Company trying to preserve Flash development

Some major changes are planned for the Mac version of Adobe's Creative Suite 5, say sources claimed to be familiar with the pre-release software. Of these the most important may be in Photoshop CS5, which will finally make the switch to 64-bit code. The technology had been planned to go into CS4, and indeed Windows users have been operating in 64-bit mode for some time. The earlier Mac code was rooted in 32-bit Carbon architecture however, requiring an overhaul for the more modern Cocoa standard.

The switch should matter most to professional photographers and graphic artists, who may have to deal with extremely large images that push the 4GB limit of 32-bit code. Some interface changes have also been introduced however, namely in terms of 3D features, and tools which make it easier to paint an object or remove it from a scene. These include a "content-aware" spot healing brush.

The suite as a whole should add review functions for people without CS5, and "mini-Bridge" windows for browsing and inspecting files. Flash and Dreamweaver are slated to get code hinting to aid with working in ActionScript, and as previously announced, Flash development tools will let people produce native iPhone apps borrowing elements from Flash content. InDesign should also emphasize Flash, allowing video and animation to be added to documents. Supporting this will be the ability to save for the web, effectively providing another path to web design.

CS5 for the Mac should ship sometime this spring.

by MacNN Staff