OK, so your old computer is running out of gas, you’re upgrading or changing systems, adding a new machine, or switching from a PC to a Mac, or vice versa — and you want to move over your purchased CS6 (or CS5.5 or CS5 or CS4 or CS3 or any other) Adobe software — what do you do, and how do you do it?

As we’ve covered previously here, you are generally allowed to install and activate most Adobe software on up to two computers, with the restriction that the software can not used on both systems at the same time. So right off the bat, you might be good to go with installing the software on a second computer, although you may wish to double-check the licensing agreement for your product to be sure.

Adobe uses software activation to control how many simultaneous computers can install or run CS6 at once. So if you’re already at your limit of two computers and want to transfer your license over to a new or different system, then you first need to deactivate the software from the old computer. In the program, click Help > Deactivate, and then follow the instructions in the wizard to deactivate the software. If you have installed a suite product, you will be deact­ivating the entire suite by deactivating any one of the point products included in that suite.

Note: There are two choices on the Deactivation screen – so what’s the difference between Suspend Activation vs. Deactivate Permanently? The answer is that both will properly deactivate your product on that computer. But the first (“suspend”) will keep your serial number stored in the Windows registry just in case you ever want to quickly reactivate the same software on the same computer later, without having to reenter it. However there is no harm in choosing the second (“permanently”) option, because you can always later reactivate the same product on the same machine by just retyping the license key. In other words, it’s basically a conven­ience factor to store your SN.

If you’re uninstalling Adobe software from a computer, then deactivate it first to ensure its license is freed up. If you deactivate but don’t uninstall, the next time you run Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Acrobat, or any of the other CS6 applications on that computer, you’ll be asked for a serial number or to start a 30-day free tryout period.

After uninstalling any version of CS, you can run the Creative Suite Cleaner Tool if you like to make sure it’s completely removed from your system.

If you purchased the software but lost the serial number or no longer have it readily available, the first place to check is your online Adobe account. You will have one if you ever registered the software, or if you purchased it directly from Adobe… Just log in with your Adobe ID and all your serial numbers will be listed there.  If you don’t see it, then try registering your product now and see if it appears there. As a last resort, you may be able to retrieve it from the computer itself using a free utility like Belarc Advisor (Windows) or Product Key Finder (Mac) – which will recover and tell you the activation keys for the programs on your system.

And if you’ve lost or can’t find your original installation file or discs/DVDs, you can download and install a free trial of your application from Adobe servers onto your new computer, and that will convert to a full and permanent version when you enter your valid SN.

OK, once deactivation is complete, you are free to go ahead and enter your serial number key to activate a copy of the software installed elsewhere, or use it to reactivate the same applica­tion on that PC after reinstalling (for example, if you are changing disk drives, or upgrading operating systems from XP or Vista to Windows 7, etc.).  And you should be all set.

If you run into any problems with the deactivation/reactivation process, you’ll have a 30-day window during which the software will work in trial mode to give you enough time to contact Adobe Support and get things resolved.

How to Switch Platforms from PC to Mac

Now how about if you’re also changing platforms, like from Windows to Mac, or vice versa – and want to take your Creative Suite 6 license with you, and/or upgrade from CS3, CS4, CS5 or CS5.5 to CS6 while making the switch? After completing the deactivation process above it gets a little more complicated, because most Adobe software is licensed for a single platform only. But you can do what’s called a “crossgrade” from one to the other natively, which is no charge to you (except nominal shipping costs) and can be submitted online through Adobe Customer Service.

All product configurations (including Student and Teacher Editions) are eligible for exchange.

There are a few provisos. One is you need to have a registered serial number to qualify (but that just takes a few minutes if you haven’t already). You must also be prepared to delete the existing software from your computer and destroy any existing copies, as they will no longer be valid. But perhaps the most important is you can’t cross-grade from an older version to the same prior version — you can only move to the current version (now CS6), paying any appli­cable upgrade costs…  If you’re already running the latest release, then there should be no additional cost.

So if you need to do both an upgrade and a platform swap, the fastest and easiest way is to first buy the upgrade online and then submit the crossgrade online. Then you can simply download and run the 30-day free trial while you’re waiting for the new box and serial number to arrive – and then later just convert the trial into a permanent full version with the license key for your new platform.

NOTE: Aside from crossgrades, there is one other option if you own computers with both types of operating systems and need to run on both Mac OS and Windows – see how.

Of course, if you purchased CS6 within the past 30 days and got the incorrect platform or language version of your product, then it’s even simpler – just return the software and get the right one instead.

How to Change from One Language to Another

Note that this same procedure will also work for requesting a change from one language set to another for a given Adobe/CS6 application… Just follow the crossgrade procedure described above – but choose a new and different language on the form, instead of a different platform.

After swapping platforms or languages, you cannot cross back to your original platform or language version. No more than five total (lifetime) cross-platform or cross-language upgrades or swaps are allowed per customer, regardless of the product. Products purchased second-hand or from an auction site such as eBay are not eligible for swaps.

Two notable exceptions are Adobe Lightroom 3 and Photoshop & Premiere Elements 9, which are now sold as multiplatform and multilanguage software so would not require a crossgrade.

Hopefully that should do it!  Please let us know if this article helped you out, or any questions you may have in the comments below.

If you’d like to move away from shuffling serial numbers altogether, check out an easy Adobe CS6 volume license to simplify management instead of single-user copies… For a lower cost, you can get a flexible site license with a single serial key for your entire team.

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• How to Install or Run Adobe CS6 on Both Windows PC and Mac OS
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One of the most popular articles on our site is How Many Systems Can I Run Adobe CS6 On? That covers Adobe’s rules for their standard off-the-shelf retail software purchased for home or home office use. But how about for the rest of the world – for businesses, companies, studios, groups, departments, schools, and other organizations? What if you need an open license to run Creative Suite 6 (or other products) concurrently with multi-users on a number of computers on your network?

Fortunately Adobe has an answer for this that makes sense – that’s easy and saves time with reduced maintenance via simple license management across your site… Why shuffle and keep track of individual serial numbers between different machines? Why worry about whether your software needs to run on a PC or a Mac?

