Yes – Adobe Acrobat X has just been announced with all the details… Pretty much on the timeframe we forecast, you can learn about and order any of the three new versions, or download the free trials. For this 10th generation of the PDF industry standard, Adobe is offering two versions – Standard and Pro – plus a brand new Acrobat X Suite Edition that features Acrobat X together with Photoshop, Captivate, and three other Adobe products.

As was announced last spring, the previous “Pro Extended” version which focused largely on 3D had its technologies transferred to two other companies for future development – but some of the other things that Extended did are picked up by the new Suite.

The very first version of Acrobat came out in 1993 and there have been 44 million total Acrobat units sold since then, Adobe’s biggest product ever… Over 90% of Internet-connected computers have the Adobe Reader installed, and there are over 160 million PDF files on the Web. So what’s new in Acrobat version 10?

There are plenty of new features, but Adobe really worked hard on this release to make it sleek and polished, giving it a new streamlined interface and making it faster and easier to use than previous versions. We’ve seen the demos and it shows – it really does some cool and amazing things. Overall we present some quick highlights here, but see our companion “what’s new” article for more:

• New PDF Portfolio Wizard, with all-new layouts, visual themes, and color palettes.
• New Action Wizard to automate tasks (“macros”) across one or many PDF documents.
• Much improved scanning results (OCR) and exporting to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Native, seamless integration with Microsoft SharePoint.
• Streamlined commenting with all markup tools and comments on a single, unified pane.
• New customizable Quick Tools area to quickly access the tools you use most.
• New “heads-up display” to maximize and optimize PDF file presentation.
• Improved web experience to open online PDF documents faster and easier.
• Create PDF files with a single click from Microsoft Office 2010 applications.
• Send large files or collect form data with easy-to-use services at Acrobat.com.

The Acrobat X free trials are now available – download yours today.

Pricing, Upgrades, Availability, and Requirements

The prices remain US$299 for the full version of Acrobat Standard, and $449 for Acrobat Pro. The upgrade prices go up a bit – to $139 for a Standard upgrade and $199 for an upgrade to Acrobat X Pro. While a price bump is never welcomed, the move to $199 actually brings the Acrobat Pro upgrade cost in line with other major Adobe products like Dreamweaver, Illus­trator, and InDesign. The discounted upgrade pricing is from three versions back, meaning Acrobat 7, 8, and 9 – however Adobe historically offers a grace period for purchases made after the announcement date, so if you upgrade now from the popular Adobe Acrobat 6, you may be eligible for a free upgrade to Acrobat X.

The new Acrobat X Suite is priced at $1,199, which is little more than the cost of Acrobat X Pro and Photoshop CS5 together ($449 + $699 = $1148), with a total package value in the suite of $2,447 (cost if purchased individually). There are also upgrade paths to the suite from many standalone Adobe products for $799.

Students and teach­ers can order the full education version of Acrobat X Pro for $119 (74% off).

All Acrobat X purchases made by December 20th will receive free Fedex shipping direct from Adobe. Acrobat X is currently orderable in English, French, and German and will eventually be available in 28 different languages.

Adobe Acrobat X will run well on 32-bit or 64-bit systems, and is designed for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, or Mac OS (see the full system requirements). And similar to other Adobe software, you may be able to install Acrobat X on up to two computers, subject to the terms of the software’s license agreement.

See also the excellent FAQ, plus the free new 40-chapter online video tutorial series on The Acrobat X Channel, including the 5-minute overview, Getting Started in Acrobat X.

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Adobe has just launched Acrobat X (Acrobat 10) and the first thing everybody wants to know is what’s been added or improved in the new version… Fortunately we’ve been following the Acrobat 10 story for a long time, so we have the answers for you…

Adobe went back to fundamentals with Acrobat X and reimplemented much of the interface and functionality to make them better, faster, and smoother. They used their extensive Product Improvement Program with a dataset of hundreds of thousands of users to make things really work like you think they should and want them to, saving you time and helping you complete your work quickly and effectively.

Here are Adobe’s overriding goals and themes for this release:

• Increase efficiency of the document exchange and collaboration processes
• Simplify, guide, and automate complex knowledge worker tasks
• Empower users to create engaging, dynamic communications
• Extend and optimize review and approval workflows
• Make it easier to protect or redact sensitive information
• Enable better content re-use and transfer between applications
• Expand document access and workflows across devices

And with these in mind, here are the top 15 highlights for what’s new in Adobe Acrobat X:

1. New, simplified and intuitive “Panels” user interface
2. New guided Actions (“macros” capability) for common tasks
3. Seamless export to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access
4. Tight Microsoft SharePoint integration
5. Fully customizable PDF Portfolios with wide variety of file types
6. Much improved OCR accuracy and efficiency
7. Customizable Quick Tools area for frequently used commands
8. New PDF Portfolio Wizard and related content
9. Single, unified tool pane for commenting and markup access
10. New PDF Reading Mode (with “heads-up display”)
11. Improved browser integration, loading, and viewing
12. Microsoft Office 2010 enabled, create PDF’s in a single click
13. Adobe Reader Protected Mode Security (sandboxing)
14. Better enterprise deployment automation
15. New Acrobat X Suite for the complete picture

We’re in the public Prerelease Program and have seen some of the demos, and Acrobat X Pro just makes working with information much simpler and more streamlined. The audience at a recent sneak preview was clapping and cheering after many of the feature demos like it was an Apple event. When the presenter showed a couple of complex but perfect PDF table exports to Microsoft Word and Excel, there were user comments like “miraculous” and “jaw-dropping”…

Bottom line, Adobe Acrobat X looks like a smooth and solid upgrade that will make your life easier, help you get more done, and save you a lot of time.

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Acrobat X was only announced this week, but thus far the early reviews have been very positive… PC Magazine calls it “mas­sively improved” and “faster and more powerful than ever,” with “finally a lucid, up-to-date interface” and “terrific corporate and automation features, including high-quality exports to Word and Excel documents.” Their review concludes that Acrobat X is “the most powerful, flexible, and best-designed PDF software ever written,” and “a giant step forward, and an essential upgrade for anyone who creates or manages PDFs.”

As to the specifics of what’s new, see our earlier release highlights overview, or a longer list (with details) at our product page here. For an itemized version-by-version feature compar­ison vs. previous releases, click to see either of the two full charts below… The top one is for Adobe Acrobat X Pro, and the bottom is for Acrobat X Standard:

Note if you’re on an older version (6, 7, or 8), there is currently a grace period in effect for purchases of Acrobat 9 to give free upgrades to Acrobat X when it is released.

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• Adobe Acrobat X (Acrobat 10) is Out – Standard, Pro, and New Suite!

We’ve previously featured over 17 hours of free video tutorials for Creative Suite 5, plus three hours for Lightroom 3 – so here’s a brand new set for the recently-released Adobe Acrobat X Pro & Standard… In the free courses below, product experts share how to get started, the basics of the software, overviews of major new features, how to use key tools and functions, plus their favorite tips and most useful techniques. In total, there are three courses with 3½ hours of free content, spanning over 57 separate chapters.

If you need a copy of Acrobat X Pro to get going, you can just download a free 30-day trial.

See more detailed coverage on the key new features in Acrobat X, as well as the differences between earlier versions (Acrobat 10 versus 9, 8, and 7).

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Adobe Acrobat X has just been released! And continuing in our tradition of providing the direct download links for major Adobe software such as CS5.5, Lightroom 3, and Elements 10, below you’ll find the direct links for the brand new Acrobat X (10)… We also have added the direct links for the previous version Acrobat 9 as well, in case you need them for any reason.

The links given below go to the authentic and secure files residing on Adobe’s servers, are guaranteed genuine and will not change. They are especially useful when you are unable to download Adobe’s products via other means – often due to difficulties with the Akamai Down­load Manager (the Adobe DLM). Here it’s open and you can just use your browser, or another download manager of your choice.

