Adobe Photoshop CS3 Beta

Adobe have been working to deliver native performance to customers using Intel-based Macs as soon as possible. Now that they believed that their beta, popularly known as Red Pill, is running well on these and other systems, Adobe have decided that it is time to share it with all current Photoshop customers.

So that Windows folks aren’t left out, Adobe is posting both Windows and Mac (Intel & PowerPC) builds of Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop CS3 Beta popularly known as the Red Pill in its beta is now out on Adobe Labs as a Public Beta. The final product is expected to be launched in Spring 2007.

It may be noted that Photoshop CS3 is no substitute for Photoshop CS2. It’s unfinished, and you need to own CS2 to use it. Adobe is releasing CS3 as an extension of CS2, as a service to Photoshop customers who’ve been eagerly awaiting native performance. It is done so as not to confused customers and not purchase CS2 because they think CS3 is just around the corner, or that the beta is a substitute. If you need Photoshop, CS2 is the product to buy. The beta can be downloaded and installed by anyone who creates an Adobe user ID, but to make it run beyond a 2-day trial period, you need to enter a CS3 beta serial number. The beta software is available in English only, but you can enter a serial from any language version of CS2 (including Suites, Production Studio, and Web and Video bundles).

What is Adobe Photoshop CS3 Beta?

Adobe Photoshop CS3 is the next version of Adobe Photoshop software, the professional standard in digital imaging. The Photoshop CS3 beta is an unfinished version of the application that is available to you now, to enable you to work natively on the latest hardware and operating system platforms prior to our ultimate release of the final product.

Who is eligible for the Photoshop CS3 beta?

The Photoshop CS3 beta is available in English only but to Photoshop CS2 users worldwide. It is available to licensed users of either the Photoshop CS2 (full, upgrade, and education), Adobe Creative Suite 2.x Standard or Premium (full, upgrade, and education), Adobe Production Studio Standard and Premium (full, upgrade, and education), Adobe Video Bundle (full, upgrade, and education) or Adobe Web Bundle (full, upgrade, and education). You will need to provide your Photoshop CS2, Creative Suite, Production Studio or Bundle serial number in order to get a Photoshop CS3 beta serial number, enabling you to activate the Photoshop beta and use it beyond the 2-day grace period.

What’s new in the Photoshop CS3 beta?

Adobe’s primary reason for releasing this beta version is to allow Macintosh customers to run Photoshop natively on the latest Intel based systems, but Adobe assumes that all of their customers will enjoy exploring the application and seeing some of the new features. The application is not yet complete, but some of the features you may want to check out in the beta includes but not limited to

It may be noted that Photoshop CS3 beta also includes a pre-release version of a major upgrade to Adobe Bridge as well as a preview release of the all-new Adobe Device Central.

Is the Photoshop CS3 beta feature set complete?

By definition, a beta is not the final build of a product. Since the Photoshop CS3 software is far along in its development cycle, there will not be time to incorporate feature feedback from this public beta into the final release. However, engineering and testing work on Photoshop CS3 will be ongoing until the launch in spring 2007, and feature suggestions gathered during the public beta may still influence future releases of the software.

If I make a feature suggestion about the Photoshop CS3 beta, will I see it in the shipping product?

The timing of this release is such that the plans for Photoshop CS3 are already set. Adobe is always eager to hear what users think, however, and feedback will be considered for future versions of Photoshop.

Will there be updates to the Photoshop CS3 beta before the final product ships?

Adobe do not plan any additional beta releases for Photoshop CS3 before it is announced and ships.

When will the Adobe Photoshop CS3 beta expire?

The Photoshop CS3 beta will expire soon after the launch of Photoshop CS3 in spring 2007.

Will the Photoshop CS3 beta be available in languages other than English?

No. The Photoshop CS3 beta however is available to licensed Photoshop CS2 users worldwide.

Will I get a discount on Photoshop CS3 if I download the Photoshop CS3 Beta?

There are no discounts planned for Photoshop CS3 Beta users.

If I buy Photoshop CS today in order to get access to the Photoshop CS3 beta, will I get a free upgrade to Photoshop CS3?

No. The rich feature set and productivity enhancements of Photoshop CS2 already provide a strong upgrade value, and the opportunity to preview the upcoming CS3 release is an additional bonus. In addition, customers who are still using Photoshop version 6.0 or earlier will benefit from taking advantage of a more liberal upgrade policy for Photoshop CS2. Adobe will not offer upgrade pricing more than three versions back on Photoshop CS3.

What is Adobe Bridge?

Adobe Bridge is a powerful, easy-to-use media manager for visual people. Bridge helps clear the clutter and lets you focus on what’s critical with features such as the Filter Panel to quickly locate assets by attributes such as file type, camera settings, and ratings. Bridge shows immediately what’s in your hard drive, network or storage device without the need to import into a catalog or database.

Who should use Bridge?

Creative professionals that need to deal with visual assets quickly and efficiently. Photographers will welcome new features such as quick thumbnails, image stacks, and multiple image previews. Multimedia workflow benefit from the versatility of the software’s ability to preview video, audio and animation assets. Creative pros can rely on Bridge’s simplicity to navigate the challenges of multimedia workflow from camera raw editing and processing to multiple media creation to mobile output.

What is Adobe Device Central and why is it included in the Photoshop CS3 beta?

Adobe Device Central is an integrated tool in Photoshop CS3 software, enabling you to design, preview, and test compelling mobile content. The Photoshop CS3 beta includes a beta version of Adobe Device Central to give you a taste of how Adobe is working to facilitate the workflow for authoring mobile content. This is just one of the many ways Adobe is bringing together the best of Adobe and Macromedia to serve designers and developers in creative workflow.

Who should use Adobe Device Central and why?

Adobe Device Central is geared towards creative professionals interested in designing mobile content, as well as for experienced mobile designers and developers. Now Photoshop users can view mobile content, such as phone wallpapers or application mockups, using Adobe Device Central software’s built-in device profiles and testing environment. Draw on Adobe Device Central to tune your designs for various mobile screen sizes and lighting conditions.