Adobe Production Suite to Come to the Mac Oakland CA

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Originally published at Internet.com

Mac users got an early treat almost a week before the Macworld San Francisco Conference and Exhibition, when Adobe announced that the next version of Adobe Production Suite will be available for both Macintosh and Windows computers.

The suite will combine Adobe Premiere Pro, Encore DVD, Soundbooth (a new audio production tool that's replacing Audition), After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator. The six applications will work together, creating a smooth workflow and allowing companies to use just one workstation in their editing suites. The suite will debut sometime in mid-2007, although Adobe will preview it at the Macworld Expo.

The three applications that are new to the Mac-Premiere Pro, Soundbooth, and Encore DVD-will only run on Intel-based Macintoshes. The three that are already available to Mac users-After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator-will be released as universal binaries, meaning they'll run on both Intel-based Macs and older PowerPC chips. Apple no longer sells systems with PowerPC processors, so Adobe apparently decided not to develop special code for older systems.

Other system requirements were not yet released.

Mac users were already waiting for the next Photoshop release, as its one of the few popular applications, professional or consumer, that hasn't yet been upgraded to run on Intel-based chips. This announcement should excite DV professionals who prefer to work on Macs. It will also provide healthy competition to Apple's Final Cut Pro, which currently owns the Apple DV market.

Besides offering the six applications, the Production Suite will feature Dynamic Link, a time-saving technology that allows users to move motion graphics and effects between After Effects and Premiere Pro or Encore DVD without rendering them first. Dynamic Link will only be available to users of the suite, not those running standalone apps.

"Our customers wanted all the components in Adobe Production Studio to be available on both the Macintosh and Windows platforms," said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions Business Unit at Adobe. "We listened and believe that an innovative new cross-platform video suite, anchored by powerhouse releases of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects, will really shake up the industry."

Soundbooth is an audio tool for people who don't specialize in audio. You can download a free beta for either Windows of Macintosh computers here. The previously included audio tool, Audition, will still be available as a standalone product, but only for Windows users.

Adobe hasn't yet announced purchase or upgrade prices for the suite.