxed form via courier.

This promotion is available only to valid education customers with shipping addresses in the United States and Canada, excluding Quebec. The US$50 savings will be deducted automati­cally from the order subtotal before calculation of tax and shipping fees.

This offer may not be used in conjunction with any other Adobe Store offers. Offer and current prices are subject to change or withdrawal without notice. Offer is not extended for Adobe Volume Licensing purchases. Applicable local sales taxes may apply.

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• Adobe Says No CS6 Upgrade Discounts from Older CS2, CS3, or CS4

It’s been a few months now since Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 was officially released, so let’s take a look at what the reviews out there are saying…

First, for a quick overview of the new version, check out our Elements 10 Release Guide, as well as What’s New in PSE 10 vs. 9, 8, 7, or 6?

And if you’re wondering which edition of Photoshop is right for you, see: What’s the Difference between Photoshop CS5 vs. Elements 10 vs. Lightroom 3?

OK, so now on to the reviews for Photoshop Elements 10:

PC Magazine writes, “If you’re mostly concerned about doing interesting and creative things with your images, but don’t want to invest the time and money in learning Photoshop, Photoshop Elements 10 is an excellent option… Competitors don’t come close to matching Photoshop Elements’ array of dazzling photo effects, organizational tools like face tagging, and sharing and output options. Photoshop Elements 10’s tools for perfecting your digital images are unrivaled, making it our Editors’ Choice for prosumer photo editing.”

About.com says, “Each new update to Photoshop Elements has always brought strong new features to the program. Photoshop Elements 10 is no exception… Elements remains an extremely powerful and useful photo editing program for anyone who doesn’t need the graphic editing feature of CS or its high price tag. Whether you are a beginner or ‘old hand’ at photo editing, Photoshop Elements 10 offers strong tools for a very reasonable price.”

Computer Shopper weighs in: “Photoshop Elements 10 remains a must-have tool for casual and hobbyist digital photographers alike. Overall, this is a super-solid consumer image editor, but it’s not a vast improvement over the already-excellent version 9. Many owners of version 9 will not find enough new here to justify the discounted upgrade price. But for newcomers and those who haven’t upgraded in a few years, the substantive features for both manual and automated photo editing make Photoshop Elements a heck of a bargain, whatever the cost.”

Notebook Review gives the software a 4½ out of 5-star overall rating and concludes, “Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements are both mature programs that have worked well for consumers for some time now. Particularly with the enhancements in version 10, these products remain among the top contenders that we recommend.”

Macworld renders its verdict: “Over the years, Photoshop Elements has evolved from a de-featured version of its Photoshop CS cousin into a full-featured product on its own. In the brand new version 10, new features abound in the Editor as well as the Organizer, with a focus on enhanced creativity, mobile interconnectivity, problem solving, and simplicity… These features make an upgrade well worth the $80 price tag.”

Tech & Learning gives its overall rating: “Elements 10 provides ordinary users with a variety of digital touch up tools to adjust a picture, add a caption, change a color, and fix some red eye while working in a Photoshop-like workspace without being overwhelmed. The latest version adds several new features and enhancements, including adding text on a line, painting special effects on designated areas of a photo, and management tools for organizing photo sets, tagging, finding duplicate photos and creating online photo albums. As with earlier versions, changes are incremental rather than overwhelming. If you don’t already have a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements for image editing and organization, it’s a worthwhile investment. If you own a copy of Elements 9, the new Elements 10 Text on a Shape tool enabling users to flow text on a rectangle, ellipse, polygon, heart, speech bubble or other shape is sufficient reason to upgrade.”

Renderosity writes, “Adobe Photoshop Elements is not only a powerful image editing program, it is also a timesaving tool for organizing and sharing your images… all at an affordable price. At first glance, the additions to Elements 10 seem minor; however, once you explore the program, you’ll discover numerous new features and enhancements that will spark your creativity. In conclusion, although Photoshop Elements 10 is not overflowing with new features, the functionality and affordable price make this a must-have program for all levels of photographers: from hobbyist to professional.”

The bottom line from PCMag: “Lots of powerful image-manipulation tools. Strong face- and geo-tagging. Excellent output options — printing, online, photo books. Good help with performing advanced edits. Bottom Line: Photoshop Elements continues to be the best way to get some of Photoshop’s coolest effects without requiring you to attend a night course. This version tweaks the program’s combination for success, adding some nifty new tools.”

Want more? Read 20 additional industry reviews for Photoshop Elements!

Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 will run on both 32-bit or 64-bit computers, and is designed for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, or Mac OS (see full system requirements). It can be installed side-by-side with earlier versions of Elements without difficulty or interference.

Want to try it out for free yourself? Just download a fully-working free trial and you can be up and running in minutes.

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Adobe’s Creative Suite 5.5 has been out since May, and has generally been well-reviewed and even lauded as a must-have release…  Nevertheless, some folks are still looking for or require older versions of the software, like CS5.0 or CS4.  Why?

Two common reasons are the higher system requirements – 64-bit for some components of CS5 like After Effects & Premiere Pro, as well as cases where the rest of a customer’s site is still running an older version and would like to add a new setup with the same compatibility. And occasionally some folks say they prefer the earlier, simpler versions over newer ones with more features.

The challenge is, once a new release comes out, Adobe no longer officially sells the older version. So if you need a prior release, what do you do?

If you want the trial version to use for 30 days, that’s easy – Adobe actually keeps most older original trials still available for download on their servers – including all of CS4 and CS5, plus earlier releases of Acrobat, Lightroom, Elements, etc… You can find those trials all linked for download here.

But how about when you want to actually buy CS4 or CS5.0?

If you ask Adobe, they’ll usually tell you to check their official list of authorized resellers & retailers to see if someone still has the version you want in stock. The problem is it’s inconvenient to search as often those stocks are thin or sold out, and no longer available.

So, do you turn to other random sources like eBay or Craigslist?  If you’re smart, definitely not – we strongly advise against eBay et al.  So what do you do?

The Solution: Order “Prior-Version Software”

Fortunately, there is an easy solution. It’s little-known, but Adobe actually sells a special type of license that can be “downgraded.” These unique products come from the Adobe Business Store (and are also known as volume licenses) – but you don’t have to be a business to get them, or even buy more than one copy, and they can be easily purchased online instantly with a credit card.

So these “business” licenses have this helpful capability which allows you to order the latest release (like CS5.5 or Acrobat X) but then optionally receive and use the prior version instead (like CS5.0 or CS4, or Acrobat 9).  Here it is spelled out:

Backward licensing policy
Adobe allows program members to order a current-version license but to use a prior version. These members can contact Adobe Customer Service to request a serial number for the earlier version if they do not already have one.

Prior-version software is available via Electronic Software Delivery [download from Adobe]. The program member must follow all guidelines of the current-version EULA.

Adobe has a name for this program (which again, anyone can buy from) – it’s called the Transactional Licensing Program (TLP) and it doesn’t cost extra – in fact customers typically get discounts off the regular price. And there are other nice features of these licenses as well, including the ability to run your software multi-platform on both Windows and Mac OS – which is also not possible elsewhere.

So if this is what you need to do now, then you may want to check this out.

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• Adobe Photoshop Best Tips, Tricks, Techniques, Training & Tutorials

[UPDATE – Also see our new Lightroom 4 Giveaway!]

Welcome 2012!  Last year we gave away a lot of software, so to kick off the new year right, we’re going to be giving away a brand new boxed copy of the Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Web Premium suite. This is one of the top-selling CS editions and the second largest prize we’ve ever done…

Creative Suite 5.5 was officially released in May, and contains a large number of new product features and improvements over CS5.  But this giveaway is not an upgrade or an education version – it is the shrinkwrapped, full commercial English version of CS 5.5.

CS5.5 Web Premium sells for $1,799 / €1,999 / £1,429 and includes the popular applications Photoshop Extended, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Acrobat X Pro, Flash Pro/Catalyst, Fireworks, among others… (see the complete list of products it contains)  If you want to try it out first and install it on your computer, that’s easy as the free trial is available for download for both Windows and Mac OS.

Owning Creative Suite 5.5 would also make you eligible to upgrade to CS6 when that product line eventually releases.

This giveaway is open to residents of North America, Europe/UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa – and all you need to do for a chance to win is the following three steps:

1. Follow us on Twitter and/or Like our Facebook page – this will allow us to contact you if you win…  (see “Subscribe” box at upper right)
2. Then tweet this post by clicking on the green “retweet” button just above, and/or Share this post on Facebook by clicking the blue “Share” button next to that.
3. Done.

There’s a third way to enter too – just leave your email for our free occasional Adobe Special Offers newsletter in the sidebar to the right… and you’ll add another chance, plus receive future notification of new Adobe deals and coupon codes (once in a while, never spam).
                                                                                                      ———————————————»

Each of these actions counts as a single entry into the sweepstakes – so if you do all three, you’ll receive a total of 3 chances to win the Adobe CS5.5 Premium Suite. Please, one entry per reader for each method, but feel free to tell your friends and colleagues who’d like to win as well.