It’s called the Adobe Business Store (formerly known as the Volume Licensing Program) – but it’s not just for businesses, it’s for any person or enterprise that needs to run Adobe applica­tions with multiple seats, and it has some pretty great advantages:

1. You can purchase however many licenses you need online with a credit card or PayPal, immediately without any paperwork or signature contracts to deal with.
2. You receive a single serial number for your entire group that you can freely switch between your computers, including between PC/Windows and Apple/Mac.
3. The actual software is completely the same as the standard versions, and you can add additional users at any time while keeping the same single serial key.
4. There are no restrictions as to who can use the software or when, so long as the total number of licensed users doesn’t exceed the number of seats purchased.
5. And it costs no more than normal on Adobe.com, plus you can still download the software online for free (and/or receive the CD/DVD media via mail).

Adobe has one other name for this site licensing plan – it’s also called the Transactional Licensing Program (TLP). That’s because the benefits are available for individual transactions (with no minimum order size), rather than needing contracts, signatures, and membership as with their other “Open Options” offering, the Cumulative Licensing Program (CLP, which is used by larger organizations with higher ordering thresholds).

Note Adobe also has separate versions of these two programs for education, where customers at educa­tional institutions like schools, universities and colleges can gain academic discounts together with the flexibility of running the software on as many computers as needed.

Once you get your software, you can use Adobe’s straightforward Licensing Web Site (LWS) to easily track and manage licenses, which simplifies software administration and streamlines recordkeeping and legal compliance.

Some more quite interesting features (see all the details here):

• Just like with Adobe’s off-the-shelf software, these volume licenses are transferrable or resellable to other entities, if such need arises.
• Similarly, you can run each license on up to two computers (office and home/portable), so long as the second copy of the software is used solely for the benefit and business of the licensee, and the two copies are not used at the same time.
• Ordinarily, it takes some effort to switch CS6 between platforms. But all volume licenses here are cross-platform and you can run them on whichever system you want, Windows or Mac OS or both.
• Adobe no longer offers older versions via retail, but if you need CS5.5 instead you can still get it by ordering CS6 and then downloading a prior version – see the Backward Licensing Policy. Read more about this in our story on how to buy older Adobe software.
• If you need to set up a flexible or floating license scheme across a network of computers for concurrent use, that may be possible as well for some customers (with CLP).

If you are currently running individual boxed Adobe products and would like to move from shrinkwrapped software to one of these volume licenses, Adobe will also offer a credit against past qualifying purchases.

So whether you’re private, commercial, education, or government, this is something to consider from several advantageous angles. Geographically it’s available world­wide in the US/Canada, Europe/UK, Asia, Australia/NZ, and Africa – just go to the Adobe Store Selector and select your country, and then “Business Store.”  That’s all there is to it – you can buy and down­load (or ship) your volume-licensed product with your local currency and address… or get an Instant Quote for the products you’re interested in.

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We’ve mentioned Adobe TV in the past, but it just keeps getting bigger and better…  They’ve just published a large series of free new video tutorials for all Creative Suite 6 tools.

You’ll learn the basics with Getting Started overviews plus What’s New reviews by product experts, with nearly 18 hours of content covering all major CS6 applications.

And if you want to get going today, you can go ahead and download a free 30-day trial for any CS6 product for Windows or Mac – then install, run, and start your training…

If you also like learning in print, check out this nice set of free new CS6 e-books (1,022 pages).  But here’s how the video courses break out:

Much of the extensive how-to series of tips, tricks, and techniques was produced by the well-regarded Lynda.com in partnership with Adobe.

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With Adobe Creative Suite, if you’re just looking to set up and run CS6 on either a Windows PC or a Mac OS system, the instructions for that are easy. And in fact, as we discussed earlier, it’s relatively straightforward to install and activate the software on up to two machines of the same operating system type – in other words, either two Mac computers, or two Windows PC’s.

But in most cases, with the platform selection for Creative Suite and Acrobat products, it’s “either-or.” Either Apple or Microsoft. Either Mac or Windows. That’s the story for the retail and education versions of the software. And, if you want to change or swap platforms entirely, and move your tools from one o/s to the other, you can do that with an Adobe CS “crossgrade.”

However, there is another possibility if you want or need to have the applications available on both operating systems (Windows plus Mac OS) at the same time – and that is to get an Adobe volume license. Despite the name, anybody can buy them (not just businesses and even for just one copy), though they do offer discounts for larger purchases… and there are some additional advantages too (including the ability to order CS5 or CS5.5 instead of CS6, if that’s what you happen to need). They’re easy to get – no signature contracts are necessary and you can pay online with a credit card, and download right away.

These volume products are offered “multiplatform” and are supplied with two license keys – one for each operating system – allowing you to install the software on both platforms… Just select “Multiple Platforms” on the simple online order page, it’s right there. You can even upgrade to these licenses from most older versions, including standard retail and education editions – with the same discounted upgrade pricing for all. Here is the relevant section from Adobe’s volume licensing policies page:

Cross-platform licensing

Adobe Volume Licensing (AVL) customers receive product serial numbers for both Windows and Mac OS, as long as the product is available for both and the two platforms are the same version.

Program members can choose to use either platform, as long as the total number of licenses being used does not exceed the number purchased.

As we’ve covered previously, each license purchased from Adobe allows the user to install and activate the product on up to two computer systems, so long as they are not both used or run at the same time. These are the same terms as for all customers written in the Creative Suite licensing agreement.

As more Macs make their way into the world, and as more folks acquire and own or use both types of computers on their networks, the need for multi-platform usage will grow. Recently, Adobe has begun to offer some shrinkwrap retail software for universal use – most notably Photoshop Elements and Lightroom in their latest releases. Subscribers to the Creative Cloud can also install the tools on both a Mac and a PC. But, if this is what you need to do now with your permanent software licenses, then you may want to check this out…

If you happened to make a purchase recently and didn’t get what you needed, you may also know about Adobe’s 30-day Return & Exchange Policy.

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This is one of the most common questions we get, and the answer may pleasantly surprise you… The place to look to find the answer is the Software License Agreement, also called the EULA. This agreement governs the use of your Adobe product, and is translated into 28 languages within each document. It also covers some basics about product activation.

