Acrobat X worth the upgrade?

And one more thing..if I have custom portfolio templates saved... If I buy acrobat x, will they get wiped out after I can done installing acrobat x...if not, will they still work in X.

In order..

1- That's entirely up to your needs. Acrobat X Pro has several new features (support for Office 2010, save to spreadsheet, etc) but also removes several features previously in APEX (geospatial, 3D and video transcoding, etc). Acrobat X Pro is closer to Acrobat 9 Pro in that sense.


2- 3D is still supported for viewing in Acrobat and Reader X. You can only embed U3D and PRC files using Acrobat X Pro - to embed any other 3D file format you must use a commercial add-on. The transcoding engine shipped with APEX is now sold separately by Tetra4D. 2D CAD files remain fully supported.



3- Adobe does not make detailed version penetration data for Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat available to the public. Unlike with Flash Player, collecting deployment data is extremely difficult as there are millions of copies of Reader supplied in offline OEM form (on product DVDs, pre-installed on laptops, etc.) which count as "seats" but may never be used; and there's no trivial way to detect what PDF software someone has when they visit a website. Although the numbers do exist, they're not of great use to people outside Adobe as what matters is what the people visiting *your* website use, not the global averages - and it varies dramatically.



4- Portfolios created in Acrobat 9 can be opened for *reading* in Acrobat X, but any changes to them other than drag-drop file additions will force you to update them to one of the pre-installed Acrobat X layouts. Your customization will not be preserved.

Thanks for the feedback...But If I have a flash object with a 3D feature that lets me spin an object and view all sides. I can embeded that to work like a 3D feature right?

Yes you can. Embedding SWF files is fully supported, as it was in Acrobat 9.

I say NO. Not worth the Upgarde. I tried the 30 day trail but uninstalled it early. The new way to email a pdf is not convenient (unless you use Adobe's SendNow service. Accounts start at $10/month). Even with all the new bells and whistles, that was a deal breaker for me.

SendNow Online is only one of the options available - you can still attach PDF files directly to email messages, and the free account on Acrobat.com allows you to upload and share larger files from within your web browser. All that's been removed from Acrobat X is the direct "Upload to Acrobat.com" feature, as the new structure of Acrobat.com workspaces makes it easier to use the web interface to assign permissions.

As you guessed, comparing Acrobat Pro 9 and Acrobat Pro X : there is more features removed than features added, especially for Mac users…

R.I.P. : organizer, legacy multimedia tools, create new PDF (from scratch), reorganizing icons in the toolbar, resizing Comments or Attachments panels, etc.

:-(

Organizer has been removed for sound engineering reasons. As discussed previously, evidence indicates that it was extremely rarely used.

Creating a new PDF is still possible - using the Insert Blank Page tool (shift-ctrl-Q or shift-cmd-Q) or by scripting a call to app.newDoc(). We've lost the annoying auto-generated text box so it's truly a blank page, on which you can put whatever you want.

The Quick Tools area is customizable by the user, but in Acrobat and Reader X the toolbar is not the primary repository for buttons as it was before - the Panes handle that, so it's not necessary to juggle masses of icons on the toolbar anymore.

It's true the Panes cannot be resized horizontally, though we'll see what the future brings. The attachments panel is a navigator (on the left side of the window) so can be resized, it just docks horizontally now instead of vertically - which is necessary to support the smaller widescreen displays in use today.

I know that, but I will be forever inconsolable.
;-)

This always create a "letter" sized PDF (even in localized versions), which is totally useless for the main part of the world.
And since this setting was removed from the Preferences…

Yes, so I'd decided to enhance my abracadabraTools with more new sizes when creating a new PDF (abracadabraTools X will be available soon…).
=> http://abracadabrapdf.net/articles.php?lng=en&pg=15Yes, I agree, this is the good news.
;-)

Who said that ?
For years I used to place the navigation arrow at the center of the toolbar, now they are placed on the left and cannot be moved… (this is not a lonely sample).
Such an improvement!
:-(

It's always difficult to reinvent the wheel.
;-)
Reordering tools panels should be a real improvement, as reordering icons inside each panel.

Yes, sorry (I'm using a localized Acrobat version) : I was talking about the Share panel.

"Insert Blank Page" collects the page size from the active document - when there isn't one it defaults to USL, which I agree is an oversight. It's supposed to collect the paper size from the Create from Web Page settings.

Creating blank documents isn't something every user will want to do (it's actually quite rare unless you're working with rich media or testing scripts). Adding a new submenu is a trivial task for those users who need it, and I've posted one on my blog for anyone who wants it.

