The Adobe Creative Suite includes a complete library of software to accomplish most media production tasks. As of 2010, Adobe includes 17 individual software titles in their “Master Collection” edition of the Creative Suite that can handle everything from video production to web design. An individual or media production business can use multiple computers running CS4 to increase the efficiency of their workflow. When the computers are networked together, Adobe Version Cue and Adobe Bridge allows users to share Adobe documents used in the same project.

1. Install Adobe Creative Suite on two or more computers.
2. Step 2

   Assign a task specific to each workstation. For example, in a web design production environment, one workstation can complete preparation of graphics using Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, while another uses Adobe Dreamweaver to arrange the completed graphics in a web page layout.

3. Step 3

   Designate a computer where shared resources will be stored. Other computers will use this computer to store documents created by each CS4 application. Install Adobe Version Cue server on this computer.

4. Step 4

   Manage documents using Adobe Version Cue. Adobe Version Cue allows multiple users working with the same documents to check in and check out documents, track changes and control document access between computers.

5. Step 5

   Open Adobe Bridge to access CS4 documents managed by the Version Cue. Bridge allows you to view the metadata stored with Adobe documents. Metadata can include important production notes saved with each file. These notes can be useful to others engaged in the workflow of the project.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 is the pinnacle of graphics software. The applications included in this package can accomplish virtually any graphics task you might have. But they are, collectively and individually, very complex programs. For that reason, you will need to gather all possible resources while trying to learn how to use them.

1. Read the manuals that come with the software. This may seem obvious, but many people who buy a piece of software never once crack open the manual. Also, avail yourself of the access you have to Adobes online tutorials and forums (see Resources). They contain a wealth of information, from printed tutorials to how-to videos.
2. Step 2

   Go to some of the many sites online that already have tutorials for Adobe Creative Suite 4 (see Resources). Make sure the site looks reputable, and also make sure that the particular tutorials they offer are for version 4, not one of the previous versions.

3. Step 3

   Go online and visit bookstores like Amazon.com to see what they have to offer in terms of books about Creative Suite 4. They will have a range of options, from Adobe officially sanctioned works to those “… for Idiots” books. By searching what they offer, you should be able to find something useful.

Creative Suite 3, a collection of design, layout, website creation and photo manipulation programs, is available for Windows and Mac platforms. The suite contains not only the program files, but also stock templates, photos and sample videos. Creative Suite 3 is manufactured by the Adobe Corporation. The suite’s components can sometimes cause conflicts with the Windows XP operating system when you try to install the program directly from the Adobe disc. To work around this issue, you must create an installation point so Windows XP will think the installation program is already installed on your computer’s hard drive.

1. Close any open programs by clicking on the “X” located in the upper right-hand corner of the open program.
2. Step 2

   Insert the Adobe Creative Suite 3 disc into your computer’s CD-ROM/DVD drive. The Adobe Creative Suite 3 install wizard will open.

3. Step 3

   Close the Adobe Creative Suite 3 install wizard by clicking on the “X” located in the upper right-hand corner of the dialog box.

4. Step 4

   Click “Start,” then “My Computer.”

5. Step 5

   Right click on your computer’s CD-ROM/DVD drive icon (“D:\” or “E:\” drive).

6. Step 6

   Select “Open.”

7. Step 7

   Right click on the “Adobe CS3″ folder. Select “Copy.”

8. Step 8

   Close the Adobe Creative Suite 3 folder by by clicking on the “X” located in the upper right-hand corner of the dialog box.

9. Step 9

   Right click on your computer’s “Desktop.” Select “Paste.” The Adobe Creative Suite 3 folder will appear on your computer’s desktop.

10. Step 10

    Double click the Adobe Creative Suite 3 folder to open it.

11. Step 11

    Double click the “Setup.exe” file. The Adobe Creative Suite 3 install wizard will begin.

12. Step 12

    Follow the on-screen prompts to install Adobe Creative Suite 3. Restart your computer when prompted.

13. Step 13

    Right click on the Adobe Creative Suite 3 folder. Select “Delete” once the Adobe Creative Suite 3 installation is complete and your computer has restarted.

Adobe Illustrator CS2 offers a Live Paint function in conjunction with its companion, Live Trace command. Once a drawing is converted to a vector drawing using Live Trace, Live Paint is used to add color. Using these commands together allows you to create finished digital illustrations quickly.

1. Choose the “File” option in the toolbar, and then select “Place”. Navigate to the line art drawing file that you would like to trace. Click the “Place” button to place this image into Illustrator.
2. Step 2

   Click on the small circle to the right of the layer’s name in the Layers palette. This causes the Live Trace button to appear in the Control Palette under the menu bar. Click the down arrow next to the Live Trace button, and then click one of the listed preset items. This will create a vector version of the line art. Alternatively, create your own custom settings by choosing the “Object” option in the toolbar, selecting “Live Trace,” and then selecting “Tracing Options.”

