Adobe enhances mobile, HTML5 support in design suite

Adobe today announced new releases of its Creative Suite applications on Monday, updating InDesign, Dreamweaver and Flash Professional with new features, including HTML5 and CSS3 support, to help designers more easily create layouts that work across Web and mobile platforms.

The proliferation of smartphone and tablet devices is changing the game for publication designers, who need tools that enable them to more efficiently create layouts that can work across multiple screen sizes and operating environments.

“It used to be fairly easy to reach customers and for our customers to reach their end users,” said David Rich, Adobe’s director of product marketing for design and Web. “But now different screen sizes, browsers, native apps make it quite complex for designers to create for various devices. We’re trying to help our designers take advantage of some of these changes.”

Creative Suite, which includes applications such as InDesign, Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Illustrator, now lets designers choose HTML5 as a layout option when starting a project. This gives designers more options for adding interactive features such as video, panoramic views, panning and zooming, and enhanced textual elements. HTML5 support lets designers “move into the new world of Web design with tools they’re comfortable with,” said Terry White, principal evangelist for the Creative Suite.

In addition, CSS panels in Create Suite applications now support CSS3, which lets designers to easily view layouts across multiple display types without leaving the application. “Designers don’t want to create three or more versions of a page – they want the same page optimized for all PC, phone and tablet environments,” said White.

Adobe also announced a new subscription plan for the Creative Suite, targeting designers looking for more cost-effective ways to license the Adobe design tools. New monthly subscriptions for the design suite begin at $99; monthly pricing on individual applications ranges from $29 (Dreamweaver) to $75 (Photoshop Extended or After Effects).

The new tools are expected to ship within 30 days. The Creative Suite upgrade is part of a series of announcements Adobe made Monday in its design product family. New Flex and Flash Builder tools will help developers build mobile apps that run across Android, iOS and BlackBerry devices. Adobe also announced three new iPad apps to help designers perform some basic creative functions on tablets.