So, in general, how many systems can you install Adobe software on, including CS5.5 and CS6? The answer for individuals (as opposed to businesses) in most cases is two. The catch is that both computers must be used only by you and the two systems cannot be used at the same time. This policy was designed so that you could run (say) Creative Suite at home on your desktop PC, as well as while travelling with your laptop. But the types of computers and their usage has blurred so much now that you can just pick any two you own and the product should install and properly activate on both…

For example, here is the key text from the EULA for Photoshop CS6:

2.5 Portable or Home Computer Use. Subject to the important restrictions set forth in Section 2.6 [having to do with volume licensees], the primary user of the Computer on which the Software is installed … may install a second copy of the Software for his or her exclusive use on either a port­able Computer or a Computer located at his or her home, provided that the Software on the port­able or home Computer is not used at the same time as the Software on the primary Computer.

In other words, the primary user may install another copy on a secondary computer for their own use, but the two installations cannot be used simultaneously.  Generally, for Creative Suite and Adobe Acrobat, the two machines should also be of the same operating system (Windows/Mac), because the software is licensed and delivered for use on a specific platform – but anyone who gets a “business license” can run the applications on both platforms.  Subscribers to the Creative Cloud can also install the tools on both a Mac and a PC.  Other Adobe products like Photoshop Elements and Lightroom are always sold multi-platform, making it a bit easier to mix-and-match Windows and Mac OS for your two installations.

Importantly, Adobe defines a computer as “a virtual or physical device,” not just a CPU – so that encompasses running on virtualization platforms such as VMware, Citrix, Parallels, and VirtualBox. The same thing goes for a dual-boot system with a product installed on both partitions, including Apple Boot Camp.

Note that these policies work exactly the same for Adobe’s Education versions – there is no distinction for those…  However, one major difference in restrictions for the Student and Teacher Editions is they can be run only on the customer’s privately-owned computer(s).

So there’s your answer for most current Adobe software, although we recommend confirming the terms for your particular product or suite because the license agreements are somewhat different for each package (including Creative Suite, Acrobat, Lightroom, Elements, etc.) and version (CS3, CS4, CS5, CS5.5, CS6).

If you’re part of a company or business, and/or need more than one computer running the software at the same time, then you might want to take a look at the online discounts and ease of maintenance available through Adobe’s Volume Licensing Store. There you can save money, time, and headaches for multiple users.

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Let’s face it, Adobe’s normal product prices can seem expensive, especially if you’re on a student’s budget. The regular prices for Creative Suite 6 range run from $399 for Dreamweaver through Photoshop Extended for $999 and up to $2,599 for the Master Collection suite, which contains every CS6 product available – nearly twenty in all. As great and powerful as this software is, it could be hard to afford these prices when you’re in school.

Fortunately, Adobe offers deep discounts for education customers – up to 80% off.  So the price for Dreamweaver becomes almost a third of what it was, $149 – while for the Master Collection it drops by over two-thirds, to $799. For some products the price cut is even larger – for example, Photoshop CS6 Extended (the top-of-the-line version) goes from $999 to $249. The top-selling CS6 Design & Web Premium suite becomes $449 instead of $1,899. And Flash Builder 4.6 falls from $249 to free – yes, FREE for students and educators…

In addition, it’s not just the Creative Suite products that are available with the savings. You can also get Lightroom 4, Acrobat X, and Photoshop or Premiere Elements 10. For example, Lightroom 4 for student photographers costs $79 instead of the normal price of $149.

All of this software is now available via instant download at the Adobe Education Store for both Windows and Mac OS. Adobe’s education discounts are available internationally as well – in other countries and currencies (Europe/euro, UK/pound, Australia/dollar), and the percentage reductions are similar.

To get these much-reduced prices, essentially all you have to do is prove your academic status at a qualified school. Most students and teachers of most grades and institutions can qualify, from elementary through university levels. Even part-time students or folks who enroll for a class at their local community college can be eligible – there is no age restriction. If you think about it, sometimes going back to school could even pay for itself in such situations.

When you purchase this software it does not come with a serial number – rather it comes with a special product code that you need to validate with your status and then Adobe will send you a permanent license key to activate and run the CS6 software. Proof of enrollment can include your school ID card, report card, transcript, tuition bill or statement, etc.

The verification and conversion all happens online so it takes only 1-2 business days. In the meantime, you’ll be able to install your product as a 30-day free trial to get started using it.

The student and teacher editions work the same as the regular versions, and the license does not expire. You can also use this software for commercial purposes if you so desire. However there remain some differences between the two with limitations of the education versions that are important to know about and understand.

You can install the software on up to two computers, and if for some reason you change your mind after buying, you can easily return the product within 30 days of purchase to Adobe.

A Word on Software Piracy – “If It Sounds Too Good To Be True…”

Some folks think they might be able to do better by trying to find and download Adobe software for free or cheap using torrents, cracks, keygens, untrusted sources, unknown sellers, and so on. The first thing to say is any electronic download from anywhere besides Adobe is illegitimate, so it’s illegal. The second thing is that it’s very risky – but not only because it’s illegal…

It’s increasingly a bad and dangerous idea because a great deal of the hacked Adobe software out there now is embedded with malware. This malware includes viruses, worms, and trojans that can do significant harm to your computer, data, and privacy (like quietly taking your sensitive information such as logins, passwords, and credit card numbers).

For example, the Asia-Pacific region has a very high piracy rate of 60%, and correspondingly the highest rate of infection in the world – nearly 70% of the computers in these countries are riddled with malware. There is a direct correlation.

In other words, the hackers that create and distribute these “free” or “cheap” versions are receiving payback in other ways (e.g., backdoors) – meaning in the end, you can do far worse damage to your computer and yourself than to Adobe. Why install unknown and untrusted software onto your valuable system? Why give a stranger control of your machine?

Further, the agencies are really cracking down now on download theft – note in a case out this week, the authorities have obtained the location and contact information on 23,000 illegal BitTorrent users and the fines paid are $3,000 per download!

Lastly, be wary of deals or bargains from eBay or Craigslist, or any seller you’ve never heard of (including on Amazon Marketplace), or anything that seems too good to be true – because it probably is… And you don’t want to end up in tears, like so many there have, after their money has left their hands permanently and the software or their computer has stopped working.

Read more details on why you shouldn’t buy from eBay, Craigslist, or Amazon Marketplace.

So all in all, it’s not something for nothing – and really the only sensible and safe choice is getting the real deal straight from Adobe at 80% off.

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[UPDATE (May 7th) – Creative Suite 6 is now shipping!]