Submissions are open until 11:59pm EST on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012.  The prizewinner will be drawn at random from all Facebook fans and Twitter followers who have also shared or retweeted this post, plus new newsletter subscribers – and we’ll announce this lucky recipient right here within one week from the closing date.

If you’re the one, we’ll ship you the shiny new shrinkwrapped CS5.5 Web Premium for free! We’ll contact you via Twitter or Facebook or email simply to get your address for shipping, and then announce here with just your first name and hometown. That’s all there is to it.

In the meantime check out these great free resources for Creative Suite 5:

• Our Creative Suite 5.5 Release Guide
• What’s new features for each product in the new suites
• What’s the difference between CS5.5 vs. CS5 or even earlier versions
• Download a fully-functional free trial of any suite or product
• Ask the CS5.5 Experts: the first FAQ and the second FAQ
• CS5.5 demos – video tours on Adobe TV
• Forecast for a future CS6 release

» Email this to a friend

Terms & Conditions

Contest is open to residents of North America, Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, with up to three entries per person as outlined above. The sweepstakes winner will be determined at random using random.org. Participants whose names are drawn must respond to email notification within 72 hours after sending. By entering, all entrants agree to release ProDesignTools.com (the Sponsor), and its employees from all liability and claims relating to participation in the contest. No substitutions or transfer of prize or cash redemptions permitted by winners. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, suspend or alter the rules and parameters of the drawing. Sponsor also reserves the right to substitute a prize or prizes as Sponsor deems suitable in the event that prize becomes unavailable for any reason.

All federal, state and local taxes, as well as any customs duties, other taxes, fees and/or sur­charges will be the sole responsibility of the prize winners. Winners under the age of 18 (as of winner announcement date) must have their parents’ and/or legal guardians’ consent to accept prize. By acceptance of prize, the winners agree to release ProDesignTools.com from any and all liability claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for damages. Offer void where prohibited, regulated or restricted by law in a manner inconsistent with the purposes and rules hereof.

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• 160+ Hours of Free Training and Tutorials from Adobe MAX 2011

Adobe has two major new products in free public beta right now – Adobe Edge for developing HTML5 animations (like Flash Pro but outputs HTML5) and Adobe Muse which allows designers to create websites as easily as creating a layout for print. Adobe says interest in these betas has far exceeded their expectations.

Both tools will be shipping in their first official release in 2012. And while it’s been known for a while that Muse would be “subscription-only,” we now know too that Edge will likely follow the same path. Furthermore, neither will be included in the Creative Suite.

At a recent Adobe Analyst meeting during the question and answer session, it was revealed that Adobe is planning for both new design tools to be available only via subscription or through their optional “Creative Cloud” software rental offering – and neither will be a part of CS6 – in other words, they will only be sold separately.

Here it is at the 33-minute mark of the Q&A:

Q: You talked about Edge and Muse… Just wondering if those will be included in the CS6 upgrade, or only available through the Creative Cloud?

A: So, we’ve announced Edge and Muse, and they will be available in the CS6 timeframe. They’ll be available as point product subscriptions and through the Creative Cloud; the current thinking is not that we will be adding them to Creative Suite. Again as [CEO] Shantanu pointed out, we do expect and anticipate adding and driving more value into the Creative Cloud, that is the destination that we believe adds the most value to our customers, and we want to continue to drive people in that direction.

So while all current applications in the Creative Suite (like Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Illustrator, etc.) will continue to be available with perpetual/permanent licensing in CS6, and sold either standalone or as part of a larger suite, neither Edge nor Muse will be offered in these customary ways. This is according to Adobe’s shared current thinking, which of course is always subject to change.

See more from this analyst call here.

[UPDATE (January 25th) — Adobe now says that Edge will not be included in the Creative Cloud initially, but is "planned for a future release."]

In other news, Adobe Edge has a new free beta version slated to be out soon available now – the Preview 4 release, and here’s an advance look:

Get the scoop:

• Read more about Adobe’s Creative Cloud, including the impact on Acrobat & Lightroom.
• See when CS6 is scheduled to be released, with big changes to Adobe’s upgrade policy.
• Watch the latest sneak peek videos for Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and more.

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• When is Adobe CS6 Being Released, including Photoshop CS6?
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• Adobe: The Future of Flash – and HTML5 (Questions Answered)
• The New Adobe Creative Cloud: What It Is and Why You Should Care

It’s the season for holiday deals – and so it also can be a season for order changes and returns… Although naturally, this can happen at any time of year.

