Web/Mobile Reviews

Review: Adobe Dreamweaver CS3

Dreamweaver slides easily into Adobe's orbit with a solid upgrade that begins the process of integration with Photoshop, makes using CSS even easier, and puts Web 2.0 features in the reach of any designer.

Review: Quark Interactive Designer 1.0

A long quest for a simple, easy-to-learn Flash program is over. Or is it?

Review: SiteAssist 3.0

Whether you're not a coding pro or are just pressed for time, this Dreamweaver extension wants to help. Is it worth the money? And how does it compare to Contribute?

Review: Macromedia Dreamweaver 8

Significant revision of the industry standard for modern Web design and development

Review: Adobe GoLive CS2

The new version of the Web-publishing program solves some problems and leaves others untouched. Jeff Carlson's review reveals the strengths and weaknesses.

iView MediaPro 2.6: Quick Cataloging of Many Media for Both Platforms

Image cataloger iView MediaPro has a good reputation on the Mac platform, thanks to its intuitive interface and multi-media handling. Now with added support for digital camera Raw files as well as feature parity with the Windows version, MediaPro 2.6 might be the perfect solution for small imaging workgroups.

CorelDraw Graphics Suite 12: Smart Doodling, Dynamic Snapping, Savvy Copying

Some graphics products may be flashier, but few offer the bang-per-buck of CorelDraw Graphics Suite. Just-announced version 12 of this illustration-imaging-animation package offers intelligent eyedroppers and smart drawing tools and withdraws Mac support.

The Creative Toolbox: GoLive CS Goes for Broke

Adobe's Web design application gets its share of new features as part of the Adobe Creative Suite but does it have what it takes to go up against the favored Macromedia Dreamweaver?

The Creative Toolbox: Macromedia Studio MX 2004 Reviewed

The awkwardly named product suite favored for interactive and Web design receives a number of improvements, including better CSS support. But is the sum of Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, and FreeHand better than its parts?

Contribute 2: Macromedia Gives Web Content Creators Equal and Easy Access

Macromedia revs its popular Web updating tool that gives editorial contributors the ability to easily access and change site content without having to know HTML or complicated authoring applications. Contribute 2 also adds Mac OS X support.

The Creative Toolbox: FreeHand MX Integrates and Innovates

Macromedia gives its venerable illustration software FreeHand an MX makeover -- a unified user interface, tighter integration with other MX products, and some interesting new features. Do they add up to make FreeHand MX a worthwhile upgrade?

No Flash in the Panorama: 360 One VR is a Virtual-Reality Gadget that's Here to Stay

Kaidan's bizarre-looking egg-cup-in-a-mayonnaise-jar is no abstract sculpture. It is actually a digital camera lens with special software that makes fast work out of the tedious task of shooting and assembling VR panoramas. Although cumbersome and costly, it's a no-brainer for frequent VR authors.

Strata DV Pro 5: Stalwart Video Editor Works the Web with Ease

Novices will like this Mac-only video-editing application for its ease of use, but pros may be disappointed by its lack of high-end features. Yet both groups will like Strata DVpro's ability to deliver Web-ready video.

Draw On It: Corel's Latest Graphics Suite Packs Powerful Punch

Plasma Gives Web Graphics 3D Transfusion

Although Flash and Shockwave are widely accepted as file formats for highly interactive and animation-intensive Web site graphics, creating compelling 3D content to work with those formats has, until now, required a cobbled-together collection of unrelated design tools. To fill that gap, Discreet has designed its $650 Plasma.

The Creative Toolbox: For Flash, MX Means Most eXcellent

Now three versions later, I've taken the new version, Flash MX (6.0), out for a spin, and all I can say is, "You've come a long way, baby." MX is the surname given to the entire product line recently rolled out by Macromedia. The substance of this upgrade is more than a flashy new moniker.

The Creative Toolbox: Is LiveMotion 2.0 a Flash in the Pan?

A couple years back the only true solution designers had for Flash animation (SWF) creation was Macromedia's Flash itself. Many found and still find Flash difficult to master and strange in its manner of going about even the simplest tasks.

The Creative Toolbox: Upgrade to Photoshop 7.0?

Whenever a new version of Photoshop comes around, I look forward to exploring and uncovering the newly added features and to figuring out how I can exploit them in my day-to-day work. Unfortunately, with the release of Photoshop 7, there's not a lot to write home about.

DeBabelizer Pro 5: The Ultimate Image Translator

Hands On with Corel Graphics Suite 10

I've almost forgiven Corel for ceasing development of WordPerfect for the Mac, since they've brought their entire procreate line to Mac OS X. Painter 7 is a fine program, as is Corel Graphics Suite 10, even if it is a bit rough around the edges.