Adobe at NAB 2023: Major updates to Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Frame.io

Adobe has announced major updates to Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Frame.io, further expanding the performance and usability of its applications and services for videographers, video editors, and photographers.

Adobe Premiere Pro adds AI-powered text-based editing

Looking first at Premiere Pro, the popular video editing app has long utilized artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the workflow for its users. The newest version of Premiere Pro takes that even further with Adobe Sensei-powered text-based editing.

Adobe writes, "Text-Based Editing represents a groundbreaking shift in post-production workflows. Premiere Pro is the only professional editing software to incorporate Text-Based Editing, revolutionizing the way creators approach their craft by making video editing as simple as copying and pasting text. Powered by Adobe Sensei, Text-Based Editing automatically analyzes and transcribes clips so editors, producers, and assistants can simply copy and paste sentences into any order they want and instantly see them appear on the timeline. Transcripts can be searched in the transcript window to identify exact words and phrases."

Another key new feature is automatic tone mapping and log color detection. For editors working within an SDR timeline, it can be tedious to edit HDR video content to fit naturally with SDR content or even HDR content from other sources. Premiere Pro can now mix and match HDR footage from different sources into a single SDR project automatically, eliminating the need for LUTs and manual balancing.

These two major new features will be available as beta versions next month. Adobe has also introduced other improvements to Premiere Pro based on customer requests. For example, Adobe's developers have worked hard to make the newest version of Premiere Pro the fastest and most stable release ever.

To further improve workflow, the app features new background auto-save, system reset options, and an Effects Manager for plug-ins. The app also better utilizes GPU to help speed up different graphics-intensive processes. The app also includes new format support for leading cameras such as the RED V-Raptor X, ARRI Alexa 35, and Sony Venice v2.

Collaboration is an important focus for Adobe across its entire Creative Cloud suite. For Premiere Pro, new collaborative editing enhancements make it easier for primary editors to lock sequences, while the app itself does a better job showing when and where people are working, allowing users to work offline, and working with Frame.io to ensure security.

"Today’s creatives are racing to meet demand for standout video content across platforms and surfaces that is growing exponentially," said Ashley Still, Senior Vice President, Creative Product Group and Digital Media Growth at Adobe. "We are excited to help them meet these challenges with the latest cutting-edge Premiere Pro and After Effects innovations, empowering creative professionals to focus on the craft of creating, while cutting out time-consuming tasks that prolong content ideation, creation and delivery."

After Effects celebrates 30 years with new features

Adobe After Effects features a new Properties Panel to deliver users quick access to important animation settings in a single panel. The panel is context-sensitive, so it automatically adjusts based on what a user is doing within the app. Gone are the days of digging through layers of menus to access simple adjustment options.

The app promises improved performance, more keyboard shortcuts, and enhanced color consistency thanks to ACES and OpenColorIO integration.

Major Frame.io improvements aimed at Camera to Cloud users and still photography

Frame.io has long been an important tool for video creators, allowing people to collaborate together on content from around the world. Last year, Frame.io and Fujifilm announced that the X-H2 and X-H2S cameras would feature native Camera to Cloud integration, setting the stage for huge workflow benefits to Fujifilm users.

That integration is now officially available, plus, Frame.io has expanded its usability for still photographers in general. Further, Frame.io now natively integrates with Capture One, making the cloud service very appealing to studio photographers for whom Capture One is an important tool for tethered shooting, processing, and exporting image files.

As photographers shoot, they can automatically upload RAW, JPEG, and HEIF files to the cloud thanks to Frame.io, ensuring that their data is safe and enabling editors to begin working on files before the photoshoot is even over.

To make Frame.io useful for creative projects at large, the service now supports PDF files thanks to Adobe Acrobat integration. Frame.io is well-equipped to enable faster and more efficient workflows for projects with videos, photos, and documents.

To ensure security, Frame.io has added "forensic watermarking." This feature puts hidden data into your content, ensuring that if it's leaked or stolen, you'll be able to track content, even if it's screen recorded or recorded externally. The hidden markings don't obscure the original content either.