Sometimes even despite using Adobe’s free trial downloads to try out the software before buying, customers may want to exchange an Adobe product and get something else – say swapping Photoshop for Lightroom, or returning Photoshop CS5 Extended and getting the full CS5.5 Design Premium suite instead (which includes eight applications instead of one).

So did you know that Adobe offers a full money-back guarantee policy on almost all current products? This includes CS5, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, Acrobat, and so on. This offer applies even after you’ve already opened the box and/or installed the software – and what’s more, it applies even if you happened to buy the software from somewhere else besides Adobe direct (like an from authorized reseller or store in North America – though not eBay).

Yes, it’s true – if you aren’t able to return or exchange your product via any other means, you can simply contact Adobe within 30 days and provided you follow the procedure, they will take it back (after being uninstalled and deactivated from your computers, if applicable) and then issue you a refund.

So this means your purchases are protected right out of the gate – and effectively you’ve got 60 total days (30 trial + 30 “warranty”) to make sure the product is right and definitely the one you want!  If not for some reason, you can effectively cancel your purchase for a refund.

Returns can be processed whether you originally paid via credit card, PayPal, or purchase order. Any original shipping & handling charges are not rebated. If you didn’t buy through Adobe, you must have a valid proof of purchase.

This is one reason why we recommend buying direct from Adobe whenever possible – it’s simpler, faster and easier – and you can always be 100% certain your software is genuine, safe and authentic – plus you can download it instantly.

“Grace Period for Free Upgrades”

What’s especially interesting is that you can use the exchange policy above to create your own “grace period” when buying any Adobe product, so that if a new release comes out within a month of your purchase, you can simply send back what you have and get the next release instead…  So say for example you buy CS5.5 in May 2012, and then CS6 is launched in June – well then you could return it for a refund if you like and get CS6 instead – meaning you’ve got some “insurance” for a free upgrade, which is a nice side benefit.

There are some conditions and fine print, so you may want to read the full policy in detail which includes the step-by-step procedure that you need to follow to get your money back. And be sure to simply contact Adobe Customer Support if you have any questions about it.

Read more great tips for managing your software investment:

• How Many Systems Can You Install and Run Your Adobe Products On?
• How to Move Adobe Software Between Computers or from Windows to Mac
• How Can You Run Adobe Products on Both the Windows to Mac OS Platforms?
• How to Legally Transfer Adobe Products Between Two Parties or People
• Why You Shouldn’t Buy Adobe Software through eBay or Amazon Marketplace
• See the Complete Online Documentation (PDF) for All Major Adobe Products

Related Posts

• Why Not to Buy Adobe Software on eBay, Craigslist, or Amazon Mkt
• Adobe Acrobat X: Your Frequently-Asked Questions Answered
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• How to Move Adobe CS5.5 Between Computers, or from PC to Mac
• Adobe Releases CS5.5 – Now Shipping plus Download Free Trials

If you missed the deals Adobe had running for Black Friday, not to worry as there are more great holiday specials going for December through Christmas, Boxing Day, and on to New Year’s and beyond – and here’s your guide…

Adobe has a dozen major offers in multiple countries covering popular products – including saving 10-20% on Creative Suite 5 and 5.5 products, 30% on either Lightroom 3 or the new Photoshop & Premiere Elements 10, 10% additional discount in the Education Store, plus free shipping. The deals have various expiration dates Europe/UK, Australia/NZ, and North America. Note that you do need to use individual coupon codes (linked below) for many of them.

All the holiday offers and some of their graphics are detailed below, and are available only for direct purchases.  This end-of-year sale will probably mark Adobe’s last discounts for a while, so if you’ve been waiting to make a move – especially with the recent changes in Creative Suite upgrade policy – then now could be your time…

Note that if you buy either Photoshop or a CS5.5 suite together with Adobe Lightroom, then these coupon codes are stackable with an additional 30% off Lightroom 3 offer! (valid worldwide until December 31st, 2011)

If you prefer to try before buying, you can instantly download any Adobe product you want as a fully-working 30-day free tryout, then later purchase/activate it within the savings period to get the discount.

A recent survey indicated that over 80% of Americans are headed online for holiday shopping this year, with most citing convenience, getting the best prices and deals, and avoiding the crowds. With these coupon codes you can shop in peace (and your pajamas if you want to), and not miss a good deal on software. For great prices on everything else, there’s always Amazon’s Top Holiday Deals…!

