Live Paint

Easily paint any closed or partially closed area of your artwork with the Live Paint Bucket, which automatically detects and corrects gaps and lets you interactively select colors from a Swatch palette for faster work.

New Document Profiles

Create artwork easily by selecting prebuilt profiles for all types of media, and save custom profiles that specify such setup parameters as artboard dimensions, styles, and color spaces.

Advanced typography

Easily create and control type with over 100 included OpenType fonts, paragraph and character styles, paragraph composition, underline and strikethrough, transparent effects, and more.

Isolation mode

Edit objects in a group without disturbing other parts of your artwork. Easily select hard-to-find objects without having to restack, lock, or hide layers.

PDF file creation and collaboration with Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro

Preview, preflight, correct, and prepare PDF files for print Enhanced!

Control costs, reduce errors, and deliver premium customer service using extensive preflight and print production features that are now better than ever in Acrobat 9 Pro. Provide preflighting instructions and custom PDF export presets to ensure that your PDF files conform to specific production requirements. Then automatically validate files and easily fix issues from faulty hairlines to transparency handling, black conversion, spot color mapping, and more.

Access metadata using the Object Inspector New!

Get the full details about an object with the new Object Inspector, which displays metadata for any object you select.

Manage accurate conversions from RGB to black New!

Convert color on any object type, in any color space, using profiles that you choose. Preserve black, promote gray to CMYK Black, and convert from one color system to another accurately — for example, switch from Euroscale CMYK directly to Japan CMYK for text, images, line art, or smooth shades.

Work with built-in Pantone color libraries New!

Pantone libraries are now part of Acrobat 9 Pro. Make use of a Pantone color library when converting spot colors, or map to Pantone colors through preflight checks and fixes.

View how elements interact with Overprint Preview New!

Easily and reliably preview how overlapping elements will display and print using automatic, intelligent Overprint Preview in Acrobat 9 Pro or Adobe Reader 9. Both products detect whether a selected page contains overlapping elements and then toggle Overprint Preview on or off accordingly. An easy-to-see icon indicates whether the preview is on or off.

Detect differences between document versions New!

Quickly detect differences between two versions of a document, including PDF, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, CAD, and even scanned documents. A new Compare Documents interface makes it quick and easy to compare either entire documents or bookmarked sections. View thumbnails indicating all changes on every page. Select the types of changes you want to display or ignore, including text formatting, images, line weights, and backgrounds.

Verify that documents comply with industry standards New!

Create and validate PDF files that comply with a host of the latest industry standards, including PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, PDF/X-4, PDF/X-4p, PDF/X-5, PDF/A, PDF/E, Job Definition Format (JDF), XMP metadata, and XML. Automate file creation and validation while helping to ensure correct print output using JDF and an Adobe PDF workflow. A built-in, portable verification record enables you to check document standards compliance at any time.

Experience improved layer controls Enhanced!

Import any PDF file as a new layer into an existing PDF file, dynamically create layers within PDF files according to the PDF/X-4 specification, and preflight to move text, images, or vector artwork to individual layers.

Work with consistent print dialog boxes New!

Enjoy smoother cross-platform print functionality. The print dialog boxes in Acrobat 9 Pro are now consistent between Mac OS and Windows®.

Enjoy end-to-end PDF workflows

Integrate Acrobat 9 Pro and Adobe Creative Suite 3.3 with the Adobe PDF Print Engine, a native PDF printing platform available in high-end output systems from industry-leading printer manufacturers. Preserve PDF content natively throughout the workflow for more consistent results and improved print productivity and profitability.

Automate JDF workflows

Define, control, and automate the print production workflow using industry-standard JDF files. JDF files are electronic job tickets that travel with PDF files to define and automate the application of printing specifications. For example, automatically convert InDesign files to Adobe PDF and preflight and validate them against the output intent using JDF-based workflows.

Keep your ideas flowing

Be highly productive thanks to tight integration and shared features that let you move easily between tasks.

Exceptional native file format support

Photoshop files in Illustrator

Open native Photoshop (PSD) files in Illustrator, preserving layers, layer comps, transparency, editable text, and paths.

