VERDICT The new interface and PDF and AIR export see Fireworks CS4 fully integrated into the Creative Suite.

VERDICT A period of transition as Adobe gets to grips with its Macromedia inheritance and the changing nature of the web.

Adobe’s background is in print design and its web efforts such as GoLive and ImageReady were less than impressive. It seemed something of a miracle then when Macromedia agreed to be taken over, allowing Adobe to add the market-leading web apps to its market-leading print portfolio.

VERDICT New photo, 3D, text and web capabilities together with multiple page support and Xara’s unbeatable speed and price.
When Xara first appeared, back in 1995, it transformed the world of computer-based illustration. What made it revolutionary was that it was the first program fast enough to mix vector and bitmap handling in real time so enabling drawing software to move into new photorealistic and artistic territory. While never conquering the mainstream, Xara’s sheer speed, and the creative strengths that flow from it, have won the program many loyal fans over the years. So what does this latest release add to the mix?

Tom Arah gets to grips with Microsoft’s new Expression Studio and Silverlight platforms and wonders how they will fare against Adobe’s Flash.

Recently I looked at how Adobe is reworking Flash in preparation for the coming battle with Microsoft over the Rich Internet Application (RIA) space and, with it, the likely future of computer-based design...

Microsoft pulls off an extraordinary feat reinventing desktop application design, but it's only the taste of things to come regarding the web.

For years now there has been talk of Microsoft’s determination to move into the design software territory normally associated with Adobe. Now, with the launch of the Expression Studio suite, the talk is over – so how does it shape up?

VERDICT: Bizarrely antiquated and underpowered creative asset management.

To give a general boost to its professional design credentials and in particular to its Expression Studio suite, Microsoft decided that it needed an application for managing media assets and so bought up iView MediaPro 3...

VERDICT: Disappointingly cut-down graphics application designed to work hand-in-hand with Expression Blend.

When Microsoft bought the innovative graphics application, Creature House Expression, there was brave talk of taking on Adobe Illustrator in terms of vector handling, Photoshop in terms of bitmaps and Fireworks in terms of web graphics...

VERDICT: Dreamweaver takes its place at the heart of the Creative Suite Web Edition

Recently I looked at Adobe’s CS3 Design Standard suite with its strong focus on professional print. These days, however, most designers are as interested in outputting to the web as they are to paper...

VERDICT: Improved workflow integration, new symbol handling and multiple page support give Fireworks a new lease of life and new purpose.

When Adobe took over Macromedia there was considerable doubt over whether it would carry on developing the dedicated web graphics application Fireworks...