The new Adobe “CC” release is now available for instant download worldwide and there are many important differences in this release compared to Creative Suite 6, including hundreds of new features added to the individual desktop applications…

Here we’ve put together a complete set of Adobe CC direct download links for all the new products (Windows and Mac OS), for instant access and the ability to use your own download manager or download assistant if you have any difficulty with what Adobe normally employs (AAM, ADA, Akamai DLM, etc.) and need to get the trials without it… These can also come in quite handy if you want offline CC installers to use or back up with (copy or burn to disc or DVD, etc).

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In surprise news this morning Adobe introduced and announced the immediate availability of Captivate 7, a significant upgrade to its industry-leading eLearning authoring software for rapidly creating a wide range of interactive eLearning and HTML5-based mobile Learning content [see full details].

Below we’ve got the new Adobe Captivate 7 direct download links (Windows and Mac OS) without the Akamai Download Manager, for instant easy access… You’ll also find a wide range of assets that come with Captivate 7 which can be used to create great looking eLearning content. Whether you’re considering buying a full version or upgrading from the prior release, you can always use these trials to install, run, and activate the software on your system.

Here’s some of what’s new in Captivate 7:

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Just back from Adobe MAX 2013 and as in previous experiences, it’s always the three most intense days of the year… It’s wall-to-wall with larger-than-life presentations, keynotes with creative luminaries, diverse educational sessions, connecting with other leaders in the Adobe space, hands-on with the latest design tools, meeting the product teams, feeling the energy of the show floor, the buzz over “Sneak Peek” demos of cool new technology, and of course the fantastical MAX Bash party with 5,000 of your closest friends.

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Adobe has made available an excellent resource that’s now updated for CS6 – a free printing handbook in the form of a 149-page downloadable e-book: The Adobe Creative Suite 6 Printing Guide. Earlier editions of this book have been out for previous releases (see the older CS5.x, CS4 and CS3 links below), but now this is fully refreshed and upgraded for the most recent versions of the products.

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[UPDATE (May 6th) – Major news out: Adobe Unveils New “CC” Release (CS7)...]

Based on recent indications from Adobe, we expect a new release of Creative Suite and/or Creative Cloud to be unveiled at their big annual MAX Conference on May 6th, just a few weeks away…

Historically during times like these, the company has set a “grace period” or grandfather offer to provide free upgrades to the next versions for customers buying the older software around the time of new releases – and in fact, such an “Upgrade Assurance promotion” deal was announced for CS6 in March of last year.

However, no such announcement has been forth­coming this year, perhaps due to the advent of Creative Cloud – where all paid members already receive all product updates and upgrades at no additional charge as soon as they are available.

But no matter – you can actually create your own grace period now, whether one officially exists or not.

The key is in awareness of Adobe’s longstanding Software Return/Exchange Policy – whereby you can return your purchase to them within 30 days and they will grant you a full refund, no questions asked. This is possible even if you’ve already opened, installed, activated, and started using your product – and can be done quickly over live online chat with their customer service team.

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The Creative Cloud and Creative Suite 6 are the most powerful and versatile toolsets Adobe has ever produced and so we’re seeing a lot of demand for training resources to learn how to best use these products…

In January we posted details on over 30 hours of free video tutorials for CS6, and last month published details on a fantastic new ebook for getting started learning the Adobe Design Suite (194 pages).  But if you’re looking for a nice primer or beginner’s lessons for Adobe Dreamweaver, that’s harder to find.

Fortunately there’s a a new book you can download that will teach you the essentials of Adobe Dreamweaver for free, thanks to the generosity of author Professor Thomas Payne… He writes:

“These tutorials are designed to get you through the basics of making web sites in Dreamweaver with the most flexibility and the least amount of work. Think of them as supplying you with a toolbox full of tools to start making good websites.

They are deceptively packed with informa­tion, and they are designed to also act as reference after you are finished completing them. Web pages across the Internet have a lot of similarities, and the information here is designed to cover many of these similarities.”

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Welcome Spring!  In recent years we’ve given away over $23,000 worth of new Adobe software, so to kick off the new season right we’re going to be giving away two brand new boxes: the Adobe CS6 Design & Web Premium Suite plus Photoshop CS6 – with a collective value of US$2,600 – and it’s open worldwide!

Creative Suite 6, Adobe’s flagship product line, has been doing very well in recent months… Available standalone for instant download or as the centerpiece of the popular Creative Cloud offering, there are many key differences in this release compared to CS5 and earlier, includ­ing hundreds of new features added to all the applications, major performance improvements, user interface enhancements, and much more.

And now we’re thrilled to give away new boxed copies of Adobe’s two best-selling CS6 products to our terrific readers who have helped build our site to what it is today… Just check out our most read posts over the past four years to see what you’ve helped create!

The Design Suite sells for $1,899 / €1,837 / £1,509 and contains over $4,000 in individual tools, including the industry-leading Photoshop Extended, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat X Pro, Flash Pro, among others… (see the complete list of programs it contains)  If you want to try it out first and install it on your computer, that’s easy as the free trial is available for download for both Windows and Mac.  All the tools (and much more) are also available through a free tryout of the Creative Cloud.

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The Creative Cloud and Creative Suite 6 are the most powerful and versatile toolsets Adobe has ever produced and so we’re seeing a lot of demand for training resources to learn how to best use these products…

In January we posted details on over 30 hours of free video tutorials for CS6.  But if you’re just getting started with Adobe’s core design tools, what’s better than a step-by-step book that will teach you the essentials of Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign from the ground up?

Fortunately there’s a terrific new book you can download that will teach you all of this for free, courtesy of author Professor Thomas Payne… The way the book does this is by intro­ducing and explaining the tools in a logical way that builds upon what is previously learned. These applica­tions present a vast array of buttons and gadgets that can be overwhelming to the new user. This book makes sense of it all, not showing how everything works, but instead giving a foundation and a path to learn about all those controls and what they can do for you.

The 12 chapters in this book (listed below) look a bit like tutorials. As with tutorials, you work in the programs as you follow along with the reading. Unlike tutorials, the steps here present the informa­tion in a way that is geared to having you actually learn the material, not just a list of steps to get something that looks decent.

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Creative Suite 6 and the Creative Cloud are the most powerful and sophisticated toolsets Adobe has ever released and so there is a lot of demand for training resources to learn how to best use these products…

Last month we posted details on over 30 hours of free video tutorials for CS6.  But printed materials are also nice, to use side-by-side at your own pace. So how about a collection of free e-books to go along with those, which you can instantly download and learn from whenever you want?

There are 10 volumes of 169 chapters in total with over 1,000 pages for most CS6 products. Some tools receive more coverage than others, but the basics are reviewed for all. You can download in the ebooks in PDF format after signing in with your Adobe ID (which is easy to create if you don’t already have one).

If you don’t have the software yet, just download a free working trial for any CS6 product for Windows or Mac (or try the whole Creative Cloud) – then install, run, and start your training…

Here’s how the files break out. Click on the title to download the e-book, or the trial to get the free product tryout. The book file sizes range from 4-10 MB each, so shouldn’t take long to download.  The contents of each volume are listed below the table:

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Adobe Evangelist Terry White has a great new training session out showing you how to get started achieving immediate and productive results using new Illustrator CS6… This 42-minute class covers all the basics and walks through how to accomplish the top 10 techniques that beginners always want to know how to do. Earlier Terry did similar introductory primers for Photoshop, Lightroom, and InDesign – and now it’s Illustrator’s turn.

Here’s the overview:

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