This morning Adobe opened an official “grace period” for free upgrades to Creative Suite 6 for anyone who purchases the current Creative Suite software version today (full or upgrade), and for the next six weeks. This is a “first” for the company – formalizing and announcing a complimentary upgrade offer in advance – and means that if you buy CS5.5 or CS5 now (depending on the application), you will receive a free upgrade to CS6 when it comes out, which can save you significant money…

This news follows on the heels of the release of the free public Photoshop CS6 beta version last week (download here) – and opens the door for owners of older versions of Creative Suite such as CS4, CS3, and even CS2 with a clear upgrade path to CS6 at today’s current prices. Adobe puts this plainly in the Offer FAQ:

“If you upgrade to or purchase CS5.5 today, you’ll be paying the current price, plus you’ll get CS6 at no additional cost.   If you wait until CS6 ships, you’ll pay the price to upgrade to CS6, which may be higher.”

This Upgrade Assurance promotion is valid largely worldwide* for all commercial, education, government, and volume customers, and is good for individual applications as well as suites. It includes most current CS products (but not all – Acrobat, Flash Catalyst, Flash Builder, Con­tribute, and OnLocation individual products are excluded – although suites containing them are covered).  The free upgrades are definitely included for all new orders of Photoshop CS5 and Illustrator CS5, and CS5.5 versions for all the rest.

The “grandfather” offer begins today and expires on May 6th, which could give somewhat of a confirmation on the expected CS6 shipping date… After all, it wouldn’t make much sense to stop the offer and flow of orders before the new version became available. Then, within ten days of the Creative Suite 6 release†, customers will receive an email with instructions and a unique coupon code to receive the one-time free upgrade (download version) to the equiva­lent CS6 product. Full CS6 product support and free updates/fixes are included, as with all purchases.

So the advantages here are threefold: (1) you get current software available for immediate download, (2) you will receive a more mature release if you prefer and can move up later at your leisure, and (3) you save money by winning a lower upgrade cost (e.g., from CS2, CS3, CS4, or CS5.0), because you’re buying fewer steps to go up.  For example, you’ll save almost 50%(!) by moving from CS5.0 Design Premium to CS5.5 today (with a gratis upgrade later), than to go from CS5 to CS6 after this offer expires… If you wait it will cost you more!

And with Adobe’s Three Versions Back Upgrade Policy, present owners of CS2 will not even be eligible to upgrade to CS6, except temporarily here via this offer while it lasts… So really this is the last chance to upgrade for anybody still running CS2 tools.

With this new Creative Suite Upgrade Assurance Program, you no longer need to worry about purchasing the latest version as you’ll receive a complimentary upgrade to CS6 upon release. You get tomorrow’s software at today’s prices, with the best of both worlds: buy or upgrade to CS5 to use now, and then later get a free update to CS6 when you—and it—are ready. To get Creative Suite 5, just look for “Can’t wait? Order the previous version now” when you order.

There are some specific terms for eligibility – so you might want to double-check the policy to make sure you’ll qualify…

If you want to try the software out for free first, no problem – you can download the Creative Suite 5 trial and then convert it to permanent by May 6th.

See also:

— Adobe: CS6 to Ship “Late in Q2″ with Very Compelling New Features

— Revealed! What’s New in CS6 for Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Audition

— Sneak Previews of CS6: Dreamweaver, InDesign, Flash Pro, Illustrator & Premiere

— Win New Photoshop CS6 + Lightroom 4 FREE! ($1000 Giveaway)

— What’s the Difference Between Photoshop CS6 vs. CS5 – What’s New in Features?

* Offer valid in the following stores:  Europe – Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK.  North America – U.S., Canada, and Mexico.  Elsewhere – Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

† Adobe customers will receive instructions by email no later than May 25, 2012, which will be sent to the email address you used for your qualifying order. The email will contain a unique coupon code that you’ll need to claim your complimentary upgrade by August 5, 2012.

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Adobe Lightroom 4 is only days old, yet it’s quickly getting rave reviews across the net…

PC Magazine gives it 4½ stars and their Editors’ Choice Award for photo workflow software, writing: “For anyone who’s serious about digital photography, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 is now a more essential tool than ever – this is the app you need.”

Digital Photography Review also has great things to say: “Lightroom 4 is a substantial upgrade … offers an impressive list of features … on image quality, the Lightroom team has kept its eye on the prize … consistently getting pleasing results in fewer steps … works impres­sively well on a range of images … you can get superior results compared to previous versions … video users will also be pleased … welcome surprise price drop … compelling reasons to upgrade.”

And there is already a wealth of free learning resources available… Here are some good ones:

• Lightroom 4 New Features
• Difference Between Lightroom 3 vs. 4
• System Requirements for Adobe Lightroom
• Free 30-day Trial Now Downloadable
• Lightroom 4 Installation and Setup
• The Lightroom 4 Workflow
• Adobe Lightroom 4 Keyboard Shortcuts
• Digital Camera Raw Support for Lightroom 4
• New Video Support in Lightroom 4
• New Lens Profile Support in Lightroom 4
• New Tethered Camera Support in Lightroom 4
• Lightroom 4 Online Help and Documentation
• Adobe Lightroom 4 General FAQ

Also out is an excellent in-depth series of free online Lightroom 4 video tutorials, approaching four hours in total running time and produced by Adobe Lightroom guru Julieanne Kost. There are 2 two-hour volumes, the first covering Getting Started with Lightroom 4 and looking at the product as a whole, and the second series focusing more exclusively on What’s New in Lightroom 4 – with close to ten chapters in each and a wide range of topics and techniques discussed… The complete playlists are below.

Getting Started with Lightroom 4

Running time approximately 2 hours; see Table of Contents

What’s New in Lightroom 4

Running time approximately 2 hours; see Table of Contents

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Content Aware Fill is one of the major features added in Adobe Photoshop CS5, and is said to be one of its greatest new timesavers. CAF allows you to move or delete parts of your image and Photoshop will automatically and intelligently fill in the space left behind. We’ve written about it before with the quote, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguish­able from magic.” [Arthur C. Clarke]

And in our shop here we save hours every month from using Content Aware Fill as well as other CS5 advancements like Puppet Warp and the improved edge/masking tools.

Yet we still see some people claiming that Content Aware Fill “doesn’t work,” “doesn’t give results like in the demo video,” “doesn’t use the right back­ground,” or is just hype, smoke-and-mirrors, or a “gimmick.”

