I got an interesting e-mail from Adobe today, which I've pasted in its entirety below. The key message is this:"Adobe today confirmed that ... Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 and Adobe After Effects CS4 are the last versions to support 32-bit operating sy

Better buy 64-bit systems from here on out

I got an interesting e-mail from Adobe today, which I’ve pasted in its entirety below. The key message is this:

“Adobe today confirmed that … Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 and Adobe After Effects CS4 are the last versions to support 32-bit operating systems. Future versions will be native 64-bit applications which will run only on 64-bit operating systems.”

From my perspective, CS4 is pretty much unusable on a 32-bit system today, especially with AVCHD and other HD source videos, so I’ve already switched over most of my serious production to 64-bit systems. If Adobe keeps to their 18 month cycle, CS5 should be out sometime in early-2010 (CS4 was launched in September, 2008). If you buy a Windows-based system between then and now, you should definitely go 64-bit, or you’ll need to upgrade you system to run CS5.

Obviously, any current Mac system is already 64-bit, and I’ve had good results with 64-bit versions of Windows XP and Vista, though I still hate Vista with an unbridled passion normally reserved for the likes of Steve Spurrier and the University of Florida (being a Georgia Bulldog fan and all). Sigh, maybe Windows 7 will be better.

Anyway, Sony’s Vegas Pro is the first native 64-bit editor that I’m aware of; but I haven’t done (or seen) any 32-bit vs 64-bit performance comparisons. Given the GPU-related improvements in Apple’s Snow Leopard, I’m guessing that CS5 will also use the graphics processing unit (GPU) a lot more for common tasks like preview and rendering, hopefully on Windows and the Mac. Between native 64-bit operation and the GPU, we could be in for quite a performance improvement, especially over running CS4 on a 32-bit system. 

You can read more about CS4’s 64-bit vs 32-bit performance in this article entitied Adobe CS4 at 64.

Best.

Here’s the complete release:

Adobe today confirmed that after three full versions of simultaneous support for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 and Adobe After Effects CS4 are the last versions to support 32-bit operating systems. Future versions will be native 64-bit applications whichwill run only on 64-bit operating systems.

Adobe first introduced 64-bit support with Premiere Pro CS2 and After Effects CS2, and has further optimized and architected for 64-bit with each successive release. Most modern PCs are 64-bit capable: virtually all Intel-based Mac systems support 64-bit applications directly, and Windows users may select a 64-bit version of Windows to take advantage of the hardware capabilities. By focusing future Premiere Pro and After Effects development exclusively on 64-bit, Adobe will be able to deliver video professionals the best available performance, including increased editing speed, rapid switching among tools, and faster rendering—all of which give users more time to be creative.

Customers are being notified to provide fair notice of any changes regarding the operating systems and hardware supported by Adobe solutions. By announcing these changes now, Adobe customers will have time to plan their migration strategy accordingly. To assist in these efforts, Adobe has provided a free whitepaper on the benefits of running Adobe software on a 64-bit operating system today and in the future: http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/production/pdfs/cs4_production_premium_64bit_wp.pdf.

There is no change to Adobe’s other Creative Suite applications. Those who own Creative Suite 3 and Creative Suite 4 will still be able to use the software on 32-bit operating systems and Adobe does not plan to make any changes to support programs currently in place.
 
Please visit http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/production/faq/ for more details.
 
Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium
Launched in September 2008, Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium is available through Adobe Authorized Resellers and the Adobe Store at www.adobe.com/store.

About Jan Ozer

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I help companies train new technical hires in streaming media-related positions; I also help companies optimize their codec selections and encoding stacks and evaluate new encoders and codecs. I am a contributing editor to Streaming Media Magazine, writing about codecs and encoding tools. I have written multiple authoritative books on video encoding, including Video Encoding by the Numbers: Eliminate the Guesswork from your Streaming Video (https://amzn.to/3kV6R1j) and Learn to Produce Video with FFmpeg: In Thirty Minutes or Less (https://amzn.to/3ZJih7e). I have multiple courses relating to streaming media production, all available at https://bit.ly/slc_courses. I currently work as www.netint.com as a Senior Director in Marketing.

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