3. Step 3

   Adjust the “Threshold” and “Minimum Area” settings in the Control palette under the menu bar to further modify the vector image.

4. Step 4

   Click the Live Paint button in the Control palette under the menu bar. This will create a Live Paint group, all on the same layer. Select the Live Paint Bucket tool from the Tools palette. Set the Fill and Stroke colors in the Swatches palette by choosing a preset swatch library or by creating a new color. Move your mouse over various areas of the trace, and notice the outline that appears. Click the desired area to apply the chosen fill and stroke attributes.

5. Step 5

   Click the “Gap Options” icon in the Control palette. In the Gap Options dialog box, turn on the check box to enable Gap Detection, and then select one of the “Paint Stops At” settings. This fills in gaps that exist between the paths created by Live Trace that can cause paint to leak through. Alternatively, choose the “Object” option in the toolbar, select “Live Paint,” and then select “Gap Options.”

The Adobe Creative Suite is probably the most widely used collection of video editing, web development and graphic design applications today. Created by Adobe Systems, the collection includes the brand’s most popular applications, Photoshop, InDesign and Acrobat, and this time they are based on different technologies such as Flash, PDF and PostScript. The Creative Suite package sometimes encounters certain glitches and problems, which fortunately, can be easily resolved.

Failure to Launch

1. There are times when, after downloading and installing Adobe Creative Suite, launching the program won’t push through, and the message “Licensing for this product has stopped working” pops out. The cause of this problem may be a low virtual memory, or that there’s a need to configure certain parts of the computer system in order to match the suite. A good solution to this is to download the Licensing Service Update, which can be found in the Adobe Systems website, then have installed and activated before re-launching the Creative Suite.

Beta Version Installed

2. When the message “beta or pre-release versions installed” appears and blocks the Creative Suite from launching, then it is recommended to remove the previously installed beta version first. Afterward, installing the licensed Creative Suite may continue via the Adobe CS4 Clean Script, which will then run and launch smoothly and properly.

Acrobat 9 Error

3. There are instances when the Adobe Acrobat 9 appears to be grayed out and excluded on the 64-bit version of Windows XP and Windows Vista. The reason behind is that there is a missing critical service pack that allows Adobe Acrobat 9 to run on the computer. This problem can be resolved by installing the latest Service Packs for Microsoft Windows 64 bit, to be followed by installing Acrobat 9 from the Adobe Creative Suite installer. Adobe Acrobat 9 was created and tested on the latest Microsoft Windows Service Packs and has been a recognized problem both by Adobe and Microsoft. Both companies are currently developing ways to correct the said issue.

Point Product Issues

4. When the point product for the Adobe Creative Suite is grayed out during installation, it means that the script has detected a pre-release version of the said product, which has first to be removed before installation can continue. Have the beta version removed from the computer via the “Add/Remove Programs” in the Control Panel, then retry installing the CS Clean Script.

Serial Number Error

5. When the serial number entered is not accepted by the Creative Suite, it means that the given code is incorrect. Make sure the code is properly entered and that serials numbers from older versions are present during software upgrades. If the program continuous to reject the code, then it’s time to contact a technical support representative to provide advanced troubleshooting procedures.

Adobe Creative Suite is a large collection of software developed for creative professionals. It provides tools for graphic design, illustration, motion graphics, web design, video editing and much more, through such popular Adobe programs as Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Acrobat. Should you experience problems and need to reinstall the Creative Suite, first remove all existing programs and then run through the full installation process again.

1. Click the Windows Start button, select “Settings,” and then click “Control Panel.” Locate the “Programs and Features” icon (labeled as “Add/Remove Programs” in Windows XP) and double-click it.
2. Step 2

   Remove each Creative Suite program by right-clicking its name and selecting “Uninstall/Change.” Follow the on-screen prompts after doing so to complete the removal process.

   Depending on your Creative Suite version, some or all of the following programs will require removal: Acrobat, After Effects, Bridge, Contribute, Device Central, Dreamweaver, Dynamic Link, Encore, Fireworks, Flash, Illustrator, InDesign, OnLocation, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Soundbooth, Version Cue.

3. Step 3

   Insert the first Creative Suite installation disc into your drive. Click the “Install” button after the initial setup screen appears to begin the installation process.

4. Step 4

   Click “Accept” to confirm the product licensing agreement.

5. Step 5

   Enter your 24-digit product serial number and click “Next.”

6. Step 6

   Choose your desired language from the corresponding drop-down menu, and then uncheck the box next to the name of any Creative Suite program you do not want to install. Click the “Next” button after confirming your choices.

7. Step 7

   Click “Next” after confirming the default installation folder location or selecting an alternate location.

8. Step 8

   Click the “Install” button on the Installation Summary screen after confirming your setup choices to start the installation process. Given the size of the Creative Suite programs, the process can take several hours.

9. Step 9

   Replace the first installation disc with the second when prompted by the installer. Repeat the process for the third and fourth discs, if your Creative Suite version requires them.