The links are listed below. For Windows, the Acrobat X Pro download is in the form of a single .exe file. For the Mac, “a trial version of Acrobat X Pro is not available at this time” (see the FAQ), however the full product is available for Mac OS. There is no actual trial version of Acrobat X Standard, but Pro includes all Standard features – so you can try out Pro for free and then decide which version you want at the time of purchase. Languages offered here are English, French/Français and German/Deutsch.

The new Acrobat X Suite (Acrobat X Pro, Photoshop CS5, Captivate 5, Presenter 7, LiveCycle Designer ES2, and Media Encoder CS5) is also currently available for Windows only. The trial consists of two downloaded files: an .exe and a 7-Zip file (.7z). The .exe file will only work (and install) once the .7z file is fully downloaded and resides in the same folder.

Of course, the free Adobe Reader X for PDF is downloadable for both platforms – Windows (many flavors) and Mac OS (Intel). It’s a single .exe file for Windows and a .dmg file for Mac.

Note: Very Important Instructions

Except for the Reader, you must have a free Adobe account and be logged in to use the links below, as Adobe sets a session cookie on your browser that lets you to access the software. Otherwise, you will receive an “access denied” or “resume download” message preventing the connection. So for Pro/Standard and Suite, please follow these instructions carefully.

0. Adobe recommends temporarily turning off any browsing restrictions you might have running, like site or cookie blocking, firewalls or antivirus software.
1. Click «here» to visit this page and then select the “Download Now” button at the bottom.
2. If you already have an Adobe ID, then please sign in with it (checking “Remember me“), otherwise take a minute to create one for yourself.
3. Close or cancel any windows that may pop up.
4. Now that you’re logged in at Adobe with the trials cookie set, you can instantly download any of the links below. Just make sure you have enough disk space.
5. Download the files either by clicking directly on the DDL links, or by right-clicking and choosing “Save Link As…” on the popup menu – and save all files to the same place.
6. Then follow the product installation instructions here.

Adobe Acrobat X Pro/Standard – Direct Download Link

 » English, French, & German for Windows (465 MB) .exe

Adobe Acrobat X Suite – Direct Download Links

 » English, French, & German for Windows (2.13 GB):   File 1 (.exe)  and  File 2 (.7z)

Free Adobe Reader X (Reader 10.1) – Direct Download Links

 » English for Windows (38 MB) .exe
 » German for Windows (39 MB) .exe
 » French for Windows (38 MB) .exe

 » English for Mac OS (68 MB) .dmg
 » German for Mac OS (71 MB) .dmg
 » French for Mac OS (70 MB) .dmg

See also the minimum system requirements for AAX Pro and AAX Suite, and the Reader.

Installation Tips

• See what’s new in Adobe Acrobat X vs. previous versions with a feature comparison.
• For the easiest installation experience, exit any open programs, including virus protection software, prior to installing the product.
• Install with an account that has administrative privileges (not a Limited User Account if you are using Windows Vista).
• If you encounter any difficulties, try Adobe Assistance.

Adobe Acrobat 9 Direct Download Links

See below if you need access to the prior version of Acrobat Pro or Reader.

Acrobat 9 Pro/Standard for Windows
English, French, German
(327 MB)

Reader 9.4 for Windows
English
(27 MB)

Reader 9.4 for Mac Intel
English
(46 MB)

Reader 9.4 for Mac PowerPC (PPC)
English
(50 MB)

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Every couple of years when Adobe puts out a full new release of Acrobat, there are a few different editions to choose from and new features to study to decide which of them you’re going to get… This year is no different – the Acrobat X (10) family is available in the form of the free Reader, the familiar Standard and Pro, and a brand new Suite edition that bundles Acrobat Pro together with Photoshop, Captivate, and three other Adobe products in a package to deliver complete business communications.

Conspicuously absent is the “Pro Extended” edition from version 9, which used to be called Acrobat 3D. What happened to Pro Extended? The answer:

Users of Acrobat Pro Extended’s 3D features are now directed to Tetra4D, who have taken over development and support of the 3D engine from Adobe. Their 3D PDF Converter plugin for Acrobat X Pro does support the latest versions of 3D files and comes with a copy of 3D Reviewer, but will not work with Acrobat 9. See the link for a full list of supported formats.

(Note that upgrade licenses for Tetra’s Acrobat X Pro plug-in coming from any version of Acrobat 3D or Acrobat 9 Pro Extended are free for a limited time.)

For the rest of the product line, here’s a brief list of some major differences between Acrobat X Reader, Standard, Pro, and Suite – a comparison focusing just on the new features:

For the complete comparison list of all 43 line items, click through to see this page:

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It’s been almost a month now since Adobe Acrobat X was officially released, so let’s take a look at what the reviews out there are saying…

In our earlier article on the differences between Acrobat X and earlier versions, we covered what PC Magazine wrote: the new software is “massively improved” and “faster and more powerful than ever,” with “finally a lucid, up-to-date interface” and “terrific corporate and automation features, including high-quality exports to Word and Excel documents.” Their review gives Acrobat X a rating of 4½ stars and concludes it is “the most powerful, flexible, and best-designed PDF software ever written,” and “a giant step forward, and an essential upgrade for anyone who creates or manages PDFs.” And About.com rates the product 5 stars.

How about the end-users out there – how is Acrobat X being received? Here’s a quick video:

These are some of the customer quotes:

“Acrobat X is going to be the most critical document tool we have across all of our business areas. We can clearly see how the new features and intuitive user interface will make our staff more efficient, and ultimately save our business and customers time and money.”

– Kevin Wedman, Vice President, Bureau Veritas

“The new Action Wizard in Acrobat X Pro is a terrific enhancement and a real time saver. It lets us automate the most common steps in our review process, and it does away with time-consuming steps.”

– Patrick Lennon, Print and Publishing Officer, Tourism Ireland

“Acrobat X offers a sleek user interface and tool panes that make the software extremely easy to use for anyone. Our employees don’t have to search through multiple menus to find what they want. The whole experience is much more intuitive compared to using other types of software.”

– Johnny Chloride, Solution Delivery Manager, HASSELL

“It’s so easy – it takes five minutes to sign a contract in Acrobat X, without having to print it, rescan it, save it, compress it, and then email it back. You just save it and hit email. It’s an amazing tool.”

– Mollie Rusher, President, On3 Solutions

“I love the way that you can just roll up documents and things into a Portfolio, put a little user interface on it, and send it off. And then when people open it – they can open it in Acrobat 9, they can open it obviously in 10 – they open it, and then they’re like, ‘wow, I didn’t know you could do that – how did you do that?’ Well, I just dragged and dropped it into Acrobat – it’s so easy, and it’s so much fun.”

– George Demmy, TerraGo Technologies

“Well I think Acrobat X and it’s video capability is probably the thing that I’ll walk away with the most. It’s amazing to think that a PDF document can deliver live media like that. It’s pretty impressive.”

– Donna Sandmark, Art Institute of California

“It’s pretty much the navigating features – how the document recognizes meta tags when you drag and drop different things in there, it automatically recognizes and then you can scroll through. That was pretty cool, that’s one thing that caught my eye. There’s a lot that I really didn’t know that it did that will make my job easier, and be an effective tool for the classroom.”

– Kanequa Chancellor, K-12 Education

“The ability to add documents, or add pages to a document – choose the files in the order you want, you select everything in the folder, attach it to the document, drag and drop, put it where you want, and it’s done! Very quick.”

– Dan Jones, Cornell Law School

“One of the customers we’re looking at, they do real estate appraisals. They have a whole package – they used to send around a whole pile of different files. Now with Portfolios, you have a single object, you’ve got all of the information about the house, you’ve got the picture, you’ve got all the details wrapped up in one nice little interface. And of course it’s a PDF – people know and love PDF.”

