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Adobe CS3 Production Suite: Summary  (4/2007)

    by Douglas Dixon

A summary of the Adobe CS3 Production Studio, with quick summaries of the included tools and technology components, highlighting the new features of each.

               
        Adobe Creative Suite 3 - Design - Web - Production - Master Collection

Adobe Creative Suite 3 is a huge upgrade of the Adobe Creative product line, with design and development tools spanning the creative workflow across print, web, video, interactive and mobile (www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite). The tools are even more tightly integrated, especially with extensive support for Flash design and export from Adobe's recent acquisition of Macromedia. CS3 also marks the return of the video Production tools to the Macintosh platform. The Design and Web applications ship in April 2007, and the Production tools ship in the third quarter 2007.was just announced on March 27, 2007.

Adobe After Effects CS3 Professional: Motion graphics & visual effects

Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 Video editing

    Adobe Encore CS3 - Author professional-quality DVDs
    Adobe OnLocation CS3 - On-set monitoring and direct to disk capture
    Adobe Ultra CS3 - Quick, effective keying

Adobe Soundbooth CS3 - Audio production tasks 

Adobe Media Encoder: Compress to media formats
Adobe Device Central CS3: Preview for mobile devices
Adobe Bridge CS3: Manage media visually  

- See Adobe Creative Suite 3: Summary for an overview of the applications, suites, and pricing.  

- See Deliver Everywhere: Adobe's Creative Suite 3 for examples of delivering content across many channels

     Find Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection  (Windows or Mac) on Amazon.com

     Find Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium  (Windows or Mac) on Amazon.com


Adobe After Effects CS3 Professional: Motion graphics & visual effects

Motion graphics and visual effects for film, video, DVD, the web, and mobile devices
            www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects

Features

  • For motion graphics designers, visual effects artists, video editors, rich media web designers
  • Combine moving imagery, still images and graphics, text, and sound in 2D or 3D space
  • Animate virtually any aspect of each element
  • Start quickly with animation presets and behaviors
  • Comprehensive masking and keying, auto-tracing and RotoBezier masks
  • Motion Tracker matches motion of source footage, Motion Stabilizer locks shots
  • Performance from multicore and graphics acceleration
        Distribute rendering across entire network

   

Enhancements

  • Shape Layers: Vector graphic creation within After Effects (like Illustrator)
        Create and animate complex shapes, compound shapes
        Adjust sides, points, rounded corners
        Adjust strokes, fills, dashes, gradients, patterns
        Replicate and add animation, like After Effects text
  • Puppet tool: Squash-and-stretch animation for 2D image
        Drag pin to automatically set keyframes
  • Brainstorm interface to experiment with animation possibilities
        Interactively create wide range of animation possibilities very quickly
        Select effect (or specific set of parameters), press Brainstorm button
        Brainstorm panel presents grid of animations
            with theme and variations previewing in full motion
        Select best and repeat to refine
  • Text animation of individual characters in 3D
  • Color management: preview color look on broadcast monitors and film stocks
        Composite accurately in 32-bit linear high-dynamic-range project workspace
  • Performance improvements:
        Previews take advantage of multi-processor and multi-core machines
        Faster color management, no audio rendering delay, improved HDV and MPEG
  • Adobe Clip Notes streamlines review and approval (was just Premiere Pro)
        Export a composition as PDF file with embedded or streamed movie
        Reviewer plays with Adobe Reader software
        Remarks saved as timecode clip markers for collaboration
  • Adobe integration
        Import Flash SWF files into After Effects compositions
        Rasterize vector shapes and preserve alpha channels from Flash
        Create and export After Effects keyframes as Flash cue points
        Export multiple formats in one render pass: batch render Flash video files
        Create and animate Photoshop Layer Styles
        Import Photoshop 2D Vanishing Point images to create 3D scenes
        Supports new Photoshop CS3 Extended video layers for rotoscoping and animated paint

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Adobe Premiere Pro CS3: Video editing

Capture, edit, and deliver video to disc, the web, and mobile devices
            www.adobe.com/products/premiere

