As a long time user of Macromedia’s Dreamweaver and related line of products, I was a little concerned about their recent acquisition by Adobe. Although Adobe makes great products, sometimes things change when new versions are released shortly after transition. I am happy to say that the latest Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium edition adds continuing value by offering the best features and tools from Macromedia and Adobe.

Creative Suite 3 comes in a variety of versions, each targeted at a specific group of development professionals. In all there are six versions, two for print, two for Web development, one for Video production and one called CS3 Master collection which appears to include just about every tool in Adobe’s arsenal so that developers and designers can create output across virtually any media including web, print, video, mobile. Although rather pricey, it includes all of the software from the Web, Design and Production suites and offers the ultimate in development capabilities.

The Web and Design suites consist of both standard and Premium versions which are then tailored to each group. The Premium additions are Web Premium, Design Premium and Production Premium. CS3 Web Premium includes all of the tools that you need to build a great website including:

  • Adobe Dreamweaver CS3
  • Adobe Flash CS3 Professional
  • Adobe Illustrator CS3
  • Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended
  • Adobe Fireworks CS3
  • Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional
  • And Adobe Contribute CS3
Note: Purchasers of the Design Premium Edition do not receive Adobe Contribute, or Fireworks however they do receive Adobe’s InDesign CS3. Both packages include a variety of stock photos as well as a Video workshop DVD.

Adobe’s CS3 packages allow developers to easily organize, browse, locate, and preview the files that you need every day through the use of Adobe Bridge CS3. Performance has been improved and the enhanced software offers a wide variety of professional level features.

Be prepared to allocate a fair amount of time for installation as numerous packages are installed. My installation took over an hour and then locked up my computer prior to completion. A call to Adobe’s technical support department resolved the situation; however it may be best to turn off antivirus, spyware and other programs including Google’s toolbar prior to installation. I was impressed by the quality of technical support which in this case appeared to be coming from a knowledgeable individual located within the U.S.

I tried the Web Premium suite and began my review with Dreamweaver CS3. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the interface remained familiar from the previous versions. The latest version is an excellent choice for any Dreamweaver user who wants to create the latest CSS-based code. In addition, it offers robust integration with the other packages in the suite including Photoshop, Fireworks, Acrobat, etc.

Dreamweaver has a wide variety of menus and toolbars that can be intimidating to new users, however existing users will find them to be relatively familiar. The robust feature set and integration capabilities in CS3 offer web developers the most complete set of tools on the market.

Advanced integration is a major focus across Adobe Creative Suite Web Premium, giving users a faster, more productive workflow across the applications; this allows for seamless transition between prototype, design, and development efforts.

One nice feature is Adobe Device Central, which allows users to preview pages as they would appear on mobile phones and other hand held devices. In addition, developers can ensure that their site displays consistently across operating systems, browsers, and platforms using the new “Browser Compatibility Check” in Dreamweaver along with the Adobe CSS Advisor website. And of course, you can develop your site using your choice of either a PC or Mac while knowing that the output will remain consistent.

Dreamweaver includes a new graphic interface for Adobe’s “Spry Framework”. This application is comprised of JavaScript code snippets for displaying dynamic elements such as collapsing menus, database items, or XML feeds.

Flash has been upgraded with a variety of new features including: the Pen tool, shape primitives, new filter effects, and advanced video support. This de facto standard continues to offer the best choice for creating interactive video, animation, and graphics plus high-quality text rendering. It also makes for easy prototyping of web layouts and designs.

With Illustrator CS3, developers can easily create editable and scalable vector artwork for web, mobile, and interactive platforms.

Using Adobe Contribute CS3, end-users can update website content with ease. This feature includes true WYSIWYG authoring capabilities and allows contributors to make updates in a timely fashion without the need for a webmaster or technician.

For those who are not yet ready to invest in one of the complete packages, I would recommend purchasing individual applications. For web development and design professionals who can afford the Suite versions, the integration and feature sets will spoil you like driving a Bentley after being used to a Ford.