Photoshop layer comps in Illustrator and InDesign

Create multiple variations of a composition on different layers in Photoshop, and import or place the layer comps in Illustrator or InDesign, where you can control the visibility of the layers in the Photoshop file.

Photoshop and Illustrator files in InDesign

Place native Photoshop or Illustrator (AI) files in InDesign layouts. Transparency is preserved and interacts with elements in your InDesign layout. Double-click a PSD or AI file in InDesign to edit it in its native application.

Smart Objects

Import vector artwork from Illustrator into Photoshop using Smart Objects, which you can scale, rotate, warp, or otherwise transform without a loss of quality. Edit the original object in Illustrator, and the changes will be reflected in the Smart Object in your Photoshop file.

Enhanced PDF support in Photoshop

Work more easily with Adobe PDF-based content. Precisely control the size of PDF pages opened in Photoshop, add security controls and metadata such as copyright and exposure details to images in PDF presentations, and create a richer image display in PDF presentations and documents.

Adobe PDF support in Illustrator and InDesign

Open and edit Adobe PDF files in Illustrator, and place multipage Adobe PDF files in InDesign layouts. Export multipage Adobe PDF files from InDesign and Illustrator with layers intact, and share them with clients to present multiple design variations.

Shared features and services

Unified design environment

Work efficiently in an interface that's common across many components of Adobe Creative Suite® 3 Design Standard. New self-adjusting panels dock conveniently out of your way when not in use and pop out when you need them. Maximize Screen mode keeps panels from overlapping the document window.

Customizable workspaces

Customize menu commands, tools, panels, and keyboard shortcuts in Design Standard components so the features you use most are always at your fingertips. Even save and share workspaces.

Easily accessible libraries

Share prebuilt and custom color swatches among Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Tighter integration with Acrobat 8 Professional

Enjoy enhanced integration between Acrobat and other components of Design Standard, including synchronized color settings, transparency flattener presets, and more robust support for XMP metadata.

Advanced workgroup file management with Adobe Version Cue CS3

Use Adobe Version Cue® CS3 to manage the use of files within creative teams. Track multiple versions, prevent overwriting, find the files you need quickly, conduct browser-based Adobe PDF file reviews, and control access to files on a project-by-project basis.

Adobe Stock Photos service*

Browse and purchase royalty-free stock photos from a wide range of leading image libraries from within Design Standard. Search more than one million images from more than 25 agencies, and narrow results quickly with easy-to-use advanced search features.

Real-time, interactive web conferences with Acrobat Connect*

Use Bridge or Acrobat to launch Adobe Acrobat Connect™, the web-based conferencing system for real-time, interactive meetings such as design reviews. For a low monthly fee, host online conferences in a meeting room that you set up once and is readily available.

Adobe Help Center

Access product help for any component of Design Standard in one convenient floating window. Search and bookmark topics, and access expert support and Adobe online resources.

Visual media management in Adobe Bridge CS3

Centralized access to shared features and services

Use Bridge as your productivity hub. Bridge provides access to Version Cue, Adobe Stock Photos, Acrobat Connect, and other shared features.

Faster browsing

Open Bridge and display thumbnails, perform searches, and filter results faster thanks to improved performance.

Broader file format support

Preview and play back FLV and SWF files as well as image sequences.

Nondestructive image adjustments

Apply nondestructive adjustments to JPEG and TIFF images just like camera raw images. Apply those adjustments to groups of images, and convert them to different formats as desired.

Customizable workspace

View and manage images more efficiently in a redesigned interface that you can customize to your liking and save for reuse.

Image comparison features

Compare multiple images in the Preview panel, and use the new Loupe tool to zoom in on images for a better view.

Image stacking

Group related images in collapsible stacks, and apply a Reject rating that hides undesirable images from view but doesn't delete them.

Enhanced slide shows

Pan and zoom in on images while viewing them in slide show mode, and apply transitions such as dissolves and fades between images.

Improved support for XMP metadata

View swatch names and groups in Illustrator and InDesign files, and enjoy better support for metadata scripting.