10. Step 10

    Click the “Finish” button after installation completes to close the installer program.

11. Step 11

    Open one of the Creative Suite programs you reinstalled. Enter your 24-digit serial number again, click “Next,” and then click the “Activate Now” button. You may also register your program at this point, or choose to do so later. Either way, your Creative Suite programs are now ready to use.

Users with the Web Premium, Production Premium, or Master Collection versions of the Adobe Creative Suite can use the included Adobe Soundbooth program to create podcasts. Soundbooth makes it simple to record audio from a range of input devices and then save sound files to one of many popular web audio formats.

1. Open Adobe Soundbooth. Click the Windows Start button. Select “Programs” > “Adobe” > “Adobe Soundbooth” to launch the program.
2. Step 2

   Choose your recording settings. With a microphone attached to your computer, select “File” from the menu near the top of the screen, then “Record.” Select your input device in the “Device” menu. Choose a Sample Rate and decide whether you want to record your audio in Stereo or Mono. Enter a file name in the provided field and click the “Browse” button to specify the location where Soundbooth should save the file.

3. Step 3

   Record your podcast. Click the “Record” button to start the recording process. Speak into the microphone. Click the “Stop” button or close the recording dialog box once your podcast is complete.

4. Step 4

   Save your file to a web audio format. By default, Soundbooth saves new recordings in WAV format. Choose your desired web audio format by clicking “File,” selecting “Save As,” and picking an option from the drop-down menu. The two most common podcast formats are MP3 Audio (.mp3) and Windows Media (.wmv, .wma).

Adobe groups its most popular software programs in Creative Suite. Three collections bundle software applications in web design, graphic design and video production, and a master collection contains all the programs. Creative Suite offers users the benefit of software integration. For example, if a picture you are using in Premiere video editing software needs a touchup, right clicking that picture would take you directly to Photoshop.

Design

1. The Design collection of Adobe CS is for people who need graphic applications for printing, web design, photo editing and publishing. Popular programs include Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator.

Web

2. With the Web Design suite you can build and publish websites with Flash, Dreamweaver and Contribute and add all your own photos, graphics, and sound using Photoshop, Illustrator and Soundbooth.

Production

3. The Production Suite caters to video and film professionals and features industry leader Adobe After Effects. Also included are Premiere Pro for video editing, Encore for DVD Authoring, Photoshop, Soundbooth, Illustrator, Flash and OnLocation, a video clip recording and management tool.

Master Collection

4. Most of the Adobe creative applications are included in the Master Collection. This large suite of software would be used by advertising agencies, video production companies or television stations that need tools for web design, graphics and video production.

Consumer Applications

5. Adobe offers their most popular products in easier to use and cheaper consumer versions. Photoshop Elements for picture editing and Premiere Elements for video editing are substantially less expensive than the professional versions but include most essential features.

History

6. Adobe bought the first Creative Suite to market in 2003 and released three more versions by 2008: CS2, CS3 and CS4.

The multiple programs of the design application Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium allow you to manipulate and lay out a variety of print and web-based documents, publications and other designs. Each program inside of the suite–including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Flash–is easily removable from the suite if you don’t need it. You can also reinstall a specific program if necessary. Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium’s uninstall feature manages the removal and installation of the suite from your Windows or Mac system.

Windows

1. Step 1

   Close any open programs and files.

2. Step 2

   Click “Start,” then “Control Panel.” If using Windows Vista/7, click on “Programs and Features.”

3. Step 3

   Click on the “Add or Remove Programs” icon.

4. Step 4

   Scroll down and click on “Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium.”

5. Step 5

   Click on “Change/Remove.”

6. Step 6

   Follow the on-screen prompts to add or delete individual Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium programs, if desired, or to remove the entire suite of programs.

7. Step 7

   Click “Restart” when prompted.

Mac

8. Step 1

   Close any open programs and files.

9. Step 2

   Click on your Mac’s “Hard Drive” icon.

10. Step 3

    Click on “Applications,” then “Utilities” then “Adobe Installers.”

11. Step 4

    Double click on “Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium.”

12. Step 5

    Follow the on-screen prompts to add or delete individual Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium programs, if desired, or to remove the entire suite of programs.

13. Step 6

    Click “Restart” when prompted.

Adobe Creative Suite 3 is a software package that contains many programs such as InDesign and Flash. It can take up a lot of space on a hard drive, and if it is not being used, some or all of the programs can be easily removed to free up space.

1. Open the Windows “Start” panel and choose “Control Panel.”
2. Step 2

   Select “Add or Remove Programs” in the “Control Panel” options.

3. Step 3

   Select “Adobe Creative Suite 3″ from the list of programs that appear and select “Change/Remove.”

4. Step 4

   Select “Remove” for “Adobe Creative Suite 3″ components and click “Next.”

5. Step 5

   Select all of the components of “Adobe Creative Suite 3″ to be removed and click “Next.”

6. Step 6

   Click “Remove Components.” This will begin the removal process.