Adobe PhotoShop CS Ver. 8.0

Lori Grunin Senior Editor / Advice

I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.

Expertise Photography, PCs and laptops, gaming and gaming accessories

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Lori Grunin

Sept. 28, 2003 7:00 p.m. PT

The new InDesign CS will hold its own as the document-layout anchor of Creative Suite and as a standalone DTP package, but as a product update, there's little to write home about.

Upside: Only one of InDesign's enhancements boasts universal appeal, but it's a biggie: nested styles. For example, you can now define a style format that carries format info for both the paragraph's initial cap and the body text. That can be a big time-saver, especially for layouts intended for multiple targets, such as print and online. Adobe also claims to have improved performance.

Downside: Though important in their various contexts, the rest of InDesign's mostly subtle updates will likely appeal to only niche segments of its users--those with output intended for offset printers or XML documents.

Outlook: Even if Adobe had left InDesign untouched and QuarkXPress hadn't rolled over and died, InDesign would still be the winner for complex desktop-publishing tasks. So when it ships at the end of this year, the $699 price tag won't seem unreasonable. However, justifying the $169 upgrade might be more difficult.