It’s true that it doesn’t always work and of course has its limitations. You can’t synthesize brand new material or hidden content that doesn’t exist in some related form elsewhere in the image. And often it will require some retouching afterwards to get the final result you want.

But usually it will get you most of the way there very quickly – if you know the most effective ways to use the feature. The best is when it “just works” without doing anything special, and this happens often enough too…

Here is a quick before-and-after example that required doing nothing more than an item selection and a content-aware delete… and one could say that for (literally) a two-minute job, it borders on magic…  Just roll over with your mouse (or tap) for the before and after results:

So what are the tips for ensuring Photoshop’s Content Aware Fill works the way you want? Here are two video walkthroughs to help learn how to make it do your heavy lifting.

The first features Russell Brown showing several before and after examples – with the key technique being to make a tight selection of what you want to fill or remove, and then expanding your selection by 5-10 pixels all around… (use the Select menu > Modify > Expand… Expand Selection by X Pixels) Setting things up that way gives the CAF algorithm just the right amount information on what it should remove and what it should use to fill in the space, without getting things you don’t want or mixing in too much.

The second tutorial is from Terry White and shows how to use Layer Masks to exclude the part(s) of the image you don’t want Content Aware Fill to draw data from at all. Alternatively, you can do the inverse and use the same method to include only the areas you do want the tool to use when composing the filled space. And as the video title indicates – “What to Do When Content Aware Fill or Content Aware Scale Doesn’t Work” – he gives tips for using Photoshop’s Content Aware Scaling feature as well.

And of course if you then combine both of these techniques your results will be better still, and CAF will work as best as possible for you…  Sometimes it takes a little experimentation, and if the area to be filled is complex (or large), then break it up and do it in pieces instead – in other words, take smaller selections and fill them in one-by-one.

Here they are… and hopefully with the skills from these two videos in hand, you’ll get more satisfying – fast and timesaving – results from the latest version of Photoshop.

[Extra:  Watch Part 1 of Russell Brown's show.]

[UPDATE (February 1st) – And another third, quick new video from Photoshop Senior Product Manager Bryan O'Neil Hughes: Getting the Best Results with Content-Aware Fill.]

[UPDATE (February 14th) – Check out the sneak peek of Photoshop CS6 which contains new Content-Aware Move, Patch, and Extend tools!]

Download a free trial of Photoshop CS5 and try it out yourself!

Check out more of the best tutorials for Photoshop (any learning level or product version).

Watch other video demonstrations of more Content-Aware Fill tricks & techniques.

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Adobe’s Creative Suite 5.5 has been out since May, and has generally been well-reviewed and even lauded as a must-have release…  Nevertheless, some folks are still looking for or require older versions of the software, like CS5.0 or CS4.  Why?

Two common reasons are the higher system requirements – 64-bit for some components of CS5 like After Effects & Premiere Pro, as well as cases where the rest of a customer’s site is still running an older version and would like to add a new setup with the same compatibility. And occasionally some folks say they prefer the earlier, simpler versions over newer ones with more features.

The challenge is, once a new release comes out, Adobe no longer officially sells the older version (with one exception). So if you need a prior release, what do you do?

If you want the trial version to use for 30 days, that’s easy – Adobe actually keeps most older original trials still available for download on their servers – including all of CS4 and CS5, plus earlier releases of Acrobat, Lightroom, Elements, etc… You can find those trials all linked for download here.

But how about when you want to actually buy CS4 or CS5?

If you ask Adobe, they’ll usually tell you to check their official list of authorized resellers & retailers to see if someone still has the version you want in stock. The problem is it’s inconvenient to search as often those stocks are thin or sold out, and no longer available.

So, do you turn to other random sources like eBay or Craigslist?  If you’re smart, definitely not – we strongly advise against eBay et al.  So what do you do?

The Solution: Order “Prior-Version Software”

Fortunately, there is an easy solution. It’s little-known, but Adobe actually sells a special type of license that can be “downgraded.” These unique products come from the Adobe Business Store (and are also known as volume licenses) – but you don’t have to be a business to get them, or even buy more than one copy, and they can be easily purchased online instantly with a credit card.

So these “business” licenses have this helpful capability which allows you to order the latest release (like CS5.5 or Acrobat X) but then optionally receive and use the prior version instead (like CS5.0 or CS4, or Acrobat 9).  Here it is spelled out:

Backward Licensing Policy
Adobe allows program members to order a current-version license but to use a prior version. These members can contact Adobe Customer Service to request a serial number for the earlier version if they do not already have one.

Prior-version software is available via Electronic Software Delivery [download from Adobe]. The program member must follow all guidelines of the current-version EULA.

Adobe has a name for this program (which again, anyone can buy from) – it’s called the Transactional Licensing Program (TLP) and it doesn’t cost extra – in fact customers typically get discounts off the regular price. And there are other nice features of these licenses as well, including the ability to run your software multi-platform on both Windows and Mac OS – which is also not possible elsewhere.

So if this is what you need to do now, then you may want to check this out.

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It’s the season for holiday deals – and so it also can be a season for order changes and returns… Although naturally, this can happen at any time of year.

Sometimes even despite using Adobe’s free trial downloads to try out the software before buying, customers may want to exchange an Adobe product and get something else – say swapping Photoshop for Lightroom, or returning Photoshop CS5 Extended and getting the full CS5.5 Design Premium suite instead (which includes eight applications instead of one).

So did you know that Adobe offers a full money-back guarantee policy on almost all current products? This includes CS5, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, Acrobat, and so on. This offer applies even after you’ve already opened the box and/or installed the software – and what’s more, it applies even if you happened to buy the software from somewhere else besides Adobe direct (like an from authorized reseller or store in North America – though not eBay).

Yes, it’s true – if you aren’t able to return or exchange your product via any other means, you can simply contact Adobe within 30 days and provided you follow the procedure, they will take it back (after being uninstalled and deactivated from your computers, if applicable) and then issue you a refund.

So this means your purchases are protected right out of the gate – and effectively you’ve got 60 total days (30 trial + 30 “warranty”) to make sure the product is right and definitely the one you want!  If not for some reason, you can effectively cancel your purchase for a refund.

Returns can be processed whether you originally paid via credit card, PayPal, or purchase order. Any original shipping & handling charges are not rebated. If you didn’t buy through Adobe, you must have a valid proof of purchase.

