With Web Standard/Premium, Design Premium AND Macromedia’s products now absorbed into CS3, choosing the right suite is EASY.

What makes PDF (Portable Document Format) unique is that it can provide an exact electronic replica of any document from any application on all major platforms, including all text, graphics and fonts. It’s an amazingly flexible format with a myriad of uses ranging from electronic manuals and e-books, through secure document exchange and archiving, to multimedia presentation and high-end commercial print.

The Quark-killer has finally landed. For the last year, the hype about Adobe's replacement for the worthy but old-fashioned PageMaker (reviewed issue 22, p108) has been building to fever pitch.

There was a time when semi-professional video editors and home-video enthusiasts had little choice but Adobe Premiere. Back then, video capture and output depended on proprietary hardware, which often only worked with its bundled software.

A massive bundle worth the extra money, containing absolutely every tool a video producer might need.

A new focus on animation, better video support and deeper integration, but not the core authoring package it once was.

A new interface, drawing engine and programming language, but surprisingly little new power.

Adobe builds on its print strengths to take its rich design mission online. And it has made a success of it, too.

A new interface, smart albums, guided editing and photo merging keep Photoshop Elements ahead of the pack

Non-destructive image processing and creative filters feature in this comprehensive upgrade to the market leader.

Cleverly extends Photoshop Elements’ appeal to both digital photo novices and the more experienced

A period of transition as Adobe deals with its Macromedia inheritance and the changing nature of the web.

Support for new file types and platforms plus improved 3D rendering, but director is yesterday’s tool – and it shows

Yet another leap forward for After Effects, which cements its status as the leading PC video compositing tool.

Powerful new versions of InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator, and now Acrobat 8 Professional too.

A questionable interface redesign and greater-than-ever complexity lead to a half-baked feeling.

Support for latest video formats and a batch-media encoder, but supporting apps have seen little upgrading.

With Flash media handling and integration with Acrobat.com the Acrobat platform embraces the Internet – at last

Not only slightly cheaper than the last version, but now Encore CS3 and OnLocation CS3 are included too.

Media management gets a Macromedia-inspired makeover; with export preview facilities for mobile devices.