Just announcing a new Tech Comm Suite might have been enough for Adobe, but just as the DITA architects are integrating learning and training into DITA 1.2, Adobe is making a powerful move into eLearning with the announcement of a new tool suite aimed directly at learning and training.

Adobe Captivate already had a great presence on the desktops of eLearning developers. Captivate has great testing capabilities, with randomized questions and answers, as well as question reuse from a question pool. The range of question types is as broad as any tool: true/false, multiple choice, multiple response, matching, sequence, drag/drop, hotspot, fill in a blank, short answer, and likert (ratings). It has separate feedback and actions for multiple incorrect answers. When you record in Captivate, it simultaneously creates a demonstration, a software simulation, and an assessment file. Each of these can then be edited and published separately, a terrific time saver. It exports files as industry-standard XLIFF, for easy localization.

Now Adobe has wrapped Captivate in an Adobe eLearning Suite. Once again, integration means easy switching from one tool to another as your work requires.

For authoring, eLS includes Captivate 4, Presenter 7 (to quickly enhance Powerpoint presentations), Dreamweaver CS4, and Photoshop CS4). For post-production,

So integration means things like Photoshop layers that are preserved in Captivate, allowing you to animate the layers separately.

And the new point release of Captivate means powerful new features like single SWF file publishing, text-to-speech conversion, a drawing toolbar for simple graphics, enhanced project templates, and round-trip PowerPoint workflows, which let users import and edit PowerPoint slides with audio and interactivity.

The new point release of Dreamweaver includes the Dreamweaver CS4 CourseBuilder extension. Course designers can use Dreamweaver CS4 to directly create HTML-based eLearning modules, complete with assessments, by utilizing standard question types. Using a new Shared Courseware Object Reference (SCORM) packager, designers can also combine Captivate 4, Flash CS4, Dreamweaver CS4 and Presenter content into a single course.

Once the initial content is authored, Adobe has added tools to combine and polish the material, like Adobe Bridge CS4 to collect the assets together, Adobe Photoshop CS4, for images, Adobe Flash CS4 for animation editing, and Adobe Soundbooth to enhance the final audio.

And when you are ready to publish,the eLS includes Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro and Adobe Device Central to design, preview, and test your eLearning content for viewing on more than 600 mobile device screens.

Adobe Captivate Reviewer is a special Adobe AIR application that lets learning professionals capture reviewers’ feedback regardless of their operating system and insert comments directly into an Adobe Captivate SWF file.

If you aren't equipped with a Learning Management System to accept the SCORM-compliant output from eLS, you still have many low-cost distribution options including SWF, HTML, PDF, and AVI. You can also consider Adobe Connect Pro (sold separately).

The estimated street price for the eLS is US $1799. Adobe Captivate 4 as a standalone product will cost US$799.