Adobe Contribute CS4, Adobe Soundbooth CS4 & After Effects CS4 By Howard Berenbon
This month I continue evaluating the individual programs within Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection with Contribute CS4, Adobe Soundbooth CS4 and After Effects CS4.
Adobe Contribute CS4
Adobe Contribute CS4 is a versatile tool that allows anyone to edit, update and generally maintain a Website without using a full-fledged design program like Dreamweaver. The administrator of the Website can allow partial access to anyone: experienced Web designer, as part of a team working on a complex site, or inexperienced computer user wanting to contribute to the operation of a site. In the case of the inexperienced users, you may want to allow partial access, but not full access for security reasons. Also, it doesn’t require knowledge of HTML, so it’s very easy for anyone to use. When Websites are complex with dozens of pages and multiple features requiring a team of design professionals, Contribute is the perfect solution for dividing the design work. Team members can work on a part of the design and within their own expertise, while the administrator retains control over the full design.
Starting Contribute CS4
Once installed, and run the program, you’ll see that the main menu looks a lot like all the other Adobe CS4 products. At the very top, you’ll see several menus: File, Edit, View, Bookmarks, Review, Insert, Format Table and Help. Below the menu bar the screen is divided into several sections. Starting from the left you’ll see Browser: Start Page and just below that is the HOW DO I … section. And this may be the most important menu on the page because you can learn everything you need to know about Contribute CS4 from the tutorials displayed right in that section.
Before you begin editing you’ll need to connect to your Website or Blog. Click on either the Website Connection or Blog Connection icon in the center of the main screen to set up your connection. Besides entering the URL login, you’re asked for your name and e-mail address for identification as a Contribute user. Once you enter Done, your site will open in Contribute and you’re ready to begin. First, you browse to the page you need to edit as if you’re in a Web browser, and then click Edit at the top of the page to open it for editing. Then you revise your page on screen, in the WYSIWYG format (“what you see is what you get”) without the need to know a bit of Web programming code. When you’re through making your changes or additions, click on the Publish button at the top toolbar to upload your changes.
What’s New in Contribute CS4
Collaborative publishing
Collaboratively author, review, and publish Website content. Define different review paths at the template level, whether a single approval for an internal Web page or multiple sign-offs for a public page.
In-browser editing
Edit pages directly in your Web browser without opening another application. Editor supports most browsers, including Firefox 2 and Internet Explorer 6 and 7.
In-context shared reviews
Enable multiple reviewers to comment on drafts simultaneously with the in-context collaboration tool for faster and more effective web publishing cycles.
Enhanced CSS support
Improved CSS support and complete rendering fidelity between Contribute CS4 and Dreamweaver CS4.
Content expiration notification
Set the expiration value for a single Contribute page or multiple pages, and Contribute will notify the designated content contributors when the expiration date nears.
Inline spelling checker
Checks spelling on-the-fly and flags potential errors.
Dynamic website editing
Add content to dynamic Websites powered by Movable Type, TypePad, or WordPress Just define your Contribute site with the proper settings, and site content is instantly available for updating.
More secure editing with Auto-Save
Auto-Save feature, protects contributors’ which enables you to specify how frequently updated drafts are saved. Content remains in draft format until the review and publish process is initiated.
Visual blog configuration
Blog configuration preferences are accessed visually for quick adjustments.
Site root–relative links
Website administrators can quickly specify whether links to pages or other elements
are written as document-relative or site root–relative links.
What’s Enhanced
Adobe Dreamweaver compatibility
Works with Adobe Dreamweaver® CS4 templates and allows site updates by contributors without risking to other parts of the site.
Clean XHTML file creation and editing
Input and style text, images, FLV and SWF files, or PDF documents, and Contribute CS4 outputs standards-compliant, valid XHTML code. Designer's code formatting in Dreamweaver is preserved during editing and publishing.
Rich media support
Drag and drop mages, FLV and SWF files, or PDF documents into your Contribute pages. Automatically uploads the dependent files to drag and drop your images, FLV and SWF files, or PDF documents into your Contribute pages. And Contribute automatically uploads the dependent files to the Web server when the pages are published in administrator-selected locations.
Robust draft capabilities
Avoid losing your content changes due to a dropped Internet connection. Work offline and store your drafts locally. For quick revisions, go to the Drafts panel and reopen your file with a single click.
Unified Web publishing
Post your updates from Contribute CS4 using any standard file transfer, Web authoring, or blogging protocol, including FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, MetaWeblog, and Atom. Choose to publish from within Contribute or directly from Microsoft Office applications.
Version Rollback feature
Use the Rollback feature to return to an earlier version of your web page. Contribute site administrators determine the number of available rollbacks (up to 99) and assign rollback permissions to fit your organization's needs.
Website administration
Set roles and responsibilities and enforce a review and approval process. Permissions enable administrators to define who can edit and who can publish content.
If you’re a Website administrator then Contribute CS4 is the program for you. It’s perfect for dividing design responsibilities while keeping the Website secure and under your management. And it’s the right solution for allowing the inexperienced computer user Website access for making small changes, or even major editing tasks if required, without the need to know HTML programming. Contribute CS4 includes so many more new features and several enhancements over older versions.
Adobe Contribute CS4 sells for just under $197 and is available for the both the PC and Macintosh. System Requirements: IBM PC or compatible, 1 GHz or faster processor running Microsoft Windows XP or Vista with 512MB RAM, 64 MB Video RAM, 1 GB Hard Disk space, 1024x768 monitor resolution and DVD-ROM drive. PowerPC G5 or Multicore Intel processor, Mac OS X Leopard or X Tiger, 512 MB RAM, 64MB video RAM, 2GB hard disk space, 1024x768 monitor resolution and DVD-ROM drive. For more information, or to order, visit Amazon.com.
Adobe Soundbooth CS4
Adobe Soundbooth CS4 is for the audio and video professional for perfecting and enhancing audio in any creative project. The program works with mono or stereo files and more than one audio file at a time. Precision tools allow accurate cut, copy, paste, fade, trim, volume and stretch audio with audio and visual feedback. And, you can enter Soundbooth CS4 while working in Flash CS4 Professional, Premiere Pro CS4 and After Effects CS4. The program includes a number of Soundbooth scores and lots of sound effects.
After you run Soundbooth, you’ll see a gray main menu divided into four sections each with one or more tabs, and a drop down menu bar at the top left with File, Edit, Clip, View, Tasks, Processes, Window and Help buttons. In the upper left box you’ll find the Files and Scores section. Below is another section with four tabs: Tasks, Effects, Markers and Properties. And to the right is the Editor, covering two-thirds of the screen. To start editing, click on the File menu and load your audio file. You’ll see the title and waveforms displayed in the Editor space where you can start editing and creating.
Software Companies Mentioned
Adobe Systems Incorporated
345 Park Ave
San Jose, CA 95110-2704
Phone: 800-833-6687
URL adobe.com
