Although Adobe increased the performance factor, and included a rather uniquely interesting and supremely useful tool named the Live Color tool, Adobe Illustrator CS3 is a bit of a let down even for die-hard Adobe fans. Sure the interface has been streamlined, but there’s remains this nagging feeling of disappointment. CS3 is an improvement over CS2 however it does not make any improvements in usability and how artists use the program.

With Illustrator CS3, Adobe attempts to take a small number of changes to the interface and build a new method for operating that will increase productivity. It does not fully succeed, however the new tools are still appreciated. The primary noticeable difference in design is apparent in the areas where artists and users used to simply use a substantial amount of guesswork and trial and error in order to follow lines, or make exact placements. Visually, CS3 helps in these areas.

Adobe also decided to mix and match interface elements from their Flash CS3 program. While it is a good idea to enable these two programs to communicate between each other more effectively, the manner in which Adobe executed this handshake is awkward at best, and at its worst just down right ugly.

Adobe Illustrator CS3 is definitely an improvement over the earlier incarnation, but not enough to go through the trouble of upgrading.