Bridge Home

Visit Bridge Home, a destination area in Bridge that offers up-to-date tips and resources for making the most of Creative Suite 3 Design Standard. Watch video tutorials, learn efficient workflow techniques, get inspired by leading designers' podcasts, and more.

Print with confidence

Reliably output your designs with high-end print controls and efficient Adobe PDF workflows that streamline print production.

Powerful color and printing capabilities

Consistent color

Synchronize ICC-based color management settings to view the color in your designs more consistently and to preserve CMYK values across Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Acrobat.

Professional printing from InDesign

Reliably print files to Adobe PostScript® Level 2, PostScript 3™, and non PostScript language devices using a comprehensive set of printing options designed to meet the needs of print professionals worldwide.

CMYK, RGB, and LAB support in InDesign

Create spot or process colors in CMYK, RGB, or LAB color mode. Add colors from more than 20 swatch libraries, including the latest PANTONE, Toyo, and TRUMATCH libraries.

Mixed ink support in InDesign

Combine two or more spot or process inks to quickly define and generate a palette of colors that broadens your color choices for a job without breaking your print budget.

Output previews in InDesign

Prevent mistakes from occurring on press by checking plates, overprinting, and ink limits, and help ensure the best results when printing transparency effects by using the Separations Preview and Flattener Preview panels. Use Overprint Preview mode to proof spot-color effects and overprint settings.

Preflight and packaging in InDesign

Avoid delays and costly production errors by preflighting documents to check for problems and then packaging them for print handoff, or by exporting them as Adobe PDF files.

Intuitive, flexible printing from Illustrator

Enjoy consistent results with an intuitive, comprehensive printing interface that provides optimized presets for a wide variety of devices. Control the overlap between tiled pages, and print large designs on standard paper sizes using the Fit to Page command or custom scale options.

Separations from Illustrator

Print color separations using either host-based or in-RIP options and optimize output directly in Illustrator, controlling screen angle, ruling, and dot size for each plate.

Transparency Flattener in Illustrator

Help ensure the best results when printing or creating Adobe PDF files with artwork that contains transparent elements using Transparency Flattener presets.

DeviceN colorspace in Illustrator

Place duotone or separated Photoshop images in Illustrator and preserve the file's native colorspace with DeviceN support. Use multicomponent and HiFi color, raster effects, transparency, and gradient meshes with confidence that your artwork will separate correctly.

Improved printing experience in Photoshop

Experience better control over print quality with color management, a larger print preview window, and more controls in one place so you can print in fewer steps. Improved printing controls, co-developed by Adobe and HP, make printing easier and more predictable.

Reliable Adobe PDF workflows

Shared PDF presets

Use built-in Adobe PDF export presets — or create custom presets — in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign to generate consistent Adobe PDF files for electronic review or final output.

Streamlined print production

Preflight Adobe PDF files in Acrobat and fix problems before they get to press. Automatically correct hairlines, downsample image resolution, flatten transparency, and more.

Powerful JDF workflows

Automatically convert Adobe InDesign files to Adobe PDF and preflight and validate them against the targeted output intent (including number of pages, page size, and more) using enhanced JDF-based workflows.

Support for PDF/X standard

Create reliable, press-ready layouts using ISO- and ANSI-standard PDF/X, including PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, PDF/X-4 (draft), and PDF/A.

Cross-media publishing

Authoring of rich Adobe PDF files in InDesign

Produce rich Adobe PDF documents by embedding movie and sound files; interactive buttons to play movies or turn pages; as well as hyperlinks, bookmarks, and more.

Flexible XML workflows in InDesign

Publish content in multiple print formats with robust XML support. Use XML rules to dynamically generate documents with formatting and graphics based on imported XML, and apply XSLT style sheets when importing or exporting XML content.

XHTML export

XHTML export from InDesign

Contribute to web design workflows by exporting styled InDesign content as XHTML with links to GIF graphics and JPEG images. XHTML content can be imported into Adobe Dreamweaver® CS3 software (sold separately) and formatted with cascading style sheets.