Adobe CS6 Design/Web Premium review

The big news in CS6 is the rolling together of the Design Premium and Web Premium packages. It seems to make sense to have everything in one place, given the change in workflow now that smartphones and tablets are everywhere. Still, we know the design elements of Design/Web Premium are strong, but the web picture looks less so.

Dreamweaver CS6

Dreamweaver once dominated the web authoring landscape, but it faces a number of challenges – starting with HTML5. A central part of the standard is rich CSS3 support, and Dreamweaver’s new CSS Transitions panel lets you set up animated morphs between values for any CSS property without requiring JavaScript.

Then there’s the rise of mobile browsing. Dreamweaver CS6 bridges the gap between desktop and handheld devices with its CSS3-based Fluid Grid capability. Using the new Resolution Switcher in Live View, this lets you reposition page regions to tailor a single design towards desktop, tablet and smartphone screens.

For tablets and smartphones, the jQuery Mobile framework integration has been improved, with the ability to apply swatches to customise themes. With improved integration with PhoneGap Build, it’s also easier to package mobile applications for native app store-based delivery.

Finally, there’s the advent of Content Management Systems (CMS). Contribute’s time is finally up; instead Dreamweaver CS6 promotes integration with Adobe’s own CMS, Business Catalyst. It’s simple to post your site for hosting (fees apply), and you can also take advantage of built-in reporting and easily add modules, from ad rotators to e-commerce.

Before you tie yourself in, however, try the more powerful open source CMS alternatives: WordPress, Joomla or Drupal. You may not need Business Catalyst – nor even Dreamweaver.