Adobe has once again proven that they are the dominant application provider in the areas of web development, design and video creation across multiple platforms. Although other packages may be easier for entry level developers to learn, none are as robust or state of the art as Adobe’s CS3 suites. If you are a serious developer or designer, CS3 is the toolbox of choice.

Suggested Retail Pricing

Adobe Creative Suite (CS3) Design Standard ($1,199)
Adobe Creative Suite (CS3) Design Premium ($1,799)

Adobe Creative Suite (CS3) Web Standard ($999)
Adobe Creative Suite (CS3) Web Premium ($1,599)

Adobe Creative Suite (CS3) Production Premium ($1,699)

Adobe Creative Suite (CS3) Master Collection ($2,499)

Manufacturer: Adobe

System Requirements for Adobe CS3 Master Collection*

Intel® Pentium® 4 (1.4GHz processor for DV; 3.4GHz processor for HDV), Intel Centrino®, Intel Xeon® (dual 2.8GHz processors for HD), or Intel Core™ Duo (or compatible) processor; SSE2-enabled processor required for AMD systems

Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise (certified for 32-bit editions)

1GB of RAM for DV; 2GB of RAM for HDV and HD; more RAM recommended when running multiple components

22GB of available hard-disk space to install all core components (up to 1GB of additional free space may be required during installation); custom installing select components requires less space

Dedicated 7,200 RPM hard drive for DV and HDV editing; striped disk array storage (RAID 0) for HD; SCSI disk subsystem preferred
Microsoft DirectX or ASIO compatible sound card

1,280×1,024 monitor resolution with 32-bit video card; Adobe recommended graphics card for GPU-accelerated playback

Some 3D features in Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 Extended require a Microsoft DirectX 9 capable graphics card with at least 64MB of VRAM; for OpenGL support, an Adobe After Effects® supported OpenGL 2.0 card (NVIDIA recommended)

For SD/HD workflows, an Adobe certified card for capture and export to tape

DVD-ROM drive

Blu-ray burner required for Blu-ray Disc creation

DVD+-R burner required for DVD creation

OHCI compatible IEEE 1394 port for DV and HDV capture, export to tape, and transmit to DV device

QuickTime 7.1.5 software required to use QuickTime features
Internet or phone connection required for product activation
Broadband Internet connection required for Adobe Stock Photos* and other services

MacintoshPowerPC® G4 or G5 or multicore Intel processor (Adobe Premiere® Pro, Encore®, and Soundbooth™ require a multicore Intel processor; Adobe OnLocation™ CS3 is a Windows application and may be used with Boot Camp)

Mac OS X v.10.4.9; Java™ Runtime Environment 1.5 required for Adobe Version Cue® CS3 Server

1GB of RAM for DV; 2GB of RAM for HDV and HD; more RAM recommended when running multiple components

25.5GB of available hard-disk space to install all core components (up to 1GB of additional free space may be required during installation); custom installing select components requires less space

Dedicated 7,200 RPM hard drive for DV and HDV editing; striped disk array storage (RAID 0) for HD; SCSI disk subsystem preferred
Core Audio compatible sound card

1,280×1,024 monitor resolution with 32-bit video card; Adobe recommended graphics card for GPU-accelerated playback

For OpenGL support: Some 3D features in Photoshop CS3 Extended require an OpenGL 1.4 capable graphics card with at least 64MB of VRAM; Adobe After Effects® supported OpenGL 2.0 card (NVIDIA recommended)

DVD-ROM drivee

Blu-ray burner required for Blu-ray Disc creation

SuperDrive required for DVD burning

QuickTime 7.1.5 software required to use QuickTime features
Internet or phone connection required for product activation
Broadband Internet connection required for Adobe Stock Photos** and other services

**Online services, including, but not limited to, Adobe Stock Photos and Acrobat® Connect™, may not be available in all countries, languages, and currencies. Availability of services is subject to change. Use of online services is governed by terms and conditions of a separate agreement and may be subject to additional fees.

*System Requirements and Images courtesy of Adobe