This is one reason why we recommend buying direct from Adobe whenever possible – it’s simpler, faster and easier – and you can always be 100% certain your software is genuine, safe and authentic – plus you can download it instantly.

“Grace Period for Free Upgrades”

What’s especially interesting is that you can use the exchange policy above to create your own “grace period” when buying any Adobe product, so that if a new release comes out within a month of your purchase, you can simply send back what you have and get the next release instead…  So say for example you buy CS5.5 in May 2012, and then CS6 is launched in June – well then you could return it for a refund if you like and get CS6 instead – meaning you’ve got some “insurance” for a free upgrade, which is a nice side benefit.

There are some conditions and fine print, so you may want to read the full policy in detail which includes the step-by-step procedure that you need to follow to get your money back. And be sure to simply contact Adobe Customer Support if you have any questions about it.

Read more great tips for managing your software investment:

• How Many Systems Can You Install and Run Your Adobe Products On?
• How to Move Adobe Software Between Computers or from Windows to Mac
• How Can You Run Adobe Products on Both the Windows to Mac OS Platforms?
• How to Legally Transfer Adobe Products Between Two Parties or People
• Why You Shouldn’t Buy Adobe Software through eBay or Amazon Marketplace
• See the Complete Online Documentation (PDF) for All Major Adobe Products

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Time-lapse photography videos are all the rage these days…  Here is one of our recent favorites from Norwegian landscape photographer Terje Sorgjerd – incredibly beautiful and perfect for the season (watch full-screen):

Photoshop isn’t normally known for its video capabilities, but it’s actually quite easy to take a series of still photographs (edited as desired) and then create your own timelapse video using Photoshop Extended… This will work in the CS5, CS4, or CS3 versions.

Photoshop guru Russell Brown gives the details below on how to make and export your own creation:

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Some folks think it might be a good idea to try to save a few bucks and buy Adobe software from eBay, Craigslist, or Amazon Marketplace.  It could be CS5.5, Photoshop, Lightroom, Acrobat, or any other.

But it’s actually not a very good idea at all.  Why?

The first problem is that Adobe does not recognize these venues as valid resellers. So as a result, it’s like Adobe will not officially recognize any of those buyers as actually owning their software. Yes, you read that right.

Meaning, you think you own the genuine article but effectively you don’t. You can’t provide an accepted proof of purchase – so you can’t formally prove you own the products, can’t ever legally transfer the software to someone else, may not be able to get technical support or ever upgrade to the next version, and so on…  You also aren’t able to return the software to get your money back from Adobe like you normally can.

Why doesn’t Adobe recognize the people that go through those places? Doesn’t that seem unfair?

The simple reason is – and the real problem is – that 90% of the software sold on places like eBay is counterfeit! Yes, it’s true. And it’s not a new problem.

So you can be pretty sure that what someone’s getting on those auction and vendor sites is not legitimate, not able to be legally transferred, and possibly even quite unsafe.

That last part is the real kicker. A great deal of the hacked and pirated Adobe software out there now is embedded with malware. These infections include viruses, worms, and trojans that can do significant harm to your computer, data, and privacy (like quietly stealing your sensitive information such as logins, passwords, and credit card numbers).

Or put another way, you dramatically increase your “risk of exposure to viruses, spyware, or adware that can destroy (or, worse, publish to criminals) valuable data.” But unfortunately, many people don’t learn about this until it’s too late. Often they do this unknowingly.

How prevalent is malware in illegal software? Well, just one example: China reportedly has a piracy rate of 79% – and a corresponding computer infection rate of nearly 70% – both are the highest in the world.

Yes, there can occasionally be exceptions – but there are many more headlines over the years: “Adobe Creative Suite Crack Harvests Zombie Computers” … “Malware Writers Target Would-Be Pirated Software Users” … “Bootlegged Mac Photoshop Delivers New Trojan Horses” …

The second Trojan was discovered Sunday, hidden inside torrented copies of Adobe Systems’ Photoshop program. Once installed, the software lets someone else take remote control of the computer and sensitive data upon it.

Even advertised “new in box” (NIB) items in seemingly original packaging can easily be fake. And as Adobe says, “You’ll only discover software is pirated when you try to register it and can’t, often rendering the software unusable.” Or worse.

But even if the software within is authentic, it’s still breaking the law. Per the SIIA, “As this prosecution demonstrates, it is both a crime to create counterfeit software and a crime to sell authentic software without authorization.”  So in any event, these buyers still face all the other issues above.

And if anyone ever offers a download that’s from anywhere else other than Adobe – it’s definitely not genuine, or legal.

The old advice applies here: anything that sounds too good to be true probably is… (note that Adobe’s true student editions at 80% off are an exception to this)

So what’s your best bet?

The only safe and legal place to instantly download any of these products (either trial or permanent versions) is directly from Adobe’s servers.

And the only safe and legal place to buy boxed retail software is directly from Adobe itself, or through their authorized resellers/retailers.

They put all this in place to protect customers – not only from harmful or counterfeit software, but also protecting your rights as a legitimate buyer and true recognized owner of the products – fully able to receive technical support, important updates, and future upgrades.

See all the recommended tips on how to avoid Adobe piracy. And if the regular product prices are too high for you, see if you qualify for Adobe’s deeply-discounted education versions.

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Adobe Photoshop is a sophisticated tool with a 21-year history and a seemingly-endless array of powerful capabilities.  And after spending $549 for the product with discounts (or $199 for students), who wants to pay a lot more to learn how to use it all?

Fortunately there are a number of avenues to get great training and tutorials for free. The first stop is Adobe TV, which has nearly four hours and 37 chapters of 100% free tutorials for Photoshop CS5 alone. There is also a wealth of content for prior versions like Photoshop CS3 and CS4. It’s a good place to get started and orient yourself with the major functions, and all of it is gratis.

For learning how to use the best new features added in Photoshop CS5, take a look at our collection of articles with tours of:

• Content-Aware Fill
• Puppet Warp
• Top Masking Techniques
• Creating Time-Lapse Videos
• Impressionist Oil Painting

We also have a regular page here on the site with a rotating selection of tuts for all versions of Photoshop, stepping through various tips and tricks. And for a terrific set of little-known but very handy techniques, check out Adobe’s Photoshop “Hidden Gems” series with Product Manager Bryan O’Neil Hughes.

