Adobe Updates Desktop Graphics Applications for Cloud

News
By Jon K. Carroll
published

It's the wave of the Adobe future

Adobe announced at Adobe MAX 2013 that it is ending its CS applications and going forward with the Creative Cloud. At the same time, it is also launching new versions of their applications: Photoshop CC, Indesign CC, Illustrator CC, Dreamweaver CC, and Premiere Pro CC.

Adobe Photoshop CC

Photoshop CC Has the cloud collaboration features mentioned in the article linked above and integration with Behance for sharing your work, plug the following new features:

  • Smart Sharpen- enhance details and edges but reduce the noise and halos normally associated with using Sharpen
  • Intelligent upsampling- blown an image up to larger resolution without inducing noise or blur
  • Extended for everyone- the features like working with video and 3d objects that were formerly only in Photoshop Extended are now included
  • Camera Raw 8 and Layers support- updated RAW importer gives new ways to fix perspective distortion, heal images, and create vignettes, and Camera Raw adjustments are now available as a filter that can be applied to players.
  • Editable rounded rectangles- rounded rectangles can have their corners edited, even independently, after creation
  • Multi-shape and path selection- select multiple shapes, paths, and vector masks at the same time
  • Camera shake reduction- analyzes the frame and removes blur caused by motion of the camera
  • Conditional actions- add if/then statements to Photoshop actions
  • Expanded Smart Object support- non-destructive Blur Gallery and liquify effects contained in smart objects
  • Improved 3D Painting- 'up to 100%' faster painting on 3d objects.

Adobe Illustrator CC

Illustrator also features Behance integration, and other new features:

  • Touch Type tool- allows type characters to be manipulated- scales, rotated, etc- while still a font so the characters can be changed later. Also allows multitouch devices to be use for this.
  • Images in brushes- use an image as a brush within Illustrator
  • Font Search- search for fonts by name or a portion of the name
  • Sync Fonts- Browse Adobe's online type library and download fonts from there for your project
  • Multiple File Place- import multiple files into illustrator and place them interactively
  • Sync Colors- capture colors and palettes from the real world using the Kuler iPhone app, then sync them and they will be available in IllustratorCC
  • Area and point type conversion- switch text back and forth between area and point type, including on imported text
  • Auto corners for pattern brushes- automatically generate corners for pattern brushes to make them seamless
  • Sync Settings- synchronize your Illustrator settings including presets, patterns, brushes, workspaces, etc, between systems through the cloud, even across platforms

Adobe Indesign CC

  • Faster performance- speed and stability improvements including native 64-bit support
  • Modern UI- UI revised to be consistent with Photoshop and Illustrator
  • HiDPI and Retina display support- support for high DPI displays like the Retina display on the current MacBook Pro
  • Sync Fonts- similar to the update for Illustrator above
  • Font search, preview, and favorites
  • QR code creator- creates vector QR codes that can be scaled, moved, etc
  • Sharing with Creative Cloud- Share and save projects and layers directly to the cloud, including the ability to recover previous versions

Adobe Flash Professional CC

  • 64-bit architecture- rewritten from the ground up for 64-bit compatibility
  • High-definition export- export your content with full HD video and audio, with no dropped frames
  • Improved HTML support- Better HTML5 support thanks to the updated Toolkit for CreateJS
  • Simplified user interface- streamlined used interface, dialog boxes and panels are more intuitive and easier to navigate
  • Real-time mobile testing- test your content on iOS and Android devices connected via USB
  • Powerful code editor- new code editor written from the open-source Scintilla library
  • Real-time drawing- instant full previews with fill ans stroke color as you draw
  • Timeline time-savers- manage properties across multiple layers in the timeline panel. Easily swap symbols or bitmap images on the stage. Select multiple objects on a layer and distribute them to key frames with a single click.
  • Unlimited pasteboard size- Easily manage large backgrounds or content that's positioned offstage with an unlimited pasteboard/work area.
  • Code profiling in Adobe Scout-Detect potential problems in your code earlier in your workflow by integrating with Adobe® Scout, a tool that offers advanced profiling and analysis of items such as CPU, GPU, memory use, and performance.

Adobe Dreamweaver CC

  • CSS Designer- Intuitive visual editing tool that helps generate clean web-standard code and let you quickly apply CSS properties such as gradients and box shadows.
  • Enhanced Fluid Grid Layout- Construct web designs and responsive layouts visually. The updated Fluid Grid Layout interface makes it a cinch to design projects that display on different screen sizes for desktop and devices.
  • Sync Settings- Log in to Creative Cloud from any computer sync & access your files, preferences, and site settings. You have everything you need to work on your web projects, whenever you need it, wherever you are.
  • Edge Web Font- Bring expressive text to the party. Use the vast and ever-growing Adobe Edge Web Fonts Library, powered by Adobe Typekit®.
  • Modern Platform Support- Author projects using HTML, CSS and Javascript.
  • Simplified User Experience- The modernized Dreamweaver CC interface is more intuitive with smoother workflows. Enjoy a lighter and faster application due to removal of outdated features.
  • JQuery UI Widget- Full visual support for jQuery UI widgets enhance your development workflow.
  • PhoneGap Build Support- Build and package native apps for Android and iOS with Adobe PhoneGap Build Support in Dreamweaver.