– Dave Venace, Senior Systems Analyst, Four Point Solutions

“I’m really looking forward to the multimedia features that are in there. We’re trying to create some tutorials, and I think Acrobat would be a good way to deliver that content. I’m really excited to start using Acrobat X.”

– Alex Varson, US Census Bureau

“The way it’s just so easy to pull down your Tools menu, and encrypt something easily, add passwords, easily share, add your video. It’s simple, it’s very intuitive – it’s just drag, drop, pop it all in. We’re excited about it, it should be really easy.”

– Jennifer Wicks, Cal State University

“Teachers can start creating interactive documents, where students can add research dynamically, add PDFs, add animations – where there’s this kind of interactive textbook/syllabus/ongoing course development. We’ll see live books, live curriculum, live syllabi that teachers use, and students become more of the collaborators and researchers in the classroom.”

– Laurie Burruss, Online Training Provider, Lynda.com

Read more in-depth reviews from CNET (“promises tighter security, better collaboration, and easier PDF reading”) … PC World (“makes portfolios, and even simpler documents, much easier to assemble and to share”) … The Washington Times (“the best way to work with PDF files that’s out there today”) … and eWeek (“empowers professionals to innovate and create higher-quality content, driving tighter collaboration and productivity across teams in today’s dynamic business environments”), plus more customer testimonials.

Acrobat X Pro and Standard will run well on 32-bit or 64-bit computers, and is designed for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, or Mac OS (see full system requirements). It can be installed side-by-side with earlier Acrobat versions without difficulty or interference.

Want to try it out for free yourself? Just download a fully-working free trial and you can be up and running in minutes.

Of course, the Adobe Reader X for PDF is free as always.

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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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While we’re waiting for the release of Adobe Acrobat 10, you can save countless hours in minutes by getting more out of Acrobat 9… Increase your productivity with a free download of 21 Key Ways to Save Time with Acrobat 9, featuring simple, step-by-step tutorials designed for both basic and advanced users. Easily get up to speed in no time with this resource guide featuring one-page, printable “cheat sheets” on creating PDF documents, assembling PDF Portfo­lios, working with forms, Acrobat collaboration, keeping files secure, and more. The easy-to-use instructions introduce you to new ways to save time and simplify complex projects.

The eBook has five categories with step-by-step instructions for performing common tasks effi­ciently. Keep a copy of this PDF portfolio on your computer as a quick resource for learning new techniques. Here’s what the collection includes to help you unlock the power of Adobe Acrobat:

Create PDF Documents

How to convert almost any kind of content into easy-to-share PDF files.

1. How to create a PDF document from any file – Adobe Acrobat simplifies the process of creating a PDF file from just about any kind of document.

2. How to convert web content to a PDF document from a web browser – If you need to share, review, archive, or download web pages, turn to Acrobat 9. It’s easy to convert an entire web page or part of a web page to a PDF document from Internet Explorer.

3. How to scan documents into PDF files – If you have a scanner, you can easily convert paper documents to searchable PDF files for distribution, review, archival, or use as interactive forms.

4. How to create PDF files using Acrobat PDFMaker – Convert your business documents to Adobe PDF with a single click.

5. How to combine multiple documents into one PDF file – You can quickly merge several documents into a single PDF file, with the documents appearing in the order you choose.

6. How to touch-up content in a PDF file – Need to tweak the text or reposition an image in a PDF file? You can probably make the change in Adobe Acrobat, without having to return to the authoring document.

Assemble PDF Portfolios

How to organize and deliver professional, high-impact content.

7. How to create a PDF Portfolio – Quickly pull together all the files for a project – text docu­ments, email messages, spreadsheets, CAD drawings, PowerPoint presentations, videos, PDF files, and more – into a single, coherent PDF Portfolio in Acrobat 9 Pro.

8. How to secure a PDF Portfolio – You can control who has access to your PDF Portfolio, restricting who can open it, print it, edit it, or make other changes to it.

Collaborate

How to more easily comment on files and track and aggregate team feedback.

9. How to add comments to a PDF document – Instead of scribbling comments or highlighting areas on a printed draft, add your comments directly to the document, so they’re all in one place.

10. How to initiate a shared review – A shared review speeds up the review process, as participants can view and respond to each other’s comments.

11. How to track shared reviews – Cut down on the hassle of herding reviewers and gather­ing feedback. If you sent a document for shared review, you can keep track of reviewers’ comments, email stragglers, and manage the review using Tracker within Acrobat.

12. How to merge and manage comments – When you’ve collected comments from multiple reviewers, Adobe Acrobat helps you organize them. With Acrobat, you can pull all the com­ments you receive into a single PDF document.

13. How to compare PDF documents – See how text, images, or the organization of a docu­ment has changed from one revision to another. Acrobat 9 Pro lists the differences between two documents and makes it easy for you to see those differences in context.

14. How to export comments to a Word document – If you created your document in Micro­soft Word, you can save time by exporting PDF comments back to the original Word document.

15. How to create a custom approval stamp – Remember inkpads and rubber stamps? You can get the same effect in Adobe Acrobat, with stamps that declare a document approved, revised, received, reviewed, or anything else you need to say.

Keeping Files Secure

How to protect sensitive information.

16. How to restrict access and document permissions – You can control who can open, edit, print, or copy information from your PDF document.

17. How to sign a document electronically – You don’t need to print out and sign a docu­ment. Adobe Acrobat makes it easy to sign electronically. Like a handwritten signature, a digital signature is uniquely yours.

18. How to redact content in a PDF document – You can easily redact confidential or privi­leged information in a PDF file to protect it from public view.

Working with Forms

How to convert almost any kind of content into searchable PDF files.

19. How to create an Interactive Form – You can convert any form into an interactive form that users can fill out and send back electronically.

20. How to distribute a Form – After you have created your form, you want to collect the data quickly and easily. Adobe Acrobat helps you distribute your form.

21. How to track Forms – Cut down on the hassle of collecting feedback. If you sent forms to recipients using the Distribute Form wizard in Acrobat, you can track who’s responded, add more recipients, email recipients, and view the form responses in Tracker.

Learn how to use Acrobat in new ways and download the free eBook, Adobe Acrobat 9 Easy Step-by-Step Tutorials.

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Happy second birthday Acrobat 9!

Yes, it’s true – two years ago today Adobe officially released Acrobat 9:

Adobe Acrobat 9 Software Now Available

New Version Receives Accolades for PDF Portfolios, Real-time Capabilities and Support for Adobe Flash Technology

SAN JOSE, Calif. — June 25, 2008 — Adobe Systems today announced the immediate availability of Adobe® Acrobat® 9 software, a significant upgrade that transforms the process of creating and sharing electronic documents… [continues]

So considering Adobe usually runs on two-year product release schedules, give or take, what does this imply for when Acrobat 10 will be coming out?

In early May, we reported here that “Acrobat 10 is going to launch in the second half of this year” – but now we have more precise information…

This week Adobe’s CEO gave a presentation and Q&A to financial analysts in which he talked about CS5, Acrobat, and business in general. He said some great things, and here are the highlights for when Acrobat 10 will be avail­able and its new features:

Shantanu Narayen – President and CEO, Adobe Systems:

In our Acrobat business, the strength we experienced in the fourth and first quarters continued through the second quarter. Enterprise licensing was particularly strong, demonstrating the Acrobat and PDF value proposition continues to resonate with large customers. We are on track to deliver a new version of Acrobat late in our fourth quarter that will focus on enabling knowledge workers and enterprises to collaborate across critical document workflows. [Ed. note – Adobe's fiscal fourth quarter ends in late November 2010.]