Lynda.com is the leading independent website providing online video training for Adobe products, with nearly 800(!) hours of coursework for Photoshop – covering all versions dating back to Photoshop 6 in 2002. Courses are extensive, often running several days – and there are always some chapters that are free for anybody to view, with full access starting at $25/month. But we have partnered with them for our readers to receive a free 7-day trial with unlimited access to the entire site, and get one week of all 1,036 courses in their Online Training Library for free.

If you’d like a free top-flight course to really get you going in Photoshop from the ground up, check out the three online skills clinics below from the experts at National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP)…  These exclusive web-based training sessions with the “Photoshop Guys” are a great opportunity to quickly get up to speed on the timesaving features and breakthrough tools in the latest version.

If you don’t already have Photoshop, just download the free trial so you can work side-by-side in these three classes, which were originally given live to customers but are now available free to all users via on-demand replay:

• Class 1: Photoshop CS5 – Up & Running in No Time
• Class 2: Cool Photoshop Skills – Effects and Retouching Anyone Can Do with Photoshop CS5
• Class 3: Photoshop CS5 Street Smarts – Shortcuts, Killer Tips, and Next-Level Skills

These excellent Photoshop tutorial videos run four hours in total and can be viewed here: Exclusive Adobe Photoshop Clinic Webcasts.

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[UPDATE (January 11th, 2012) – Adobe has listened to customers and just reversed this change! CS3, CS4, & CS5 are all good for upgrade to CS6 now.]

HUGE breaking news out from Adobe, regarding substantial changes in upgrade pricing and policies for their very popular Creative Suite software…

For several years, the company has offered a “three-versions-back” upgrade policy – meaning anyone who owned a prior CS product up to three major versions back would be eligible for discounted upgrade pricing when moving up to the latest release.

Meaning, if you’ve got CS2, CS3, or CS4 – either a full suite or an individual point product like Photoshop – you can receive price reductions of up to 80% when upgrading to CS5.5.

Adobe now says that will be ending – the policy is going to shift dramatically, worldwide.

Starting in 2012 when CS6 comes out, this will be changing to a “one-version-back” plan – meaning to receive a price break when upgrading to CS6, you need to already be on some flavor of Creative Suite 5 – either CS5 or CS5.5.

So, what does this mean for anybody still running CS2, CS3, or CS4 at that time?  Basically, if you want to upgrade later or have been waiting for CS6 to do so, it would cost you full price… To receive a discount from older versions, you’d need to upgrade to CS5 before CS6 ships.

Here it is straight from Adobe’s “Conversations” Blog:

With regards to upgrades, we are changing our policy for perpetual [permanent] license customers.

In order to qualify for upgrade pricing when CS6 releases, customers will need to be on the latest version of our software (either CS5 or CS5.5 editions).

In other words, soon Adobe will only be offering the traditional upgrade savings for one major version behind…  This will apply for both suites as well as the standalone applications.

There is a saving grace however – the company wants to help folks using these older versions to get current now with an extra 20% off the currently-discounted upgrade price:

If our customers are not yet on those versions, we’re offering a 20% discount through December 31, 2011 the extended date of March 15, 2012, which will qualify them for upgrade pricing when we release CS6.  [see banner below]

Why is Adobe doing this?  It’s part of extending their CS subscription offerings to encompass the recently-announced Creative Cloud initiative, which is also a subscription-based program.

Basically, they want to make more frequent innovation updates to the software to reflect our increasingly-dynamic environment with the web, smartphones, tablets, and mobile applications – and are adjusting the model to try to encourage customers towards cloud membership and keep them as current as possible with the products.

However, you can stick with traditionally-owned software if you desire, just like now:

For customers who prefer to remain on the current licensing model, we will continue to offer our individual point products and Adobe Creative Suite editions as perpetual licenses.

So if you’re one of them – and are happy and comfortable with your current permanent product instead of renting – then you might want to take a closer look at this fleeting window of upgrade opportunity, particularly with the extra 20% off worldwide – while it lasts.

Please spread the word and share this news with anyone who you think should know!

[UPDATE (Dec. 1st) – Share your thoughts and take our new poll on Adobe's model change, or see the impact on Acrobat, Lightroom, and Elements.]

[UPDATE (Jan. 11th, 2012) – After feedback, Adobe has now deferred this policy change.]

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Knowing how to make a good mask is one of the most important things you can learn to do in Photoshop. With accurate masks you can completely control the placement and movement of all the elements of your image. The techniques shared in these videos will help you get the most out of the new masking capabilities in Photoshop CS5… And when you combine them with the new content-aware fill feature to magically fill backgrounds of moved or deleted objects, well then you’ve really got something.

The first video is a two-part playlist, New Masking Basics: Get up-to-speed with the great new masking tools and techniques in Photoshop CS5, to quickly and easily create professional quality masks, including a photograph with challenging hair.

The second video, to the right, also plays in two parts – New Advanced Masking: Learn some of Photoshop guru Russell Brown‘s favorite methods for masking out the background from a really difficult image.

The third and final video is Advanced Motion Blur Masking and Blending: This tutorial will get you through the toughest motion blur with flying colors… Also learn some advanced blending tips and techniques.

For full-screen viewing, click the expand icon and then 480p after pressing play on each thumbnail:

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We’ve previously covered 17+ hours of free video tutorials for Creative Suite 5, plus three hours for Lightroom 3 – so here are some brand new training resources for the just-released Adobe Photoshop Elements 10… Most of these tutorials also apply to Photoshop Elements 9, which shares the same interface but just doesn’t have as many features.

In these three courses the experts share how to get started, the basics of the software, new features, how to use key tools and functions, plus their favorite tips and techniques. In sum, there is over four hours of free content, with 46 separate chapters.

If you need a copy of Photoshop Elements 10 to get going right away, just download the free trial and it will work fully for 30 calendar days, which should be plenty of time to get through the classes.

If you prefer learning in written form, we’ve got the Adobe Photoshop Elements Guide – a free 95-page e-book you can download as well.

This extensive series is presented by teaching gurus Tim Grey and Chad Chelius, and was produced by video2brain.

For affordable live, interactive training on Photoshop Elements, we recommend the excellent online workshops given at Everyday Elements.

