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The Adobe CS3: Master Collection is a complete set of tools to enhance and explore your creative side. This edition of CS (“Creative Suite”) is the second edition in the Adobe line-up and has over the years progressively grown in reliability and functionality.

This edition of Adobe CS3,  includes everything all the tools to: create and edit videos, create multimedia driven websites, create and publish any sort of brochure/pamphlet/newspaper/newsletter or anything else you can print, record on-site a feature film, run manage or edit a news studio/ virtual news studio or  create intuitive menus for burning your presentations to disc. So essentially you’ve got all the tools you need here, to enhance almost every part of your tech lifestyle.

Things you should know...

Degree Not Required, But Recommended
A frequent fear of customers, who purchase a creative kit like this, is the fear of not understanding how to take full advantage of all of the features of the software. For every program that Adobe includes in this kit, they include a sample of training on each program. They outline some of the enhancements in CS3 and they go through some basics. New users or someone who has never used CS2 or earlier, should consider seeking some training on the basics; the tutorials that are included do not explain the software from the gecko.

Installation Slow and Does Not Remove Most Earlier Software
If you intend to install most of or all of the software on the discs, you should consider occupying yourself otherwise for several hours. The total installation time for CS3 took on average 3-4 hours to complete (from install to activation,) this is significantly longer than previous editions and is extremely tedious. If you’re upgrading from a previous edition (i.e. CS2) you must ensure that you erase any previous software on the computer as the installation doesn’t clean-up everything.

Adobe Ultra, Functional But Not Very Compatible
One of the additional programs that you get on the DVD is Adobe Ultra. This program is supposed to make green screen keying easy and more practical. The program itself does not a bad job when it comes to working with pre-recorded footage and does the job; however when trying to find compatible hardware (computers or cameras) for live feeds, it becomes frustrating. The hardware requirements don’t  line up with most consumer grade cameras, and many older computers will not be able to handle the required processing power for live feeds.  Something else that hinders the functionality of the software is the fact that Ultra is not compatible for Mac.

The bottom line...

This kit is a must buy for any avid computer user. Though the price is a little overwhelming, the functionality and feature set are almost irreplaceable. This is a must buy for new users, however previous CS2 owners maybe a little reluctant for the slight upgrade.

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