Review: Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on December 18, 2006

More for the Office, Less for Creative Pros.

Review: Enfocus PitStop Professional 7

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on July 7, 2006

While expensive, the new version offers major interface improvements, painless preflight, and much more.

Review: CorelDraw X3 Graphics Suite

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on January 27, 2006

With new and improved tools in CorelDraw, Photo-Paint, and PowerTrace, this is one sweet suite.

Adobe Acrobat 7 Professional

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on March 15, 2005

Adobe released a new version of its Acrobat software. Is the upgrade worth $449? Read on for a firsthand look at the pros and cons.

The 2004 Creativepro.com Gift Guide

Features: Written by Sandee Cohen Bruce Fraser Sharon Steuer Ben Long Brian P. Lawler Eric J. Adams Pamela Pfiffner John D. Berry Molly W. Joss Susan Glinert Stevens on December 8, 2004

Here it is: our third gift guide for creative people. We asked our regular contributors what they'd like to give -- or receive -- for the holidays this year. Their answers may surprise you.

Paint Shop Pro 9: A Digital Photographer's Dream Image Editor

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on November 16, 2004

Many digital camera buffs find Adobe Photoshop to be too complex and too costly for many basic image-editing tasks. Jasc's Paint Shop Pro 9 offers a real alternative with powerful image correction tools and new natural media brushes. And at $119, the price is right, too.

XML Can Go to H***: One Designer's Experience with the "Future of Publishing"

Features: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on May 11, 2004

Ask any guru about the next frontier in publishing and you'll hear the snazzy-sounding letters "XML." But according to Susan Glinert, who bears XML battle scars, the future is not bright.

Adobe FrameMaker 7.1: Fast Software for Long Documents

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on February 17, 2004

Producers of technical documentation have long sung the praises of Adobe FrameMaker, but other print designers may wonder what's the big deal. That may change with FrameMaker 7.1, which includes powerful QuarkXPress and PageMaker filters and whizzy conditional-text features.

CorelDraw Graphics Suite 12: Smart Doodling, Dynamic Snapping, Savvy Copying

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on January 13, 2004

Some graphics products may be flashier, but few offer the bang-per-buck of CorelDraw Graphics Suite. Just-announced version 12 of this illustration-imaging-animation package offers intelligent eyedroppers and smart drawing tools and withdraws Mac support.

Creative Gifts for Creative People: The 2003 Holiday Gift Guide

Features: Written by Sandee Cohen Sharon Steuer Brian P. Lawler Eric J. Adams George Penston John D. Berry Susan Glinert Stevens David Morgenstern Gene Gable on December 8, 2003

Looking for imaginative gift ideas for the creative professional on your list? Creativepro.com's editors are here to help, with creative suggestions for all.

PitStop Professional 6: Preflighting with Panache

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on November 18, 2003

Prepping PDF files for press -- also known as preflighting -- is an essential step of the publishing process. But if you want your preflight software to do more than just check for missing fonts and graphics in PDFs, take a look at Enfocus PitStop Professional 6.0.

Acrobat 6 Professional: Adobe Targets Creatives with Nimbler Acrobat

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on June 10, 2003

After years of trying to be all things to all people, Acrobat now comes in three flavors, among them Acrobat 6 Professional. Designed to meet the needs of creative professionals, Acrobat Pro sports features for creating e-books, preflighting files, onscreen color proofing, and more. Susan Glinert makes Acrobat Pro jump though some hoops.

Best Face Forward: Corel Painter 8 Gets a Needed Makeover

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on May 20, 2003

After years of hiding behind a confusing toolbox, Corel Painter 8 positively glows, thanks to an interface-lift and palette makeover. New natural media features and enhanced Photoshop compatibility make this version of Painter a must-have for anyone who dabbles in digital paint.

SmartDraw Photo 2: Windows Image Wizard

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on April 9, 2003

This friendly introductory image-editing and cataloging program for Windows won't make pros abandon Photoshop, but beginner to intermediate digital photographers will find a lot to like in SmartDraw Pro.

2002: The Creative Year in Review

Features: Written by David Blatner Sandee Cohen Bruce Fraser Sharon Steuer Sean Wagstaff Brian P. Lawler Eric J. Adams Pamela Pfiffner George Penston Sonja Schenk Susan Glinert Stevens David Morgenstern on December 31, 2002

What kind of year was 2002 for creative professionals? The staff and contributors of creativepro.com reflect on the year that's been and the year that's about to be.

Expression 3: Illustration Tools Meet Natural-Media Brushes

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on December 16, 2002

You've heard of natural-media painting programs, but what about natural-media drawing programs? Creature House Expression is a sleek and engaging illustration application that lets you "paint" vector shapes and strokes. Susan Glinert looks at the latest version.

The Creativepro.com Holiday Gift Guide

Features: Written by Sandee Cohen Sharon Steuer Eric J. Adams Pamela Pfiffner Sonja Schenk Susan Glinert Stevens David Morgenstern on December 3, 2002

In our first-ever gift guide, creativepro.com's editors and contributors let you in on the gifts they'll be giving - and hope to be receiving -- this holiday season. From software to hardware, from gadgets to books, we've got just what you want.

Corel Ventura 10: Powerhouse Publishing for PCs

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on September 30, 2002

Often left in the shadows of bigger names, Corel Ventura 10 is a heavyweight desktop publishing program for all types of documents. With XML and PDF support, this venerable program can stand up with the rest.

Draw On It: Corel's Latest Graphics Suite Packs Powerful Punch

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on August 13, 2002

Come to Order: FrameMaker 7 Gives Structure to Documents

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on June 3, 2002

Adobe FrameMaker 7 is a different kind of layout program than QuarkXPress or InDesign. With its strong layout tools FrameMaker excels at long-document production then adds extensive XML support for creating structured documents.