Adobe Premiere CC

  • Editing Finesse- Edit more easily and efficiently with a redesigned Timeline, intuitive track targeting, and dozens of helpful new shortcuts. Dupe-detection markers, through-edit indicators, and clearer labels to show start/end of media provide critical information at a glance. Source sequences can now be edited into other sequences without nesting, retaining all of their component tracks and clips. Speed up your workflow with handy new tools, such as Paste Attributes for copying effects from one clip to another.
  • Link and Locate- Modern productions are built on hundreds, if not thousands, of clips. Files are often moved, renamed, transcoded to various formats, or backed up to different storage locations. Link & Locate helps you track down your clips quickly no matter where they’ve moved, making media management faster— and your production pipeline that much more efficient.
  • Sync Settings- Take your workspace preferences and keyboard shortcuts with you when you move to a new machine, or start a new project with Sync Settings in your Creative Cloud account. Different editors can easily work on the same computer, simply by downloading their own preferences when they start, and uploading any changes at the end of their sessions. Postproduction facilities and broadcasters who use freelancers can count on maximum productivity as their artists get straight to work in a familiar editing environment.
  • Anywhere for Video Integration- Adobe Anywhere enables team members to work with files on a shared server—without having to download source material. Say goodbye to versioning problems. Make and review edits from any location. Assemble the best team for every project, regardless of geographic distance. Note: Adobe Anywhere for video requires a separate purchase and implementation.
  • Lumetri Deep Color Engine- Apply SpeedGrade color grades and sophisticated looks within Adobe Premiere Pro, thanks to the new Lumetri Deep Color Engine integration. Use the new Lumetri Looks folder in the Effects panel to apply rich, beautifully styled preset color grading effects as easily as adding a dissolve. Apply LUTs or exported SpeedGrade looks to clips or adjustment layers with the Lumetri effect.
  • Closed Captioning- Adobe Premiere Pro now supports closed captioning with a workflow designed for editors. Intuitively import, view, edit, and adjust positioning and layout of closed captions. When you’re done, export media with embedded closed captioning, or export closed captioning as a separate file.
  • Precise Audio Control- Take control of your sound with the Audio Clip Mixer. Adjust each clip independently for a perfect mix. Get hands-on with an audio control surface for precise control. A host of new real-time audio effects allow for even better sounding projects. Need more effects? You can use third-party VST3 plug-ins. On the Mac you can also use Audio Units (AU) plug-ins. The integrated ITU Loudness Radar from TC Electronic makes it easy to ensure that all your deliverables comply with new broadcast standards.
  • Sync Fonts- Sync Fonts – part of Creative Cloud – will change the way you work with type. Quickly find the perfect font from the growing library of Adobe Typekit fonts, sync it to your system, and have it immediately available for use.

Adobe After Effects CC

 

  • Refine Edge- Save time and get great results faster with the powerful new Refine Edge tool. Say goodbye to old-school frame-by-frame rotoscoping: use Refine Edge in After Effects CC to separate challenging foreground elements—such as frizzy hair or soft edges—from poorly lit or complex backgrounds. The Refine Edge tool creates high-quality matting results, so you can take your compositing to the next level.
  • 3D Workflows with Cinema 4D Integration- Save time and stay in the creative flow. Insert 3D objects directly into After Effects compositions thanks to the new Live 3D Pipeline with MAXON CINEMA 4D Lite, included with After Effects CC and Creative Cloud. The new Advanced Rendering engine allows you to composite C4D files within After Effects, including OBJ, FBX, and Alembic file formats. No more rendering and waiting every time you want to make an adjustment or just try out a new idea. Roundtrip edits and modifications between CINEMA 4D and After Effects are a snap, and any changes you make to the .C4D file are automatically updated in the After Effects project.
  • Sync Settings- Workspace preferences now travel with you, thanks to Sync Settings in your Creative Cloud account. Different artists can easily work on the same computer, simply by downloading their own preferences when they start their sessions. Postproduction facilities and broadcasters who hire freelancers can count on maximum productivity as their artists get straight to work in a familiar environment.
  • Anywhere for Video Integration (Coming Soon)- Adobe Anywhere enables team members to work with files on a shared server—without having to download source material. Say goodbye to versioning problems. Make and review edits from any location. Assemble the best team for every project, regardless of geographic distance. Note: Adobe Anywhere for video requires a separate purchase and implementation.
  • Warp Stabilizer VFX- You can smooth handheld footage, lock a shot—or part of your frame—automatically, and more with the new Warp Stabilizer VFX. Select stabilization points, edit and delete them throughout time, and preserve scale to fix tricky shots such as aerial fly-throughs. Warp Stabilizer VFX also allows you to reverse stabilize. Select objects within a scene to stabilize while leaving others unstable, or stabilize an entire scene to do detailed work such as painting or warping, and then artfully restore jitter to get exactly the shot you want.
  • Pixel Motion Blur- Create more dynamics in your compositions. Derived from the popular Timewarp effect, Pixel Motion Blur allows you to create the photographic illusion of movement by adding motion blur to your frames or to elements within them.
  • Sync Fonts- Sync Fonts – part of Creative Cloud – will change the way you work with type. Quickly find the perfect font from the growing library of Adobe Typekit fonts, sync it to your system, and have it immediately available for use.