Features

  • Edit every major standard-definition and high-definition video format
        DV, Digital Betacam, HDV, DVCPRO HD, HDCAM, 2K scans, etc.
  • Native HDV editing: Supports Sony, JVC, and Canon cameras
        Interlaced and progressive, various resolutions, frame rates
  • Precise keyframe controls
        Adjust any effect parameter with value and velocity graphs
  • Multi-cam editing of up to four synchronized source tracks
  • Advanced audio editing and processing
        Create and position 5.1 surround-sound audio channels
        Record and play back multichannel audio through ASIO hardware
        Sample-level edits, clip and track-based effects
        Advanced dynamics and effects plug-ins, other VST plug-ins
  • Professional color correction, primary and secondary
        Fast Color Corrector for quick adjustments with real-time previews
        Support for 10-bit and 16-bit color spaces
  • Finish and deliver to film, tape, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Web, mobile devices
  • Use Dynamic Link to work with After Effects motion graphics, title sequences,
        and visual effects in Adobe Premiere Pro timeline without re-rendering
  • Adobe Bridge CS3 to find, browse, preview assets
  • Adobe Clip Notes streamlines review and approval process
        Export a video sequence as PDF file with embedded or streamed video
        Reviewer plays with Adobe Reader software
        Remarks saved as timecode clip markers for collaboration

   

Enhancements

  • Improved slow-motion and variable-speed control features
        Time Remapping for variable-rate time stretches directly in timeline
        Backward playback, variable-speed slow motion
        Change clip duration and pace to fit sequence's timing and beats
        Real-time feedback, keyframe control, improved quality
  • Multiple Project panels and bins with smart file filtering
        Find, view, and organize files
  • Enhanced editing efficiency
        Play audio immediately in nested sequences without rendering
        Replace clip in timeline while preserving original's attributes and effects
        Improve audio with new Spectral Design audio filters
            reduce noise, control dynamics, tweak EQ and compression
  • Output for mobile devices
        Use Adobe Media Encoder to export 3GPP and H.264 video
            optimized for playback on mobile phones, iPods, PSPs, other devices
        Use Adobe Device Central CS3 to simulate playback on specific devices
  • Direct Flash video export (FLV) with markers converted to cue points
        Convert timeline markers into Flash cue points
        Used to trigger interactivity during playback
  • Bundled Encore CS3 to export to Blu-ray Disc, DVD, even Flash
  • Bundled OnLocation CS3 for on-set monitoring and direct to disc recording
  • Bundled Ultra CS3
  • Available for Intel Mac and Windows XP / Vista

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Adobe Encore CS3: Author professional-quality DVDs

            (Bundled with Premiere Pro)
            www.adobe.com/products/premiere/encore

  • DVD and Blu-ray Disc authoring and SWF export to the web
  • Professional authoring, design, and mastering tools
  • Create simple single-menu discs
        to elaborate titles with interactive menus, multiple audio tracks, subtitle tracks
  • Use Dynamic Link to work with After Effects animations for DVD motion menus without re-rendering
  • New: Author single project, deliver as standard-definition DVD,
        plus high-definition Blu-ray Disc, and Web-ready Flash content
  • New: Blu-ray Disc authoring with same interface and features
        Author high-definition Blu-ray Disc project
        and create finished standard-definition DVD project
  • New: Create interactive DVD-style Flash version of project
        Create interactive SWF content without scripting and without Flash authoring
        Deliver DVD-style menus, interactivity, and content to Web Flash Player users

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Adobe OnLocation CS3: On-set monitoring and direct to disk capture

            (Bundled with Premiere Pro; New version of Serious Magic DV Rack HD)
            www.adobe.com/products/premiere/onlocation

  • Direct-to-disk recording (saves time-consuming capturing from tape)
        Record DV and HDV directly from FireWire camera to laptop hard drive
  • Ensure recording quality with professional live image-monitoring tools
        Display HD images up to 1280x720
        Fast step-by-step camera calibration
        Split-screen and dual-zebra modes
        View underscan, safe-area, variable aspect ratios
        Quality monitor identifies video and audio distortion
        Check video levels: Virtual reference monitor, waveform and vectorscope
        Audio spectrum analyzer
  • Pre-record buffer up to 30 seconds to capture before press Record button
  • Record stop-motion animation or time-lapse sequences
  • (Windows application, requires Boot Camp on Macintosh running under Windows)