Michael Olson – Piper Jaffray:

Just one quick question, with Acrobat 10 coming in Q4, people may wonder what kind of additions can you make to a product like Acrobat – and I realize you may not want to give away specific new features, but can you just talk about in general what kind of things you can do with products like Acrobat to improve the new version?

Shantanu Narayen:

Mike, what we are seeing is a lot of Acrobat usage right now within enterprises to do what we call critical document workflows. The integration of Acrobat and acrobat.com is ripe area of innovation and opportunity for us to continue to deliver value to custom­ers. Delivery of PDF files across mobile devices is becoming an increasing use case for us. So, multiple innovations are on the drawing board and we are excited about the new version that as we said will come out later this year.

So there you have it – from what the CEO says, it looks like Acrobat 10 (or Acrobat X) will be shipping sometime between mid-October to late-November this year. If you’d like to give feed­back for what you’d like to see in the new version, please feel free to share your thoughts at the Acrobat Feature Request forum. Or, you can enter a comment below…

In the meantime, join the free online Acrobat Webinar Series where Adobe experts share tips, tricks, and insights into Acrobat, plus answer questions – the most recent session is this afternoon at 1pm Eastern time, and available on-demand thereafter.

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Judging by the amount of attention that Adobe’s recent upgrade policy changes have been receiving, as well as our subsequent visitor poll on the company’s model shift to the new “Creative Cloud,” this is a big and important issue…

And while this cloud model is optional, two of the persistent questions so far have been: How are the Acrobat and Lightroom products affected by all of this?

Both of these tools have historically different release schedules from Creative Suite – and while Acrobat is included in the suites, Lightroom is not.  Looking back, CS5.5 launched in May 2011, Acrobat X in November 2010, and Lightroom 3 in June 2010.

[See:  When will Adobe CS6 be released?  When is Lightroom 4 coming out?]

So first off, we can clarify: both Acrobat and Light­room are currently slated to be included in Adobe’s Creative Cloud, at least according to this slide from a recent analyst presentation – although there is a disclaimer at the bottom which states, “list of included products [is] not yet final.”

[UPDATE (January 25th) — Adobe now says that Lightroom will not be included initially, but is "planned for a future release."]

The next question then is, will either of these two popular standalone products be affected by Adobe’s new upgrade policy?

Adobe tells us: No, these two applications will continue with their current policies of discounted upgrade pricing for up to three versions back, instead of the planned “one version back” for all of the CS6 products.

In other words, based upon what we are hearing now, both Acrobat and Lightroom will remain on their independent release cycles and existing upgrade plans.

Here is the exact statement they sent us (and we subsequently confirmed the same applies for Lightroom):

With the announcement of Adobe Creative Cloud, there have been many questions about how Acrobat will be treated.  Please note, the Acrobat upgrade policy has not changed, Acrobat customers may continue to upgrade to the current version from three versions prior (currently 7, 8, and 9 for upgrading to X). Details about this policy are outlined in the Acrobat Customer FAQ.

As an extra, we can also confirm for you that Adobe’s Elements line – Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements – will also remain “as is,” with the separate version and upgrade system that exists today.

However, there is no word yet on the status or impact to Adobe’s Student & Teacher Editions (if anything)…  Hopefully they will continue with the current setup, whereby educational users can receive discounts of up to 80% off the regular prices (although with the limitations that these products cannot be upgraded to other academic versions).

So we hope that helps put these questions to rest!  Any others?  Please ask away below and we’ll do our best to answer…

Related Posts

• When is Adobe CS6 Being Released, including Photoshop CS6?
• The New Adobe Creative Cloud: What It Is and Why You Should Care
• Adobe Photoshop CS6 – Another Look? More Sneak Peeks [VIDEO]
• Adobe CS6 Upgrade Policy Changes Postponed! CS3 & CS4 on Track
• Adobe Lightroom 4 Beta Release is Here! Now Available Free to Public

Just back from Adobe MAX 2011 and it was sensational… The keynote presentations were larger than life and filled with news and demos of new Adobe software and initiatives. The hundreds of diverse product sessions were incredibly educational. The show floor was a buzzing activity of experts, partners, and vendors… And the renowned “MAX Bash” party did not disappoint.

But perhaps the best part for those who weren’t there is the majority of the sessions were captured on video and are now offered online for free… In other words, pick your favorite Adobe product(s) and you can learn the latest tips, tricks, and techniques from the top instructors in the field from the comfort of your desktop. There are three major tracks below (Design, Develop, and Envision) with scores of different topics; most sessions are about an hour long and the collection runs to over 160 hours of video in total.

As for the two conference keynotes, those are also available for online viewing as well, and broken up into segments according to theme… The first day highlights included the unveiling of Creative Cloud, a membership-based collection of creative applications and services, the announcement of the Digital Publishing Suite Single Edition for smaller publishers, and the introduction of Adobe Touch Apps, including Photoshop Touch.

Day two covered the company’s latest HTML5 and CSS3 developments including the new Adobe Edge product, as well as Flash Player 11 with 3D, AIR 3, and Adobe’s acquisition of PhoneGap.

But without further ado, here are the best training and tutorial sessions direct from MAX, now free to watch…  160 hours – that’s 20 eight-hour days worth of content! Dig in…

MAX 2011 Design

Dive into the art and science of designing across media, including web, interactive, video, mobile, and print. Join us to expand your skills and be inspired.

• Acrobat for the Web Designer
• Adobe Illustrator: Secrets to working faster, smarter and more creatively
• Advanced Audio Restoration and Editing
• Advanced Integration Techniques for Muse (codename)
• Advanced Interactivity and Real-World Integration with Adobe Edge
• An Introduction to Creative Photographic Imaging on Tablet Devices
• Beautiful Typography: A Crash Course
• BrowserLab: An Online Service for Cross-Browser
• Building Adaptive, Multiscreen Websites with Business Catalyst v3
• Building Tablet Applications Using InDesign and Digital Publishing Suite
• Building Workspaces of the Future – Today
• CEM and the Studio: How your Digital Agency Fits into the Puzzle
• CSS Takes Over the World
• CSS for Web and Mobile Design
• Case Study: Buck Creative Agency
• Case Study: Give Your Web Design Agency a Boost with Business Catalyst
• Creating Accessible Documents More Efficiently with InDesign CS5.5
• Creating Dynamic Ads, Banners, and Rich Apps
• Creating eBooks for Distribution on Digital Devices with InDesign CS5.5
• Creative Sweet: Little-Known Features Found in Creative Suite
• Deploying Content to Mobile Devices with the WEM Content Sync Framework
• Deploying Flash Professional Content across Screens
• Design Better Experiences with Fireworks by Understanding How People Think
• Design websites without writing code with Muse (code name)
• Designing Game Interfaces
• Designing More, Stressing Less with Creative Suite
• Developing Accessible PDF Content for LiveCycle with Designer
• Dynamic, Cloud-Based Localization for Adobe’s Mobile Applications
• Easy 3D Content Creation and Workflow for Flash & Stage3D
• Editing Video from HDSLR Cameras in CS5.5 Production Premium
• Everything You Wanted to Know about Adobe Edge
• Expressive Painting and Illustration in Photoshop CS5 with Jack Davis
• For Creative Professionals: Adobe Mobile Apps and Why You Should Use Them
• For Creative Professionals: Create Anywhere. Customer Panel Discussion
• For Creative Professionals: Working with Adobe Mobile Apps + Your Desktop
• For Web and UI Designers: Work in New Ways with Mobile Apps
• From Web to Mobile to App in 60 Seconds with Dreamweaver CS5.5
• Get Your App Discovered: Android Market and Beyond
• HD Video and Audio: Best Practices Encoding for the Web and Tablets
• Hidden Gems and Technologies in Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended
• How to Act Like an Agency within a Company
• How to Work Creatively and Quickly with 3D in Photoshop CS5 Extended
• I Didn’t Know Fireworks Could Do That!
• InDesign CS5.5 Power Shortcuts
• Introduction to Lightroom: The Develop Module
• Introduction to Lightroom: The Output Module
• Lightroom + Photoshop: Seamless Integration
• Lightroom 3 Crash Course
• Mastering Mobile Design in Minutes with Fireworks
• Mini-Fantasia in Miami: An Imaginative Melding of Music and Animation
• Photoshop CS5 Instant Effects: One-Click Techniques for Designers
• Photoshop SDK: An Overview
• Pixel Perfect: Photoshop Power Shortcuts
• Publishing to Digital Devices with InDesign CS5.5
• Shooting and Editing Interviews
• Sneak Peek: Build Powerful Online Businesses with Business Catalyst v3
• Taking Your Sites to the Next Level with Business Catalyst and jQuery
• The Art of Sesame Street
• The Best Practices for Application and UX Design for Large Data Sets
• Using Adobe’s Web Tools to Rethink Digital Branding
• Web and Interactive Design with Illustrator
• What’s New in Flash Professional CS5.5
• What’s New in InDesign CS5.5
• Which Flavor of Digital Publishing Suite Suits You?
• Workflow for Motion Designers