I guess there is a bug somewhere because my CaptureWeb is settled to A4 size, and new docs are Letter sized...

Yes, exactly as my abracadabraTools.

;-)

well I am still can not make up my mind. But I am leading toward the upgrade now that I realized that all my acrobat 9 portfolios wont render right in Adobe Reader X, so any end user clients that upgrade to reader X wont see my portfolios that I created for them correctly. I feel adobe has kind of pushed us to upgrade in that perspective. However, I do like the new feature which incorporates sendnow service. I am able to send a fillable form and all the end user client has to do is click submit. This is perfect for me since we have a small family company and basically I am the IT guy which might be a little laughable.

I do have a question with the new sendnow submit service. If I upgrade to Acrobat X can I create a custom button that works with sendnow service (the free sendnow service, not the premium) instead of using the embeded one that is created in reader for the end user. I am afraid some of my clients wont be able to see it, and I rather it be at the bottom of the pdf file. Also, if I can do that, will the button still work with older reader versions?

Last Question: In adobe Reader X I am really suprise they removed the home button. I think alot of people will have a hard time navigation through a acrobat X portfolio in Adobe ReaderX. After you click on a file, its hard to see where you go back to the main layout of the portfolio. Is there any other option besides exitiing out the file at the top, can you add a button? Let me know if anyone has a created ideas.

SendNow Online is only accessible via the Share Pane, and we aren't able to provide information on how to customize that Pane yet. Remember that SNOL is a temporary file repository with quite complex authentication because of the subscription fees - you cannot post forms data to it from a submit button, but the recipient can send back the entire PDF via the Pane. For automated FDF-based forms data collection you should use Acrobat.com or your own server, and the distribute forms tools in Acrobat.

The navigation tools for PDF portfolios in Acrobat X and Reader X are not configurable, nor can you turn off the Reading Mode preview system.

Yes, "you can still attach PDF files directly to email messages' but it's cumbersome. It fees like Adobe is trying to make you to use SNO by making it more difficult to do otherwise. Forced selling a service is just not cool.

No, this is not true. It's the reverse.
A9' portfolios renders correctly in Reader/Acrobat X (but you need to Edit/change them to modify in Acrobat X)
AX' portfolios don't renders correctly in Reader/Acrobat 9.


I don't agree, AX adds some great improvement in Portfolios GUI.

;-)

The upgrade price to Acrobat X Pro is $199, from Acrobat X,9,8,7 Standard. See
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatpro/buying-guide.php

The upgrade price to Acrobat X Pro ALSO is $199, from Acrobat Pro Extended. I paid a lot of money for Acrobnat Pro Extended, now at 9.4.1, and I think doesn't make sense to pay the same price as if upgrading from Standard.

This Adobe pricing seems to me to be a ripoff!

Can anyone justify this kind of pricing?

Acrobat 9 Pro Extended (APEX) is a discontinued product, therefore the upgrade path to Acrobat X defaults to the same as the other Acrobat 9 versions.

It is true that Acrobat X Pro removes some features which you had in APEX (geospatial authoring, rich media transcoding, 3D file translation). The media transcoding features are now found within Acrobat X Suite, geospatial authoring is now the responsibility of GIS vendors, and 3D translation requires purchase of the plugin and support contract from Tetra4D. Substantial discounts are available for existing users of APEX to offset their initial investment.

UVSAR, You seem to have a pretty good grasp on the upgrade issues. So I have a question for you that I can't find an answer for on the Adobe website or in the FAQ. I have a copy of Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional, but it's not loaded on my new Windows 7 64 bit computer. If I buy an upgrade, I assume the old software needs to be loaded on the computer, but Acrobat 7 is not compatible with Windows 7 64 bit machines. I had it on a labtop with that config and kept getting errors and forced program shut-downs whenever I tried to run Acrobat. I could load it on the new computer for the sake of upgrading without actually using the 7.0 version. That's just context, my real question is can I upgrade Acrobat 7.0 Professional to Acrobat X Standard? The website and FAQ only address upgrading Pro to Pro or Std to Std.

Thanks for your help.

@dclarke1957
If you buy an upgrade you don't need to install the previous version on your computer, you just need to have the serial number handy because you have to enter it in the installation process.

Regarding your other question, I don't think it's possible to upgrade from Pro to Standard. But why not contact Adobe directly to get the official answer?

You can upgrade from Standard to Standard, and from Standard or Pro to Pro, but you can't go from Pro to Standard.