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Adobe Ultra CS3: Quick, effective keying

            (Bundled with Premiere Pro, From Serious Magic Ultra)
            www.adobe.com/products/premiere

  • Create highly realistic background composites, even from marginal video sources.
  • Use laptop to preview keying on location
  • Real-time color correction and 32-bit rendering quality
  • Import Photoshop files as backdrops or virtual sets
  • One-click Set Key feature for fast setup with less tweaking
  • Compensates for uneven lighting, wrinkled backdrops, frizzy hair
  • Supports all standard HD and HDV resolutions and aspect ratios, standard frame rates
  • Supports all standard video formats: AVI, MPEG, DV, Flash, QuickTime, etc.
  • Includes collection of virtual sets, including animated backgrounds
        Corporate and educational settings, newsrooms, futuristic studios
  • (Windows application, requires Boot Camp on Macintosh running under Windows)

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Adobe Soundbooth CS3: Audio production tasks

Tools for everyday audio editing and cleanup, sound design, and music creation
            (New product; Replaces Adobe Audition in suite as audio tool for video editors;
            Audition continues as independent high-end audio editing tool)
            www.adobe.com/products/soundbooth
            www.adobe.com/products/audition

   

  • Designed for video editors, web developers, motion graphics artists, creative pros
  • Quickly accomplish common audio production tasks
        Trim clips, remove noise, create sound effects, polish voiceovers,
        customize music to fit production
  • Intuitive audio editing with on-clip controls
        Cut, copy, paste; trim, fade, volume control
  • Fast audio cleanup
        Remove background noises and artifacts, preserve dynamics and sound quality
            hiss and hum, rumble, clicks and pops
  • Create customized music: AutoComposer with customizable Soundbooth Scores
        Customize length and mood of music to match production
        Adjust score's length, intensity, and instrumentation
        Use keyframing to automate changes over time
  • Fast mastering and vocal improvement
        Vocal Enhancer brighten up vocals
        On-clip volume controls even amplitude of different parts of dialogue track
  • Apply more than 15 high-quality audio filters
        EQ and compression, distortion, reverb, echo, chorus, time and pitch
        Use presets or save your own
        Stack up to five filters in Effects Rack and preview in real time
  • Access Resource Central to browse thousands of sound effects and Soundbooth Scores
  • Launch Soundbooth directly from within Premiere Pro
        save changes in Soundbooth, update automatically in Premiere Pro project

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Adobe Media Encoder: Compress to media formats

            (Technology component across suite)

  • Compress to common media formats, with presets or custom settings
  • New: Export 3GPP / H.264 video for mobile phones, iPods, PSPs, mobile devices

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Adobe Device Central CS3: Preview for mobile devices

            (Technology component across suite)
            www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/devicecentral

   

  • Preview, test, optimize mobile content on simulated mobile and handheld devices
        Web and Flash Lite content, video, and images
  • Simulate playback on specific devices: appearance, performance, behavior
  • Emulate device memory, backlit screens in bright sunlight, low-battery conditions
  • Use emulated keypad to interact with Flash Lite content
  • Library of devices with detailed specs and supported content types
        Realistic skins, emulated interface and display
  • Download updates for new devices: compression presets and playback simulators
  • Preview exported video from Premiere Pro, After Effects
  • Preview mobile content from Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver
  • Export Flash video and Flash experiences for the web

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Adobe Bridge CS3: Manage media visually

            (Technology component across suite)
            www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/bridge

   

  • Quickly find, browse, and preview assets, filter to specific file type
        Image, video, audio, FLV, SWF
  • Search or edit XMP metadata: keywords, language, and format
  • Drag files from Adobe Bridge directly into project window or timeline
  • New: Drag assets directly from Adobe Bridge into Flash or Soundbooth
        Preview FLV and SWF files in Adobe Bridge
  • New: Bridge Home provides up-to-date information about all CS3 software
        Tips and resources
        Watch video tutorials, listen to podcast, learn about upcoming training
Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design and Web suites shipped in April 2007, and the Production tools ship in the third quarter 2007.

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