Adobe released yesterday the public betas for Flash Builder 4 and Flash Catalyst. Flash Builder 4 is the new version of Flex Builder which got renamed as Flash Builder recently, it is the tool to use to create rich internet applications using MXML and ActionScript.

Flash Catalyst on the hand is a new tool aimed at designers to allow them to transform Photoshop and Illustrator file documents into rich internet applications using a number of actions and user interface elements.

You can download both betas from Adobe Labs. You can get a quick start with these tools by checking the introductory tutorials for Flash Builder 4 from Adobe and the new video tutorials on both Catalyst and Builder from gotoAndLearn.

The web based creative suit provider Aviary, has released a new web tool called “Raven” for creating vector based graphics. Raven is not as powerful as Adobe Illustrator, but it provides all the basic requirements needed for creating a complete vector graphics piece as can be seen from the demo video below.

I tried using Raven and I was surprised by how smooth it runs. The entire Aviary suite is built on Flex, so it is very snappy and responsive. Working on the browser means that you might not be able to create heavy graphics though. Raven also does not import or export AI or EPS file formats and only supports the open vector format SVG.

Raven is currently in public beta and will probably be a pro paid-only service when it officially comes out. You can try it out for free now at Aviary. Make sure you check the really nice video below to see it in Action.

[via TechCrunch]

 Aviary web based creative application suite finally came out of beta minutes ago. Aviary for those who do not know about it is a web based application suite built on the Flash platform that lets you carry out various creative tasks such as image editing, drawing, color palette creation, and filter editing without the need to install any special software on your machine by using their web applications.

Aviary has also uncovered its paid Pro service which lets users have unlimited storage space and access to additional applications such as Raven (Vector drawing tool).

I have tried Aviary in the past, but I thought that was too much of a hassle for doing simple tasks such as cropping an image and adding some text to it to use for a blog post (I prefer Picnik) , yet it was not powerful or fast enough to replace my beloved offline Fireworks application. However, some of your might still have a place for it in your workflow. You can try out Aviary and use its basic service free of charge by visiting their official website at Aviary.com.

 One day after the release of the new Flash Player, Adobe is shipping Creative Suite 4. Adobe CS4 is shipping in seven bundles, Premium and Standard editions for Design, Web, and Production, and a Master Collection bundle. Check out the prices and bundle details over at Adobe. Those wishing to try out the applications will have to wait a bit as the demo versions are not out yet.

 Looks like we will not have to wait for the 23rd of September (or the 24th of September if you are on this side of the world) to see Adobe’s CS4 Event because all the information on the new Crative Suite is now available on Adobe’s website! CS4 has new version of Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Fireworks, After Effects, InDesign, and other members of the Creative Suite. New features of the suite include 3D painting in Photoshop and Bones and Inverse Kinematics in Flash. The demos of the applications are still not available nor are the actual release dates but they are expected to ship next month. The Suite is available in the same Design, Web, and Production bundles (Premium and Standard) that were introduced in the last release. Check out all the details on Adobe’s website.

Artweaver is a Freeware application that includes most of Adobe Photoshop’s basic tools and a similar interface that previous photoshop users can easily become accustomed to. If your looking forward to using a lighter photo editing application, Artweaver offers various selection tools, brushes, shape tools, color palettes, filters, tablet support and much more. You can download Artweaver for free, the installation file size is only 8.8 MBs in size and different language packs are available for download as well.

[via DownloadSquad]

Digital Web Magazine posted a nice article comparing Photoshop to Fireworks through a debate by two groups of designers each supporting one of the programs. Photoshop has always been the industry standard for digital image editing, even though it was primarily made for creating print material, while Fireworks on the other hand was specifically made for creating web friendly graphics. It is possible in theory to do almost everything you do in one of these in the other, so which one should you use?

I have personally been a Fireworks user for years, I had never gotten into Photoshop and Fireworks never gave me a reason to force myself to go and try and learn Photoshop seriously. Fireworks was in fact made just for web design and it does that one thing extremely well. In addition to this, the introduction of CS3 has provided tighter integration between all of Adobe’s Creative Suite, so it is now easier than ever to juggle from one program to the next so you do not need to use Photoshop just because you are working on a project with other people using Photoshop.

What about you guys, do you use Photoshop or Fireworks, and why?

Red Gaint’s the producers Knoll Light Factory has developed a new software called Radium Glow which produces sophisticated glimmer and glow on a whole new level, unlike the normal blur glow filters. Radium Glow 1.0 gives its users pinpoint control over the glow, with editable shapes that can generate precise outlines or create glimmering points. Its highlight features include Intelligent area selection, Genuine glow plug-ins and Shape library. You can read more about Radium Glow here. It is also up for sale here for $99.99.

[Via CGIndia.org]

Adobe released yesterday the public beta of the next edition of its image prototyping application Fireworks CS4, web development application Dreamweaver CS4, and sound editing tool Soundbooth. Major enhancements in Fireworks CS4 include a new UI, CSS export, PDF export, support for Adobe’s new Adobe Type font engine, and AIR authoring tools. Dreamweaver CS4 on the other and adds a new live viewer for better display of content within Dreamweaver, a new related file manager for CSS, JavaScript, and XML navigation, enhanced CSS functionality, support for Photoshop Smart Objects, and Adobe AIR authoring tools as well.

These beta applications can be downloaded at Adobe Labs, holders of CS3 licenses can use the beta versions indefinitely until the official version comes out while non-CS3 license holders can try the applications for two days only. Check out Adobe Labs for more info.