Customer Reviews

Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection, Student & Teacher version (PC)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been using this software package for over a year now and I don't know how I ever lived without it. I'd coveted it for years but was unable to afford nearly three thousand pounds for the standard retail package, but definitely knew its worth. I jumped at the chance to buy the Master Collection at student rates when I was at university, as it meant that the package was affordable at long last. Verifying my student status was a simple process, although it took over a week to get approved because I did so in September when I imagine there were a lot of new students doing the same thing as me.

I use Premier Pro for video editing, and although I always knew it was fantastic, having recently tested out other, definitely inferior video editing software options, I know how lucky I am to have the Adobe software instead. Of course, Photoshop is an invaluable tool for me, and the only software which is anywhere near as good for photo editing (or for graphic design, which I also use both it and Adobe Fireworks which is included in this package) is CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 (Guidebook and DVD) (PC) which I would recommend you also get if you can afford it (there are also student options available on this item to make it more affordable).

I've most recently started branching out into web design, teaching myself Dreamweaver. I am by no means a computing expert, but this software has been problem free and it's intuitive and user friendly meaning it's easy to learn even with little to no prior knowledge of all things Adobe.

This software was installed on a machine with the following specification:

Machine: Dell Studio XPS 8100
Processor: Intel Core i3 2.93 GHz
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional, 64 bit
RAM: 4 GB (3.87 GB usable)
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 240
Mouse: Logic wireless
Monitor: HP 2210i

Adobe have put together 'themed' versions of their Creative suite to attract specific professional groups.

For example they have the following:
Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Design Premium - good for media and graphics professionals
Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Web Premium - good for web design professionals
Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Production Premium - good for video and film professionals
Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection - good for someone who wants all the applications

This review covers the package called the 'Master Collection, Student & Teacher version PC'.

This package is supplied in just the single box and contains the following applications:
* Photoshop CS5 Extended
* Illustrator CS5
* InDesign CS5.5
* Acrobat X Pro
* Flash Catalyst CS5.5
* Flash Builder 4.5 Premium Edition
* Dreamweaver CS5.5
* Fireworks CS5
* Contribute CS5
* Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5
* After Effects CS5.5
* Adobe Audition CS5.5
* Adobe OnLocation CS5
* Encore CS5
* Bridge CS5
* Device Central CS5.5
* Media Encoder CS5.5
* and also integrates with the CS Line online services 1.2

This is a vast collection of major software packages and it would not be practical to review each one of them individually here. Besides there are already a number of excellent reviews on the specific applications already on Amazon. Instead I have concentrated this review mainly on the Master Collection itself rather than the individual software applications. Having said that, there are a few quirks related to applications and this specific package and so I will mention those later.

This package contains all of the applications listed above and if you were to purchase these individually it would be a very expensive venture. Thus, to find them bundled together and offered with an educational discount makes them an extremely attractive package for anyone who is can qualify for the educational discount. It will save you around 75% - 80% of the full professional price for these applications.

The licence for this Master Collection (student & teacher version) is intended for non-commercial, educational use on a single machine; thus you cannot let the whole family install it on their PCs. Each eligible person purchasing this package (student or teacher) can only have one licence of this type in the creative suites. Thus, if you buy this package, you can't buy another copy to let someone else in your family benefit from the discount.

The box comes with three DVDs. Two of them contain the applications, the third is a content and installation disk. Before you can install the disks you have to go through the Adobe online approval process in order to activate the content.

In order to gain access you need to find the product code inside the box which is printed on a yellow slip of paper. This provides you with the URL to start the process of getting a valid serial number.

From that page, you log in to the Adobe Customer Support Portal with your Adobe ID. If you haven't got one, then you create one.

Then you fill in a form that includes the product code from the yellow slip (or the back of the cardboard box which contains the disks). You also need to upload proof that you are part of the education system, either as a student or teacher. For my activation I scanned an image of my University Library & ID card.

After going through this process I had to wait three days for approval. I did submit it on a Saturday, and the approval and serial number came by email on the following Tuesday so perhaps if you did this during the working week it might be a little quicker to arrive. As a bit of reassurance during the wait, Adobe sent me a 'Proof of Academic Status Received' email to confirm that I was in process.

The reason I have explained this process was that I was initially concerned as to what would happen if the approval was not granted by Adobe. I had a valid university card but I had paid a large sum of money for this product. I had to open the box to get the product code but this made me a little nervous about whether I would have been able to return the opened item if approval was not given. Luckily everything went through fine.

Once I had received approval from Adobe I was able to install the software on my computer. It is a huge application and the two DVDs took just over an hour and a half in total to install. The process went smoothly and the only interruption was a message to tell me when the second DVD needed to be installed.

It did not automatically install short cut icons on my desktop but all of the programs were listed in my programs menu.

Once everything was installed I opened Photoshop and that triggered a one-off activation process for the whole set of software. In order to activate the software I needed an internet connection (not a problem). Again, everything went smoothly and within a few minutes all of the products were activated and ready for use.

All the software is fully functional, but perhaps not the full bells and whistles version. I was following some online video tutorials on Adobe Audition 3.0 as that was the latest version I could find tutorial wise. I discovered that many of the features in v3.0 are not present in the CS5.5 version that was supplied with this Master Collection package, even though it says Audition v 4.0 in the 'Help->About' menu. For example it has no sound generation section i.e. you cannot create a sound from scratch with this package. A bit of research on the web indicated that the CS5.5 version is actually a cut down version of version 3.

Perhaps this has occurred due to the need to shoe-horning all of their software onto just two DVDs.

I have not found any obviously missing parts from the main applications such as Photoshop and Dreamweaver yet. I have used pretty much all of the features that I am familiar with and I anticipate I will need. But there is a possibility that like with the Audition application there may be some of the more obscure features missing.

This is a fabulous collection of industry standard software but it is probably a bit overkill for most people; probably better suited to professionals and enthusiasts. However, if you are a student or teacher and you have an interest in using and learning some or all of these applications then this really is an excellent purchase.

Having used this type of software for years.. the fact that it is all grouped together has made my editing experience much better.. well done!

I bought CS5 purely for Adobe Premiere Pro because its my favourite video editing suite, but with the likes of photoshop and dream-weaver they just sweaten the deal. Once you get used to it, you'll find it's the most in-depth creative suite out there. Worth the money, and if your student or teacher, it's a steal.