Adobe Audition CC

  • Sound Remover- Easily remove specific audio elements with just a few clicks. Select a sample of the unwanted sound; Sound Remover will scan the entire clip and remove that element from the recording. Repair or restore dialogue and production audio and deliver brilliant results faster.
  • Preview Editor- Confirm your edits before you commit. Preview Editor offers a versatile new split-screen view where you can visually compare effects results and view multiple sections of a file simultaneously. For example, you can compare different regions of a clip or zoom in on a selection (without losing your place in the main window) to confirm time-stretching before applying changes.
  • Enhanced Multitrack Editing- New color coded tracks, automatic crossfades and clip merging, and many other enhancements make for an even more efficient multitrack environment. Clear and comprehensive clip handling, manipulation, and grouping tools save time by letting you craft large multitrack projects quickly, apply edits and effects to multiple clips, and easily organize audio within projects.

Several of the smaller Adobe desktop applications have also received updates, but these are the major highlights.

Pricing and Availability

The Adobe Creative Cloud line of desktop applications will be available exclusively through its Creative Cloud subscription program, which starts at $19.99 per month for a single application, and $39.99 per month for access to all of the creative cloud applications. Special rates are available for owners of CS3 and later. Adobe expects the CC editions of the applications to be available on June 17.

Jon K. Carroll
3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • ethanolson
    Subscription-only is an interesting idea. Good luck!
    Reply
  • DRosencraft
    When it comes to expensive software, subscriptions have potential to be effective alternatives so long as they avoid any egregious restrictions such as persistent internet connections. Even so, I'm not comfortable with the idea of having to download a bunch of programs from the Adobe Suite. Even with a subscription service, I would greatly prefer to have a disc to install from.
    Reply
  • bambiboom
    __For many, the cloud version of Adobe CS will seem attractive > there is not a need to spend $2,500+ all at once, the hardware performance and storage requirements may be substantially reduced,and updates and application management will be handled externally.
    __However, I definitely never will be floating on the Adobe clouds. This is for several reasons >
    _1. I tend to use CS applications in binges such that a continuous meter running is nonsensical. > This is because most of my time is spent in content creation in other applications such as AutoCad, Sketchup, Solidworks, and WordPerfect, and is combined with recorded sound and video and then CS is used to create presentations and proposals. I would never accept that the meter was continuously running on applications that might be used a couple of no hours in one month and a hundred the next and for which access would become denied if I didn't feed the meter. For me content creation = 95%, and CS=5%.
    _2. Importantly, I can't allow the CS content to be streamed and stored externally. Much of my CS work is based on technical / industrial designs and produced for clients that are very protective, Patent applications, academic communication, and as proposals to manufacturers. The chances of loss or viewing in transit or hacked in storage are impossible to completely exclude. It's not a paranoiac stetch to consifer that Adobe might monitor stored content, "in order to improve our service" or to "protect from possible errors". I imagine Adobe may find considerable resistance to cloud computing in the privacy and security realm. Some may recall past protest of the content relevant ads in google gmail- a sign of individual monitoring of email content and more recently, the notice of copyrighting and sale of Facebook images from which Facebook had to retreat. Remember all the call-outs of "FaceCrook" while it tries to intensify monetization.
    _3. I use CS4 and frankly do not use but a small portion of the capabilities, so access to updated versions and the cost is unnecessary.
    __I think many whose work with CS is not the final content and primary work, but rather a support to other creative content applications, will have similar objections to cloud-only CS. In my view, both ends- the binge user such as myself, the user who does not need the most advanced capabilities (me also), and the very serious user, the less likely they'll fly among the clouds. The bright part of this will be that just before to a few months after the time CS goes cloud-only there will be a spike in CS6 sales, but I predict a revenue drop for Adobe after a few months into the cloud-only era as users object to relinquishing control of important applications and especially their content. Adobe has for a long while produced applications far more elegant than Microsoft, more capable than Corel, and more integrated than anyone else, but they no longer have a monopoly on these qualities, and have significantly neglected certain areas of 3D applications, sufficient CAD integration and associated animation and rendering.
    __BB
    Reply