

The enhanced pages panel displays all your layouts clearly as well as giving you the option to split the display window Alternate Layout reality Instead, it builds on the foundation that was established in CS5 and CS5.5. Overall, this update is by no means a game changer. If you're already running 5.5, and just thinking of upgrading InDesign on its own, then perhaps think twice. If you're running InDesign CS5 or earlier then definitely upgrade to CS6 to take advantage of, not only the new features, but the big overhaul to the digital publishing tools introduced in CS5.5. That said, there are some more subtle additions that will certainly benefit the designer everyday but whether or not it's worth upgrading for this alone is debatable. On a larger scale, it's a struggle to see how some of these tools will be implemented in larger organisations, where there are probably already very solid working practices in place.


The new tools in Adobe InDesign CS6 offer a lot of potential for the freelance designer working on smaller scale, short run or one-off projects - where the new alternate layout and re-purposing tools will probably prove to be very valuable. Quite whether Adobe understands the exact working practices of designers - especially those working on large multi-format publications - is another matter, but it has set out with the best intentions to make their lives easier. Unlike Photoshop, where there are a lot of amateur users who like to dabble, Adobe InDesign CS6 is predominantly a professional publishing tool, and Adobe has squarely aimed this latest update at the professional designer.