MAX 2011 Develop

Explore technical challenges faced in architecting solutions, building applications, integrating with enterprise back-end systems and services as well as basic and advanced development techniques.

• Accelerate Business Results with Adobe Document Exchange Services
• Adobe AIR App Demo Showcase for Sony Tablet Devices
• Adobe Video Solutions Roadmap
• Aspect-Oriented Programming with Flex
• Automating Acrobat: Best Practices for using Actions and Scripting
• Best Practices for Building Flex Tablet Applications
• BlackBerry Webworks SDK for Tablet OS
• Building CRX Powered Flex Applications
• Building Collaborative Applications for Adobe Connect
• Building Cross-Platform Mobile Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Building Enterprise Mobile Applications
• Building Interactive Content Using HTML5 Canvas
• Building the Best Gameplay
• Building the Next Killer Flash App for Facebook
• Case Study: City of Boston Situation Awareness Application on iPad
• Case Study: WebFilings, A Cloud-powered, Innovative Enterprise Application
• Creating Accessible Content on the Flash Platform
• Creating Amazing Video Experiences on the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet
• Creating Apps in 2D or 3D for the LG Cinema 3D and Smart TV Platform
• Creating Components for Web Experience Management (WEM) Solutions
• Creating and Optimizing 2D Flash Technology-Based Games for Mass Market TVs
• Deep Dive into Molehill (Stage 3D)
• Design to Release: Building a multi screen mobile application
• Developer and Designer Multiscreen Mashup with Flash Professional
• Developing 2D Games on Top of Stage 3D (Molehill) in Flash Player
• Developing Flex Mobile Applications
• Developing Next-Generation Games with Stage3D (Molehill) Part 1
• Developing Next-Generation Games with Stage3D (Molehill) Part 2
• Developing the Samsung Smart TV Application with Adobe AIR for TV
• Development Best Practices for Authoring Across Devices
• Discover What’s New in Document Services – Designer
• Discover What’s new in LiveCycle Data Services
• Discover the Unknown Flex 4.5
• Elegant Design Powered by the Flex SDK
• Encoding for Performance on Multiple Devices
• Enterprise Java and Flex
• Enterprise Live Video Strategies with Multicast and P2P
• Extending Flex and Adobe AIR to the Enterprise with Data Service Connectors
• Extending the Web Experience Management Solution with Custom Components
• Flash Builder and Flash Catalyst Sitting in a Tree…
• Flash Gets Physical: Connecting with Game Controllers, Arduino, and Sensors
• Flash Media Server on Amazon Web Services with CloudFront CDN
• Flash Platform Roadmap: Flex, Flash Builder, Flash Player, AIR
• Flash Player 11 and Adobe AIR 3: Changing the Game
• Flash and 3D, Start Your Engines!
• Flex and Flash in an HTML5 and Native App World
• From Desktop to Mobile: Application Functionality for Small Screens
• HTML5 Semantic Web
• HTML5: The 2012 of the Web
• High-Performance JavaScript
• How to Develop Amazing Enterprise AIR Apps for Tablets and Smartphones
• How to Develop and Monetize Your Creative Suite Extensions
• How to Extend Your Desktop AIR Applications Using Native Extensions
• How to Extend Your Mobile AIR Applications Using Native Extensions
• How to Rapidly Build HTML5 Web Apps with Sencha Technologies
• Keeping Current with ColdFusion
• Maven and Jenkins for Enterprise Flex Applications
• Mobile Apps That Wow
• Multiscreen Project Best Practices
• Node.js and You
• Optimizing your Adobe AIR app for Sony Android tablets
• Performance-Tuning Mobile Flex Applications
• Practical Mobile Development with Flex and Adobe AIR
• Programming a 3D First-Person Shooter Game in Flash
• Pushing Pixels: Blitting for Gaming on Web, Desktop, and Mobile
• Pushing the Envelope with Interactive PDF from InDesign
• Putting the Multi in Multiscreen
• Stepping from Android Java to the Flash Platform to…Everywhere
• Streaming Video to HTML5, Apple, and Flash Enabled Devices
• TV: The Final Frontier for App Monetization
• The App Opportunity with Barnes & Noble
• The Flash Platform and Alternativa3D: Amazing New Possibilities
• The Incubator: Test the Bleeding-Edge Capabilities of the Flash Platform
• Tips and Tricks for Building Desktop Applications with Adobe AIR
• Vanished: Learning Science through ARG Gameplay
• What’s New in Adobe AIR – and What’s Next
• What’s New in Flash Catalyst CS5.5
• What’s New in the Flex SDK
• What’s Next in ColdFusion
• Working with AIR Native Extensions

MAX 2011 Envision

Discover and explore strategies for building engaging experiences across multiple screens.

• 10 Whirlwind Demos with Adobe Web Experience Management
• Accelerate Business Results with Adobe Document Exchange Services
• Acrobat for the Web Designer
• Adobe AIR App Demo Showcase for Sony Tablet Devices
• Adobe@Adobe
• An Introduction to Creative Photographic Imaging on Tablet Devices
• Animating in Flash Professional CS5.5 with Chris Georgenes
• Building Adaptive, Multiscreen Websites with Business Catalyst v3
• CEM and the Studio: How your Digital Agency Fits into the Puzzle
• CSS Takes Over the World
• Case Study: City of Boston Situation Awareness Application on iPad
• Case Study: Give Your Web Design Agency a Boost with Business Catalyst
• Case Study: WebFilings, A Cloud-powered, Innovative Enterprise Application
• Creating Apps in 2D or 3D for the LG Cinema 3D and Smart TV Platform
• Creating Dynamic Ads, Banners, and Rich Apps
• Deploying Content to Mobile Devices with the WEM Content Sync Framework
• Deploying Flash Professional Content across Screens
• Designing Game Interfaces
• Designing the Digital Enterprise
• Developing Accessible PDF Content for LiveCycle with Designer
• Digital Publishing: Looking Back and Forward
• Digital Publishing: Reinventing the Brand Advertising Paradigm
• Digital Publishing: Riding the Next Wave of Corporate Publishing
• Dynamic, Cloud-Based Localization for Adobe’s Mobile Applications
• Easy 3D Content Creation and Workflow for Flash & Stage3D
• Extending the Web Experience Management Solution with Custom Components
• Flash Platform Roadmap: Flex, Flash Builder, Flash Player, AIR
• Flash Player 11 and Adobe AIR 3: Changing the Game
• Flash Professional Sneak Peek: A Glimpse at the Future
• For Creative Professionals: Adobe Mobile Apps and Why You Should Use Them
• For Creative Professionals: Create Anywhere. Customer Panel Discussion
• For Creative Professionals: Working with Adobe Mobile Apps + Your Desktop
• For Web and UI Designers: Work in New Ways with Mobile Apps
• Get Your App Discovered: Android Market and Beyond
• MTV Networks: Behind the Scenes on World-Class Broadcast Events
• Maximizing Audience Engagement
• Panel Discussion: Positioning Flex and Flash in a World with HTML5
• Pushing the Boundaries of Adobe Digital Publishing Suite in Academia
• Putting the Multi in Multiscreen
• R/GA’s Strategies for Successful Multiscreen Implementations
• Sneak Peek: Build Powerful Online Businesses with Business Catalyst v3
• Social Studies: Connecting Content and Community in the Cloud
• Taking Your Sites to the Next Level with Business Catalyst and jQuery
• The App Opportunity with Barnes & Noble
• The Best Practices for Application and UX Design for Large Data Sets
• The Experience Architecture
• The Flash Platform and Alternativa3D: Amazing New Possibilities
• The Future Enterprise Developer
• Tips & Tricks for Tablet Development: The Making of Adobe Ideas
• What’s New in Flash Professional CS5.5
• Yahoo!: Scalable and Consistent Video Delivery to All Devices