See what’s new and improved in PSE 10 – or see what the industry reviews are saying.

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It’s been about a year since Acrobat X (10) was released, and given Adobe’s typical two-year cycle with this product line, it will probably be another year before we see Acrobat 11 coming out…  So in the meantime, we’ve put together a list of helpful questions and answers that have accumulated here and during sessions with Adobe.

Hopefully sharing this information below can help answer frequently-asked questions that you may also have about the product:

What other questions do you have about Acrobat X? Just ask in the comments below and we’ll see if we can get them answered for you.

Or download a 30-day trial to run it free today and for the next month.

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We’ve previously covered here how to transfer Adobe software products (like CS5.5, Photo­shop, Lightroom, Elements, or Acrobat) between two computers, including from PC to Mac or vice versa. In this article we’re going to focus on transferring the actual legal license from one person or company to another, like transferring the title to a car or home between two people.

Getting the software moved is mostly a technical task, but doesn’t cover what happens if the recipient has problems, needs customer support or updates, wants to be registered with Adobe, and be recognized as the new legal owner of the software. So this is what you have to do to “unregister” it from the old owner and re-register for the new one.

Fortunately, this is possible to do. Adobe has a Transfer of License form (North America, or Rest of World) that you can download, fill out, and return to them to effect the move. This could happen after a sale or donation of the product, either for a business or an individual. Note however that Adobe’s Education (including the Student & Teacher) products are not eligible for a transfer of license – they cannot be resold or given away… Read more about the limitations of Adobe’s academic products.

The transfer form itself is fairly straightforward – just things like the name, version, and serial number of the product, plus the names, contact info, and signatures of both the transferor and the transferee. Note that the transferor needs to have the software registered with Adobe, which can be done electronically and just takes a minute plus can get you free goodies. Once submitted, Adobe then takes a couple weeks to process the transfer request, at which point the recipient becomes the new registered owner of the software and the legal licensee who can receive customer service and support.

Note that you can’t transfer individual components of a collection like Creative Suite 5 – it only goes for the whole package. Also, you are transferring all versions that are connected with that product – so for example you can’t use your copy of CS3 or CS4 to get discounted upgraded pricing on an upgrade to CS5.5, and then transfer your old copy of CS3/CS4 to someone else – it won’t work. You could either upgrade to CS5.5 and keep the earlier one, or purchase the full version of CS5.5 and transfer the prior one. See more about the allowed uses of previous versions when you’re upgrading Adobe software.

One last part that sometimes trips people up is the proof of purchase: if you didn’t buy the software directly from Adobe then you need to provide one – and any receipts from Internet auction/vendor sites such as eBay, Craigslist, or Amazon Marketplace are not accepted!  So this is yet another reason to avoid these places like the plague…

OK, ready?  Be sure to read the (important!) full instructions to make a transfer, including step-by-step on what you need to do and include together with the official form. Note that Adobe does not limit how many times their software can be legally transferred, although each customer can initiate a maximum of four transfers in their lifetime. Also, if there are any support contracts attached to a license, those won’t transfer to the other party.

Finally, before you submit the transfer, be sure to deactivate and uninstall the software on all your own systems.

[ Learn about how many machines you can run Adobe software on. ]

Hope this information helps… but please post any questions you may have and we will get answers!

If you’d like to move away from shuffling serial numbers altogether, consider an Adobe Volume License to simplify management instead of one-at-a-time copies… For a lower cost, you can get a single license with one serial number for your entire team.

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Even years after it went up, a lot of people still don’t know about it.

We’re talking about the free online documentation for all Adobe software – a set of manuals that can answer quite a few user questions, and be a great resource if you don’t own a product yet but want to find out more about it.

It exists in searchable and discussable form for all major Adobe applications, including the Creative Suite, Lightroom, Acrobat, Photoshop Elements, etc. – for all recent releases on both Windows and Mac OS.

For example, at least once a week we receive a question on how to save back to earlier versions from InDesign CS5.5… Fortunately, this is answered in the “Saving Documents” section in InDesign’s online manual.

Each reference is downloadable as a complete e-book if you so desire (more about this below)… the substantial “Using Adobe Photoshop CS5” guide is nearly 600 pages alone!

Also helpful is the ability to post comments and questions & answers on the individual documentation pages, in case something’s not entirely clear.

Here are the direct links to the references:

• Creative Suite – CS5.5, CS5, CS4, and CS3, including:
  • Photoshop and Photoshop Extended
  • Dreamweaver
  • Illustrator
  • InDesign
  • InCopy
  • Flash Professional
  • Flash Catalyst
  • Flash Builder
  • Premiere Pro
  • After Effects
  • Adobe Encore
  • OnLocation
  • Fireworks
  • Contribute
  • Soundbooth
  • Audition
  • Adobe Bridge
  • Camera Raw
  • Media Encoder
  • CS Live
• Acrobat X (10), 9, 8:
  • Standard
  • Professional
  • Extended
• Photoshop Elements 9, 8, 7
• Premiere Elements 9, 8, 7
• Photoshop Lightroom 3 and 2
• Captivate 5.5, 5, 4, and 3
• ColdFusion 9 and Builder 2
• Adobe Connect 8
• LiveCycle ES2 and ES2.5
• All other products

Books and manuals no longer come in the box – it’s all live and living online, updated regularly by the Adobe documentation team… There is installed help that comes with the products which can be accessed when not connected to the Internet, but it consists of only about 70% of the content available on the web and is not updated.

Important! If you’re going to be offline for a while or just prefer to read it all in an ebook format, there are complete PDF versions available for download for each application (look for “View Help PDF” in the upper right corner) – just grab that and poof, you have a full up-to-date manual in the form of an electronic book, for free (and great for tablet viewing like on the iPad, where it can be opened and stored in iBooks).

And if for some reason you don’t find your answer there, it’s an easy jump over to Adobe’s User-to-User Forums or Customer Support via the Community Help facility.

Extra! Download Free eBooks for Creative Suite 5 and Elements 9

As a special bonus to our visitors, we are offering free downloads of three new visual learning guides, three separate e-books in PDF format that we’re making available at no cost to you:

• Download the Free Learning Creative Suite 5 eBook – 172 Pages
• Download the Free Guide to Photoshop Elements 9 eBook – 95 Pages
• Download the Free Guide to Premiere Elements 9 eBook – 78 Pages

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