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NAB Show: Major Update to Adobe Creative Cloud Includes Advanced AI, Enhanced VR Tools

A significant update to Adobe Creative Cloud (CC) has added several new features, including enhanced virtual reality (VR) tools and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) powered by the company’s Sensei AI and machine learning platform, according to Adobe.

The CC update was announced by Adobe April 3, ahead of this year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 7-12. Standout new features of the update were demonstrated to reporters in a virtual online news briefing just ahead of the announcement.

“Video is being used more and more as a means of communication across all types of communication — not only in industries where video traditionally plays the leading role, but also in companies where video is now emerging as a method of communication,” Laura Williams Argilla, Creative Cloud for Video director of product management, told reporters.

“We’re seeing, at Adobe, the interest in video is booming, and we are happy to supply excellent tools to cover those needs,” she said, adding: “We’re seeing that content creators are getting more opportunity to create content. But, at the same time this content opportunity is booming, we’re seeing that there are new challenges for those content creators.”

For one thing, “this new boom in creation brings a new time crunch as the creators are now being asked to build multiple versions of content for all types of distribution,” she said. “But the schedule for that content creation has shifted very little, meaning there’s more work required and less time to do it,” she noted. Therefore, “we need to devise more refined, streamlined workflows to help ease that crunch,” she told reporters.

The latest Adobe CC update, now available, provides video professionals with “new tools to automate and expedite time-consuming production tasks without sacrificing creative control,” Adobe said in a news release. Other features made available in the update include “powerful new capabilities for refining color, creating graphics and crafting audio, along with” improved collaboration and integration with Adobe Stock, it said.

As demand for video continues to grow, “the opportunity for content creators has never been greater but video professionals are faced with new pressure to deliver more work in less time while ensuring content stands out and meets high audience expectations,” according to Adobe. Creators must also “optimize for different platforms, ensure accessibility, meet required broadcast standards and deliver numerous versions of content across languages and regions,” it said in the announcement, adding: “This tremendous shift in the way video professionals work requires more refined and streamlined workflows to reduce time to production, giving video creators more time to focus on their craft.”

The “demands and pace of video content creation are reaching levels we’ve never seen before,” Steven Warner, Adobe VP of digital video and audio, said in the news release, adding: “The time pressure on video professionals means the need for powerful and efficient creative tools has never been greater. Adobe video apps like Premiere Pro and After Effects give them that power which, combined with the services available in Creative Cloud, provide broadcasters, media companies, filmmakers and YouTubers a complete ecosystem to bring their stories to screen faster than ever.”

Ranging from Hollywood to Sundance, feature movies to premium TV channels, an increasing number of industry-leading professional editors are using Adobe Premiere Pro CC to bring their creative visions to life, Adobe said.

Attendees at this year’s NAB Show will be able to get a more in-depth look at the new CC features and hear from industry experts at the Adobe booth (SL4010, in the South Hall in the Las Vegas Convention Center) and at more than 140 partner booths, the company said.

Highlights of the Adobe CC update include the ability to edit more powerfully with color and light in Premiere Pro CC. Powered by Adobe Sensei, users can now color match two shots with one click and apply editable Lumetri adjustments from one clip to another to achieve visual consistency in scenes and across whole projects. Also added was the ability to compare shots using the new split-view option.

Sensei-powered audio workflows, meanwhile, allow users to automatically adjust soundtrack audio around dialog, whether for a single clip or an entire project, via Sensei-enabled auto-ducking, now available in Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe said.

Users can also now add 360 degrees of creativity with improved tools for immersive content through Adobe Immersive Environment, now available in After Effects CC, “simplifying the immersive workflow to move more efficiently through clean-up and effects tasks,” the company said. There’s also new support for the Microsoft Windows Mixed Reality platform, offering a wider range of headsets to choose the best tools for the job, Adobe said.

Another highlight is Adobe Stock, which the company said now offers Adobe CC users “direct access to millions of curated” HD and 4K videos. Users can now select clips for establishing shots, “fill in the final gaps in projects, or enrich storytelling with visual variety,” Adobe said. Users can also now add polish to video content with professionally designed Motion Graphics templates, including animated titling and lower thirds graphics with editable effects and text.

Other highlights of the update include the ability to: create animation and graphics more quickly in After Effects CC; bring art to life faster with Character Animator; and collaborate more easily in Team Projects. Last, a learn panel for new users, available just a click away whenever needed, gives Premiere Pro beginners “a place to start with targeted tutorials that guide them through the foundational steps of video editing,” Adobe said.

Pricing for the latest version of Creative Cloud ranges from $9.99-$82.98 a month for individuals. For more information on pricing, visit https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html/. Multiple subscription plans for Adobe Stock are available at https://stock.adobe.com/plans.