OT: what Adobe products to install?

rs170a wrote on 3/28/2012, 11:34 AM
I'm finally getting new workstations at the office. Our college has a site licence for the Adobe Master Collection CS5.5 which leads to my question.
It comes with a lot of products including some I have never heard of.
Considering that the machines are going to be used strictly for video editing, which of the following "No idea" software do I want/need?

Mandatory: After Effects, Audition, Encore, Media Encoder, Photoshop and Premiere.

No idea: LiveCycle2, Bridge, Contribute, Device Central, Dreamweaver, ExtendScript Toolkit, Extension Manager, Fireworks, Flash Builder, Flash Catalyst, Flash Professional, Illustrator, InDesign and OnLocation.
Thanks for any and all suggestions.

Mike

Comments

vtxrocketeer wrote on 3/28/2012, 11:53 AM
Mike, I recommend Adobe Illustrator, depending on your needs. In most editing sessions when I (a) use After Effects or (b) make artwork, I use PS and AI in tandem. They are like my right and left hands. AI and PS work very well together, e.g., you can dynamically link PS files within AI, hopping between the two apps as you tweak design work and images at the same time.

AI is the FAR, FAR better choice for extremely precise design work and keeping it in vector format. You can't "merge" layers, so everything stays in perfectly editable format with all undo steps available. AI will handle rasterized images, but it sucks for anything beyond very basic image editing.

PS can handle some design work, too, but with some exceptions you're pinned to rasterized images and their resolutions. AI and PS have overlapping functions and capabilities, obviously. If I had a gun to my head to pick just one, it would be PS with no question.

$0.02,
Steve
Derm wrote on 3/28/2012, 12:23 PM
I recommennd installing Bridge. Its a comprehensive media browser and allows easy movement of files between Adobe programs and allows quick auditions and previews. Another neat feature, for me, is the ability to open non raw format images in the PS raw editor.
Derm
jmeredith wrote on 3/28/2012, 12:51 PM
I've found OnLocation to be useful in some situations (this was DV Rack by Serious Magic)

http://www.adobe.com/products/onlocation/features.html

+1 re Bridge
rs170a wrote on 3/28/2012, 1:05 PM
@ vtxrocketeer, thanks Steve. I'm reasonably familiar with Photoshop and know what Illustrator is but have personally never needed it. I may as well get it "just in case".
@ Derm, thanks for the recommendation for Bridge. Until you told me, I had no idea what it was used for.
@jmeredith, thanks Julie. I'm aware of OnLocation but didn't think it was useful for editing. Can you give me an example or two of how you've used it?

I'm hoping others will chime on on some of the other apps being useful or not.

Mike
Former user wrote on 3/28/2012, 1:38 PM
In my experience, with the way Adobe installs, it is just easier to install all of it. You don't have to run what you don't need, but trying to fight it and figure out that you forgot something is just a pain.

Dave T2
rs170a wrote on 3/28/2012, 1:47 PM
Thanks DaveT2.
My IT folks are installing Adobe, not me, and have asked me to specify what apps I want and they'll take care of the rest.
The reason for asking is that I don't want to clutter up the hard drive with apps that will not be needed/used.
If I ever discover that I do need one of them, all it takes is a phone call and it will be installed for me.

Mike
vtxrocketeer wrote on 3/28/2012, 1:52 PM
Mike, one other idea for AI that popped to mind is that you can work directly with AI files right inside Vegas using BCC's Extrude EPS plugin. While you may never have a need to extrude vector artwork, cool as it is, this is one way to get your vector artwork into Vegas, have it stay in vector format to maintain razor sharp precision whilst scaling, stretching, whatever, right up to the final render. I know, it sounds kinda esoteric, but after using AI for the better part of a year now, I REALLY try to keep my design-for-video or artwork in AI as long as possible.

Just giving you another real world example of what can be done.

Oh, and I did exactly what Dave T2 recommended. I installed the enchilada. Haven't touched anything except PS, AI, and AE since install day. :)

-Steve
Ros wrote on 3/28/2012, 1:55 PM
Bridge is also great for batch renaming footage or an animation sequence taken from stills where the numbering structure isn't continuous and pior to importing it as a sequence in Vegas.

Rob
rs170a wrote on 3/29/2012, 7:25 AM
Thanks to everyone who replied.
I decided to have the full suite installed.
To quote an old saying, I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it :)

Mike