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• Adobe MAX 2011 – Watch Keynotes Free Online, Live or On-Demand
• Free Printing Guide for Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator & Acrobat
• Over 3 Hours of Free New Adobe Acrobat X (10) Video Tutorials

Adobe has just put out an excellent resource updated for CS5 / CS5.5 – a free printing guide in the form of a 140-page downloadable e-book. Earlier versions of this have been out for previous releases (see the older CS4 and CS3 links below), but now this is fully refreshed and upgraded for the latest versions of the products.

This very handy tome will tell you everything you ever need or wanted to know about getting great print results with your projects in Photoshop CS5 (including Extended), Illustrator CS5, InDesign CS5/CS5.5, and Acrobat X Pro. All the different tools, setups, settings, options, functions, and formats – what they mean and how to best use them to achieve your goals.

Adobe describes it as, “learn the best ways of handling and preparing CS5 and CS5.5 files for print with this in-depth technical reference, designed especially for printers and production artists” – but anybody who would like a tutorial on how to print and generate the most optimal output from their designs can gain something here…

Because some technologies and concepts – such as PDF creation, transparency, and the Graphics Model – are common across all Adobe products used for print design and production, the first chapter of a dozen pages is devoted solely to explaining common terminology and back­ground resources. And with the groundwork laid, the rest goes into comprehensive detail on things you probably have wanted to know at some point but were afraid to ask or didn’t know where.

So now, whether you print from Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, or Acrobat, this ebook explains all you need to know about successful printing and output generation.

And luckily, the price is right!

• Read/download the Adobe CS5/CS5.5 Printing Guide (PDF, 140 pages, 20MB)
• Read/download the Adobe CS4 Printing Guide (PDF, 139 pages, 5MB)
• Read/download the Adobe CS3 Printing Guide (PDF, 120 pages, 7MB)

You may also be interested in another free e-book, the 172-page “Learn CS5: Step-by-Step and On-Demand” for training on Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Illustrator, and Flash…

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• Download Free Adobe CS5 eBook on Photoshop, Dreamweaver, more
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• Adobe Working on New Release of Creative Suite 5 (CS5.3? CS5.5?)
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• Adobe Extends 20%-Off CS5.5 Upgrades Discount Offer to March

[UPDATE (April 11th) – Adobe CS5.5 is out!]

We just got confirmation from Adobe that a “mid-cycle release” of Creative Suite 5 will be out later this year, perhaps in the coming months.

The definitive word came from a conference call on Tuesday afternoon with financial analysts, where the Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen stated:

We will continue to expand our content authoring offerings by providing a mid-cycle release to CS5.

[ Read the full transcript here ]

We’ve known for some time now (see our October piece) that a “dot release” of Creative Suite 5 would be coming and due to incorporate the new version of Acrobat X Pro – similarly to how CS2 and CS3 had mid-cycle upgrades for that exact reason…

But here Adobe has been working quite a bit harder and longer, with no “CS5.3″ at the November ship date of Acrobat X… So instead, we have clear indications of a larger upgrade in store – and here’s what’s going to be in it:

I think we’ve been saying for a while that we are hearing from our customers that in order for us to enable them to deal with the multiscreen revolution that’s happening, to deal with all of the multiple formats, we’ve been asked to provide more frequent releases.

Traditionally we’ve added Acrobat because Acrobat is on a different product cycle than Creative, because Acrobat is also used a lot by the Creative community in terms of updating the releases.

The release will enhance our digital publishing capabilities, help customers address the multiscreen challenges they face, and include new innovative features in areas like HTML and Flash authoring, application creation, and video authoring and production.

The release will start to focus on both integration of the Creative Suite with the Digital Publishing Suite. There will be a fair amount of video production features [going in], as well as more capability, both for Flash and for HTML.

So we’re clearly looking at a bigger and more expansive release (more than a .3 point move) – along the lines of a “CS5.5″ or similar.

Recently Adobe has also been talking about the possibility of offering subscriptions for Creative Suite software, and that appeared to grow firmer for this next version:

… The real goals for the mid-cycle release are: continue to enhance the functionality, as I mentioned. We have talked about our desire to introduce subscriptions worldwide, which enables us to target the more price-sensitive customers.

This would be in addition to the standard models that we have. We do not expect the mid-cycle release to cause a big shift in how people buy software. It will continue to be predominantly the shrinkwrap and the licensing, and I think we’ll see a nice [addition] through the subscription model.

The goal is to allow new customers to use the Creative products, sort of on a pay-as-you-go basis. And what we found in the early reports is that it’s really valued by customers who seek flexibility and affordability of the monthly payments, and it attracts new customers who otherwise would not buy, [or] customers who haven’t stayed current with CS4 or CS5.

Adobe has already offered subscriptions to CS products in Australia for several years, and seems poised to make the option available on a wider scale.

The last point is, when might this CS5.5 be available? As indicated above, there were no dates or plans given. However, the CEO did say this about Creative Suite development generally:

I think for the amount of fundamental innovation that continues to go in, a 24-month cycle is a good timeframe for us to update most of the customers. But there’s significant value that we can continue to provide on an annual basis, and that really is our goal.

Well, Adobe CS5 was released on April 29th, 2010 – so if we take Mr. Narayen’s statement at face value regarding the annual basis, it could mean we have the possibility to see a CS5 “mid-cycle” upgrade being announced around a year later, or sometime during the spring.

The next question: When is CS6 coming out?

[UPDATE (April 6th) – Looks like CS5.5 will be launched on 4/11!  Find out more and see new sneak-peek videos out from Adobe on what to expect...]

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• Adobe Working on New Release of Creative Suite 5 (CS5.3? CS5.5?)
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• Jump in with Free Adobe CS5 Deep Dive Product Sessions

Some of these were truly hilarious and we’ve put together a reel of the best ones below. Perhaps the funniest of the 10-minute collection is the first one about new Adobe Acrobat X, but we’ll let you decide… Here’s the playlist:

Which one was your favorite? Share your vote and thoughts below…

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Historically, Adobe’s policy for major product releases has been that you may qualify for a free upgrade if you buy the previous version after the new product has been announced, but before it ships… The advantages are threefold: (1) you get software available for immediate download, (2) you get a more mature release if you prefer and can move up later at your leisure, and (3) you win a lower upgrade cost (e.g., from Acrobat 6, 7, 8), because you’re buying fewer steps to go up (to Acrobat 9 rather than to X).

The good news is this post-announce free upgrade policy remains in effect for Acrobat X, according to the chat session below with Adobe Customer Service. So it looks like you can get the best of both worlds and buy or upgrade to Acrobat 9 now, and then later get a free upgrade to Acrobat X when you—and it—are ready.

