The Bottom Line
InDesign CS4 is a powerhouse publishing application that offers a number of new or improved features, not the least of which are live preflighting, smart guides, cross-references, conditional text, a customizable links panel, and an updated interface that's consistent with the other CS apps.
If you've been trying to decide whether to upgrade or wait for the next version, Adobe is making an offer you may find very difficult to refuse. You can upgrade from InDesign CS, CS2, or CS3, or PageMaker 6, 6.5, or 7 for just $199. Adobe is also offering special upgrade pricing for the Creative Suite 4 package.
Pros
- Live preflighting.
- New smart guides, smart dimensions, and smart measurements.
- Smart text reflow feature automatically adds pages as needed.
- Tight integration with other CS4 apps.
- Shares a common interface with other CS4 apps.
Cons
- Expensive.
- Requires a minimum of a G5 and OS X 10.4.
- Hyperlink tools are slightly quirky and difficult to use.
Description
- Available in Mac and Windows versions.
- Available in several Creative Suite configurations as well as a standalone product.
- Special upgrade pricing for owners of InDesign CS, CS2, or CS3, or PageMaker 6, 6.5, or 7.
- Tightly integrated with other CS4 applications.
- Handles long and complex documents with aplomb.
- Integrates multimedia and print publishing, with support for audio files, QuickTime files, and interactive elements.
Guide Review - Review of Adobe InDesign CS4: A Powerhouse Publishing Application
InDesign CS4 has much to recommend it, including attractive upgrade pricing if you own a licensed version of CS, CS2, or CS 3, or PageMaker 6, 6.5, or 7. There's only one little catch, which won't affect everyone. Unlike InDesign CS3, this version won't install on a G4 Mac, which may be a deal-breaker if you weren't planning to upgrade your hardware this year. On the other hand, that could give you just the excuse you need.
We'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite new feature in InDesign CS4, but live preflighting is a strong contender. You don't have to wait until you're ready to send a job to the printer to find out there's a problem, such as overset text; the Preflight panel will give you the bad news as you go along.
We also like the new 'smart' features (smart guides, smart dimensions, smart measurements), which let you size, place, and space items, such as text boxes, precisely rather than by eye. Frankly, we're big fans of just eyeballing things, from placing an image to hanging a picture, but we're willing to be shown the error of our ways. If you're not, you can ignore the guide. It will quietly go away until the next time you're a bit out of line.
Another new feature we liked is Rotate Spread View, which lets you rotate an element, such as a calendar, and view it in its correct orientation, rather than get a crick in your neck trying to proof it onscreen or waste paper printing it, just to make sure you didn't miss anything.
Also new is the ability to add interactive buttons, page transitions, and other dynamic elements, export the document as an SWF file, and play it in Adobe Flash Player. You can also export files to Flash CS4 Pro.
On the improvement side of things, there's a user interface that's consistent through the CS4 applications, the ability to edit tables directly in the Story Editor, and better support for nested styles.