In the Adobe North America Store (see Europe/UK further down)

These specials are available to customers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Save an additional 20% when you Upgrade to CS5.5 from any qualifying Adobe product.
Promotion code and link:  « see here »
Offer valid: November 9, 2011 – December 31, 2011  March 15, 2012

Get $100 off Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3, plus free shipping!  Offer ends January 3.
Promotion code and link: « see here »
Offer valid: December 19, 2011 – January 3, 2012

To receive future notification of occasional coupon codes like these, get on our free Adobe Special Offers mailing list in the sidebar just down and to the right…       —————————————»

Get $50 off and free shipping on new Adobe Photoshop & Premiere Elements 10 bundle!
Promotion code and link: « see here »
Offer valid: December 19, 2011 – January 3, 2012

Get $20 off and free shipping on new Adobe Photoshop Elements 10.
Get $20 off and free shipping on new Adobe Premiere Elements 10.
Promotion code and link: « see here »
Offer valid: December 19, 2011 – January 3, 2012

Save 10% on select Adobe software with coupon code, plus free shipping!  Valid for most full CS5.5 and CS5 products (including Photoshop), Acrobat X Pro and Acrobat X Suite.
Promotion code and link: BRIGHT10
Offer valid: December 11, 2011 – December 21, 2011

Adobe Education Store: Save an extra 10% on orders of $375 or more, plus free shipping with coupon code!
Promotion code and link: LIGHT10
Offer valid: December 11, 2011 – December 21, 2011

In the Adobe European and UK Commercial Stores

These specials are available to customers in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Save an additional 20% when you Upgrade to CS5.5 from any qualifying Adobe product.
Promotion code and link:  « see here »
Offer valid: November 9, 2011 – December 31, 2011  March 15, 2012

Save 30% off Lightroom 3 Full version, plus free shipping!
Promotion code and link: « see here »
Offer valid: December 5, 2011 – January 8, 2012

Take 30% off new Photoshop & Premiere Elements 10 Bundle, plus free shipping!
Take 15% off Photoshop & Premiere Elements 10 Bundle Upgrade, plus free shipping!
Promotion code and link: « see here »
Offer valid: December 5, 2011 – January 8, 2012

Save 15% on new Photoshop Elements 10, Full or Upgrade, plus free shipping!
Save 15% on new Premiere Elements 10, Full or Upgrade, plus free shipping!
Promotion code and link: « see here »
Offer valid: December 5, 2011 – January 8, 2012

Buy Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 with Lightroom 3 and save €299/£224.
Promotion code and link:  « see here »
Offer valid: November 9, 2011 – February 3, 2012

Education Store: Save an extra €30/£25 on Photoshop CS5 Extended, plus free shipping!
Promotion code and link:  « see here »
Offer valid: December 25, 2011 – January 27, 2012

In the Adobe Australia, New Zealand, and Asia Stores

Get an additional 20% off your Upgrade to CS5.5 software, from a qualifying product.
Promotion code and link:  « see here »
Offer valid: November 9, 2011 – December 31, 2011  March 15, 2012

Get 30% off Photoshop & Premiere Elements 10 software bundle, ends 16 Dec 2011.
Promotion code and link: PEPE10
Offer valid: November 21, 2011 – December 16, 2011

Happy Holidays!

Please share this list with anyone else who might also benefit… And to receive future word of major offers and coupons, subscribe to our RSS feed or like us on Facebook or Twitter… Or just enter your email and have new articles sent directly to your inbox.

Find Out More

• About Creative Suite 5.5 (released May 2011)
• About Lightroom 3 (released June 2010)
• About Photoshop/Premiere Elements 10 (released September 2011)
• About Acrobat X Pro & Suite (released November 2010)

Related Posts

• Adobe Black Friday / Cyber Monday 2011 Offers, Deals & Coupons
• Adobe December/Christmas Holiday 2010 Offers, Deals and Coupons
• Adobe.com Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2010 Offers, Deals, Coupons
• Save with Adobe’s New Offers, Deals and Discounts for Winter 2011
• One Day Deal: Save 30% on Adobe Photoshop CS5 – Up to $300 Off!

Time-lapse photography videos are all the rage these days…  Here is one of our recent favorites from Norwegian landscape photographer Terje Sorgjerd – incredibly beautiful and perfect for the season (watch full-screen):

Photoshop isn’t normally known for its video capabilities, but it’s actually quite easy to take a series of still photographs (edited as desired) and then create your own timelapse video using Photoshop Extended… This will work in the CS5, CS4, or CS3 versions.

Photoshop guru Russell Brown gives the details below on how to make and export your own creation:

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