What’s more, Acrobat 6 was a very popular version of the product – and with Adobe’s “three versions back” limit for discounted upgrade pricing, once Acrobat 10 is released it will be the end of upgrade eligibility for users who are still on Acrobat 6.

There are some specific terms for the free upgrade, based on platform, language, and edition – so you might want to double-check the policy to make sure you’ll qualify… The offer is only avail­able through Adobe directly, and to request your free upgrade just go to the Customer Support Portal, click on the “Orders & Returns” tab, and choose issue type: “Post Announce Upgrades.”

» Thank you for choosing Adobe. A representative will be with you shortly. Your estimated wait time is 0 minute(s) and 9 second(s) as there are 1 customer(s) in line ahead of you.
» You are now chatting with Kendra.

Kendra: Hello! Welcome to Adobe Customer Service.
Pro: Hi, I see that Adobe launched Acrobat X yesterday but it is not yet available or shipping… Acrobat 9 is the version that’s still shipping in the Store.
Pro: In the past, Adobe has offered a free upgrade policy – a grace period where if you buy the older product after a new version has been announced but before it ships, you get a free upgrade to the new product when it’s released. Is this still the case with Adobe Acrobat X? Thank you.
Kendra: Please allow me a moment to review your request.
Pro: Great, thanks.
Kendra: I understand that you wish to know if you are eligible for free upgrade to Adobe Acrobat X from version 9. Is that correct?
Pro: Yes – if Acrobat 9 is purchased after Acrobat X was announced, which was yesterday.
Kendra: Okay.
Kendra: Yes, if you purchase Acrobat version 9 today then you are eligible for free upgrade to Acrobat X.
Pro: Hey, that’s great, good news – thank you for double-checking that.

Pro: To get the discounted upgrade price, you can upgrade from up to three versions back, right? So if I had Acrobat 6 I could still receive the lower price to upgrade to Acrobat 9, and then later get a free upgrade to Acrobat X?
Kendra: Yes, if you purchase a qualifying upgrade today from version 6 to 9, then you are eligible for the free upgrade.
Kendra: Once Acrobat X is released, discounted upgrade pricing will be offered from versions 7, 8, and 9.

Pro: OK, that’s terrific. Then last question, do you know if you can install and run both Acrobat 9 and Acrobat X on the same computer?
Kendra: Yes, they can work together on the same system.
Kendra: Your computer will be able to have both Acrobat versions, and you can choose which to run.
Pro: Perfect, that’s what I hoped.
Pro: Well, you’ve been very helpful on both questions, thank you very much!
Kendra: Thank you. It’s been my pleasure helping you today.
Pro: You did a great job answering, it’s much appreciated.
Kendra: I am happy to help, do you have any further questions for me now?
Pro: No, thank you again very much,.
Kendra: Thank you for contacting Adobe. Goodbye!

» Thank you for chatting with us. Please click the “Close” button on the top right of the chat window to tell us how we did today.

Note: To purchase the previous version you need to look near the bottom of the Store pages for, “Can’t wait? Order the previous version, Acrobat 9 Pro today.”

We’re giving away a copy ourselves – take a chance to win a free upgrade to Acrobat X Pro!

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[UPDATE (April 11th) – Adobe CS5.5 is out!  See also when CS6 is penciled.]

Last week Adobe held a private briefing for partners under non-disclosure agreement, where they gave “an overview of the upcoming Creative Suite release”… While we can’t speak to what transpired within the presentation, the invitation itself is publicly available.

Given that the next release of Adobe Acrobat is due out within a matter of weeks (see why and when, or get a chance to win a free upgrade to Acrobat 10 Pro), and given the two year age of Acrobat 9, it’s likely Adobe would be refreshing CS5 with the addition of the new Acrobat X. When Acrobat moved from version 7 to version 8, Adobe subsequently updated the Creative Suite and issued CS2.3 – and then once again when Acrobat revisioned from 8 to 9, Adobe incorporated the new version into CS3.3 in 2008. Acrobat 9 is still what we have today in CS5 – but since it’s obviously way too early for CS6, it seems a safe bet we’ll be seeing a point release (CS 5.3?) that would incorporate the new Acrobat 10.

But from reading the briefing invitation, it looks like there will be more in store for this next release than “just” integrating the new version Acrobat X Pro. It says, “… an overview of the upcoming CS release with a focus on InDesign and ePublishing…” Adobe has been hard at work on a new Digital Publishing Platform (you may have seen or read about the tablet editions of WIRED or The New Yorker magazines) that ties in with InDesign, and is (over)due to be made available on Adobe Labs. It seems logical that this would also be part of a CS5 point release, as it is a major deal for magazine and print publishers to deliver their content to the iPad, iPhone, Android, and other mobile devices, and has been quite successful thus far… But since the publishing tools haven’t yet been released in beta form on the Labs, it could be a while longer before the final version of this new technology is ready for the world at large.

There are hints that other applications may be receiving updates as well – for example the Flex team has been slipping out sneak peek videos for the next version of Flash Builder, code­named “Burrito.” There’s also talk by Adobe of some future vector drawing improvements for Photoshop CS5 (for vector shapes and layer effects – strokes, gradients, etc.). And finally there’s an unnamed “cool” new Adobe product in development that aims to improve the way visual people create for the Web.

Add it all up and it means we may not see a CS5.3 released at the same time Adobe Acrobat 10 ships, but rather a larger upgrade to more products (CS5.4 or CS5.5?) coming out a bit further down the road, perhaps sometime during the winter or spring… In the meantime, undoubtedly, we should expect that when AA10 arrives it will work well as a separate upgrade add-on to CS5, if desired.

[UPDATE (October 18th) — Confirmed! Adobe Acrobat X was just announced this morning and the following appears in Adobe's Acrobat X FAQ — "Q: When will Adobe CS5 include Acrobat X Pro? A: Because Adobe CS5 contains so many applications, it isn't always possible to update the entire suite edition when a single product release becomes available. Acrobat X Pro will be included in the next dot release of Creative Suite."]

One question: If you buy Creative Suite 5 now, what would an eventual point upgrade cost? (e.g., from CS5 to CS5.5) Well, the best yardstick we have is what it cost in previous years to move from CSx to CSx.3… The price was $159 in both cases for the suite upgrade, which is the same as the cost to upgrade just Acrobat Pro from one version to the next. Obviously we can’t state what Adobe’s future pricing will be, but if past history is any guide then it could be close to this. And of course, if you’re happy with CS5 as it is and wouldn’t need these updates, you wouldn’t need to upgrade to CS5.x.

What would you like to see in a CS5 point release? Please share your thoughts below and/or at Adobe’s official feature request “wishlist”…

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• Download Free Adobe CS5 eBook on Photoshop, Dreamweaver, more

[UPDATE – Also see our new Lightroom 4 Giveaway!]

With the official launch of Adobe Acrobat 10 (or Acrobat X) looking to be coming soon here!, it’s time to also launch our fall contest… And by popular request, this one is open to everyone in all countries of the world. This time we’re giving away a free upgrade to the new Acrobat X Pro (worth US$200-$300), and all you need to do for a chance to win the box sent to you is the following steps:

1. Follow us on Twitter and/or Like us on Facebook – this will allow us to contact you if you win…
2. Retweet this post by clicking on the green “retweet” button just above, and/or Share this post on Facebook by clicking the blue “Share” button next to that.
3. Done.

It’s open worldwide until 11:59pm EDT on November 15, 2010, at which time we expect Acrobat X will be out (or close to being out)… The winner will be drawn at random from all fans and followers who have shared or retweeted this post (each reader can enter once on each). If you’re the winner, we’ll ship you the shiny new shrinkwrapped upgrade to Acrobat X Pro (from versions 7, 8, or 9; English) for free! We’ll contact you via Twitter or Facebook just to get your address for shipping, and then announce it back here with your first name and hometown. That’s all there is to it!

