InDesign CS4

Scheduled to be shipped sometime during October of 2009, Adobe InDesign CS4 is the sixth version of this software program by Adobe for MAC and Windows. InDesign is a page layout program that has been in use for several years now and is a favorite of many print designers. This new update might be underwhelming to those who already have the program. If you already own the software the upgrade is definitely tempting, but not necessary by any stretch of the imagination.

One of the small but perhaps significant upgrades to the software is the addition of a Flash export capability. This will give users the ability to create SWF animations from their layouts. These animations can use video, sounds, and even transition effects. This isn’t a major addition to the software, as you can’t do actual animations, but it is something that will make a lot of people excited and may give people a chance to get their feet wet with something a little bit new.

A more exciting update to the InDesign CS4 MAC or InDesign CS4 Windows software is the introduction of smart tools. The smart tools found in this software program will make it easier for the user to manipulate objects within the documents via the mouse. In the past many designers would simply eyeball their placement of objects to make it faster and easier, but often this would result in editing time that was unnecessary. Now, with the smart tools it will be easy to choose a precise placement for all of the objects. This is simply a nice tool.

Most of the updates are small like this, nothing to get overly excited about. The majority of the updates really are small and focused on subgroups. If you already have the InDesign software you likely will not find that the software updates are enough to have you interested, probably not enough to upgrade. That being said, this is a great first InDesign for those just getting started with Adobe InDesign.
Useful Adobe InDesign CS4 resources:
InDesign CS4 tutorials
Adobe InDesign CS4 video tutorials