So, what’s Adobe up to interface-wise in the next versions of Creative Suite applications? <\/p>\n
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We’ve been working hard to make the interfaces of the various apps more consistent. Because the Adobe Fireworks<\/a> and Dreamweaver<\/a> betas are available on Adobe Labs, you can now see some of the interface changes that will appear in the next version of Photoshop as well. I’d like to address some of the concerns and questions I hear bubbling up. In particular, I hope to put Mac users’ minds at ease about a few things. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n First, I want to lay my Mac bona fides<\/em> on the table. I’ve been using the platform since Sept. 1984, and I really sweat the little details and conventions. (That’s one reason I’ve raved<\/a> about NetNewsWire, Panic’s Transmit, and other great Mac apps.) I use Safari instead of Firefox in part because FF’s use of Windows-style buttons & form elements feels alien on my system. So yeah, I care deeply about this stuff. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the CS3 product cycle was wrapping up, Adobe’s user interface designers started showing their ideas for subsequent releases. Lots of things (tabbed documents, improved panel management, more usable workspaces, etc.) seemed like slam dunks. On the other hand, the designs all featured a prominent "application frame<\/a>"–a window containing both UI elements & documents–on both Mac and Windows. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I think my initial reaction can be boiled down to three letters: "WTF<\/strong>?"<\/p>\n <\/p>\n "Are you telling me," I asked, "that we’re going to put a huge, battleship-gray box into the background on the Mac, as it is on Windows? Why would we do that?<\/em>"<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The designers pointed out that the app frame has a number of advantages:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n On the Mac (unlike on Windows, where an app frame has always been present), using the app frame is optional<\/u>. It’s a one-click enable\/disable via Window->Application Frame. On either platform you can also float documents above the app frame<\/a>, mixing them with docked windows if you’d like. Whether on Mac or Windows, you can resize application windows by dragging any side, not just the lower-right corner.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I’ve recorded a quick demo that shows the app frame enabled & disabled; documents in & out of tabs; and some of the N-up layout options available with or without the app frame enabled: <\/p>\n\n
![application frame<\/a>"–a window containing both UI elements & documents–on both Mac and Windows. <\/p>\n <\/p>\nI think my initial reaction can be boiled down to three letters: "WTF<\/strong>?"<\/p>\n <\/p>\n"Are you telling me," I asked, "that we’re going to put a huge, battleship-gray box into the background on the Mac, as it is on Windows? Why would we do that?<\/em>"<\/p>\n <\/p>\nThe designers pointed out that the app frame has a number of advantages:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\nIt facilitates N-up (2-up, 3-up, etc.) document layouts that adapt as you adjust the interface. Think "live window tiling"–great for comparing, compositing, etc. <\/li>\nIt makes it easier to move the entire application and its contents, including from one monitor to another.<\/li>\nIt prevents documents from getting obscured by panels (palettes).<\/li>\nIt blocks out the contents of the desktop, minimizing visual clutter. (A number of Mac users have requested this option for many years. I’ve known quite a few people who open a small blank document, hit F to put it into full-screen mode, and then put it into the background to hide the desktop. Willingness to live with that kind of hack demonstrates some genuine desire for a real fix.) <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\nOn the Mac (unlike on Windows, where an app frame has always been present), using the app frame is optional<\/u>. It’s a one-click enable\/disable via Window->Application Frame. On either platform you can also float documents above the app frame<\/a>, mixing them with docked windows if you’d like. Whether on Mac or Windows, you can resize application windows by dragging any side, not just the lower-right corner.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nI’ve recorded a quick demo that shows the app frame enabled & disabled; documents in & out of tabs; and some of the N-up layout options available with or without the app frame enabled: <\/p>\n](\"http:\/\/blogs.adobe.com\/jnack\/files\/images\/PS_app_frame.jpg\"){kind=link}
![float documents above the app frame<\/a>, mixing them with docked windows if you’d like. Whether on Mac or Windows, you can resize application windows by dragging any side, not just the lower-right corner.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nI’ve recorded a quick demo that shows the app frame enabled & disabled; documents in & out of tabs; and some of the N-up layout options available with or without the app frame enabled: <\/p>\n](\"http:\/\/blogs.adobe.com\/jnack\/files\/images\/PS_app_frame_floating.jpg\"){kind=link}