If you like, you can also leave a comment below with what you hope will be in Acrobat X, and how you plan to use it… Or, you can leave your thoughts at Adobe’s official feedback form and feature request “wishlist”…

Acrobat is Adobe’s single biggest selling product, with over 44 million copies sold since 1993 – so there should be some good things in store for the 10th genera­tion. What new features and enhancements are you looking for or wishing to see? Of course, we’ll have the full scoop on AA10 right here the moment it’s out…

Speaking of giveaways, we’re also thrilled to announce the winners of our popular Photoshop Elements 9 Giveaway last month, each of whom will receive a brand new copy of PSE 9:

Thank you again to all for participating and good luck this month!

Related Posts

• Grace Period for Free Upgrades to New Adobe Acrobat X
• Win a Free Upgrade to Adobe Lightroom 3
• Free Adobe Lightroom 4 Giveaway! Two Copies for You to Win ($600)
• 2012 Giveaway! FREE New Adobe CS5.5 Web Premium Suite ($1,800)
• Acrobat & Lightroom: Impact of Creative Cloud and Upgrade Changes

[UPDATE (October 18th) — Right on time, Adobe Acrobat X is out! Download a free trial.]

We first wrote about the next version of Acrobat three months ago, when the current Acrobat 9 celebrated its second birthday. At the time, we highlighted the window for the likely availa­bility of Acrobat 10. Last week on a financial conference call, Adobe’s CEO confirmed it is on target for that window when he said, “We are on track to deliver a new version of Acrobat late this quarter.” Adobe’s current fiscal quarter ends in late November, so we continue to expect the launch date anywhere from mid-October to the end of November.

The Prerelease Program for Adobe Reader and Acrobat Pro recently opened as well, which is free and open to the public. So one interesting question remaining is, what will the new product be called, and with which configurations and features? We had previously speculated it might be called “Acrobat X” because of the Roman numeral aspect of 10. Now we may have confirmation of that as well…

A new book entitled, “How to Do Everything with Adobe Acrobat X,” was just made available for pre-order at the Amazon websites in the U.K., USA and Canada. This is a continuation of the popular McGraw-Hill series by Doug Sahlin, who has written the same comprehensive book for many earlier versions of Acrobat (9, 8, 7, 6, and 5). So this lends further credence that the “Adobe Acrobat X” name is real.

Below are some of the details on the book, which don’t give too much away but make for intriguing reading:

Unlock the full potential of Adobe Acrobat X!

How to Do Everything: Adobe Acrobat X helps you master all the powerful features available in Adobe Acrobat X Standard, Pro, and Premium. The book explains how to create, secure, and distribute PDF files; build interactive forms, capture and embed Web content, insert Flash video and rich applications into documents, and much more.

This step-by-step guide covers all of the important new features, including Flash/video integration, professional PDF portfolios, improved forms and data collection, and working with Acrobat.com online hosted services. You’ll learn how to create PDF documents that retain the look and feel of the originals; create forms and media-enhanced PDF documents; collaborate with colleagues in workgroups; and optimize PDFs for print or the Web. You’ll also find out how to use Professional Templates to define the order and navigation of documents; create dynamic XML forms and templates; and create on-demand presentations.

How to Do Everything: Adobe Acrobat X

• Provides in-depth guidance on creating forms with Acrobat
• Explains how to create interactive documents, embed audio and video, and capture Web content
• Teaches collaborative workflow procedures for reviewing, editing, and annotating PDFs
• Covers security measures, such as encryption and digital signatures
• Shows how to take advantage of hosted services available through Acrobat.com
• Provides useful tips and time-saving shortcuts

Easy-to-follow, complete coverage:

• Chapter 1: Get to Know Acrobat X
• Chapter 2: Utilize the Acrobat Workspace
• Chapter 3: Read PDF Documents
• Chapter 4: Create PDF Documents
• Chapter 5: Create PDF Documents in Other Applications
• Chapter 6: Capture PDF Documents
• Chapter 7: Create PDF Navigation
• Chapter 8: Create Interactive PDF Navigation
• Chapter 9: Edit Your PDF Documents
• Chapter 10: Review PDF Documents
• Chapter 11: Secure and Sign PDF Documents
• Chapter 12: Optimize PDF Documents
• Chapter 13: PDF Online
• Chapter 14: Create Interactive PDF Forms
• Chapter 15: Create Forms with Adobe LiveCycle Designer
• Chapter 16: Optimize PDF Document for Print
• Chapter 17: Add Multimedia Files to PDF Documents
• Chapter 18: Create a Searchable PDF

About the Author

Doug Sahlin is a bestselling author, photographer, and Acrobat instructor. He teaches businesses, government, and medical organizations how to streamline their workflow and save time and money by converting electronic & paper documents into enhanced, interactive PDFs. Doug’s books include earlier editions of How to Do Everything with Adobe Acrobat (for versions 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, and 9.0).

See more or preorder the book at Amazon in the U.K., USA or Canada.

Related Posts

• Acrobat & Lightroom: Impact of Creative Cloud and Upgrade Changes
• Adobe Acrobat X: Your Frequently-Asked Questions Answered
• Adobe Plans CS5 “Mid-Cycle Release” (CS5.5?), Mulls Subscriptions
• Compare Versions: Differences between Adobe Acrobat X (10), 9, 8, 7
• Grace Period for Free Upgrades to New Adobe Acrobat X

We’ve been following the story closely on the upcoming next version of Adobe Acrobat (which could be called Acrobat 10, or possibly Acrobat X), including timing on possible release dates. A few weeks ago we wrote about the new Adobe Reader and Acrobat Prerelease Program that is open for public participation. This morning we received our invitation to join:

Subject: Invitation to join the Adobe Acrobat Prerelease Program
From: Adobe Acrobat Product Team
Date: Wed, Sep 08, 2010 6:04 am

Hello ProDesignTools,

As a valued Adobe Acrobat customer, you’re invited to participate in the exclusive Enterprise Engagement Program to be one of the first to experience the next version of Acrobat. By participating in the program, you’ll also gain valuable insights as we will reveal our vision and initiative toward the next generation of document exchange and collaboration.

Because the information being shared in the program is confidential, we would like you to accept the Acrobat Enterprise Prerelease Agreement. Once you have signed the agreement, you will be able to:

 * Obtain future Acrobat initiatives
 * Download and install the beta application
 * Gain access to next release version product information
 * Share your experiences by sending us valuable feedback

Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to be part of the future of document exchange and collaboration. It’s easy to get started.

Join the Acrobat Enterprise Engagement Program today

If you have any issues or questions about the process, please contact our Adobe Prerelease coordinator.

Thank you for your support.
Adobe Acrobat Product Marketing Team

You need to digitally sign a licensing agreement that will grant you access “to install and use the Prerelease Software during the Term in a test environment on computers located on Licensee’s premises solely for the purpose of internal evaluation of the Prerelease Software and supplying Evaluation Feedback to Adobe.” There is no cost, but you do need to agree to non-disclosure regarding the Prerelease Software, as well as to cease its use within thirty days of Adobe’s first generally available commercial release.

If you don’t want to register your interest for the Acrobat 10 prerelease but would still like to give your feedback for the new version, feel free to share your thoughts at the Acrobat Feature Request forum. Or, you can enter a comment below…

Related Posts

• Acrobat & Lightroom: Impact of Creative Cloud and Upgrade Changes
• Adobe Acrobat X: Your Frequently-Asked Questions Answered
• Adobe Plans CS5 “Mid-Cycle Release” (CS5.5?), Mulls Subscriptions
• Compare Versions: Differences between Adobe Acrobat X (10), 9, 8, 7
• Grace Period for Free Upgrades to New Adobe Acrobat X