This April, Adobe revealed many of the new features of Creative Cloud at NAB 2014, but that was for After Effects, Premiere, & the other video apps. It appears there's much more — over 1000 feature updates for 14 desktop apps, plus numerous mobile and cloud updates.
Note: If you don't see the 2014 updates, restart the Creative Cloud desktop application. The new versions (2014) install next to old versions, so plug-ins can be integrated when feasible. Plug-ins may not all work correctly and this let's you manage your migration to the new app; Todd Kopriva has explanations in migrating settings and plug-ins for After Effects CC 2014 (13.0).
Adobe Add-Ons are available as plug-ins, presets, HTML5 panels, and such (with a forum). The new After Effects HTML5 panel SDK & plug-in SDK is also available. Scripting update notes were already posted at the bottom of Todd Kopriva's new and changed detail notes. ProEXR v1.9 was released with After Effects CC 2014 (13.0); download for older versions from fnord software website.
There's a recording of the live launch and details in black & white below.
The Creative Cloud 2014 Video Reveal at NAB has already been detailed, including additional tutorials and reviews by others.
Here are the overall hightlights for the video portions of the release:
- Live AE Text Templates, Masking and Tracking (think witness protection effect), and enhanced graphics performance for 4K and beyond in Premiere Pro (team blog) (Help X summary)
- Per mask effects in After Effects (team blog)
- Key Cleaner effect and Advanced Spill Suppressor effect in After Effects
- more flexible Direct Links in SpeedGrade (team blog)
- better multitrack tools in Audition (team blog)
- better production planning with Adobe Story Free and Story CC Plus (team blog)
- faster shot logging with Adobe Prelude (team blog)
- expanded output options for final delivery using Adobe Media Encoder (team blog)
- separate Adobe Anywhere updates add Prelude CC rought cuts and Dynamic Link with After Effects to Premiere Pro CC editing
Additional details were posted later: After Effects and Mac OSX v10.10 (Yosemite) by Todd Kopriva and details of video preview with Mercury Transmit in the next version of After Effects by Tim Kurkoski.
Community questions on AE 13.0 (AE CC 2014) were answered by the AE team in the MoChat #88 Twitter session.
Adobe followed up quickly with a live webinar, Ask A Video Pro: After Effects for Editors on June 19, 2014 at 10:00 am – 11:00 am (Pacific Time). Watch the recorded session.
Creative Live has a free live event the same day, Adobe After Effects Starter Kit with Jeff Foster, from 9:00am – 4:00pm (PST). The rebroadcasts, and other for the general release, are part of a larger ongoing classes for members – but are free at certain times.
Here's just a few videos (more) on this release for After Effects and Premiere Pro, from Adobe, Josh Weiss, and Brian Maffitt of Total Training (project files) (more). Also, Lynda.com has updated many of their CC video classes, including those on by Chris and Trish Meyer.
Overall, the 2014 release of Creative Cloud aims to make everyday workflow better by addressing many industry shifts — even as heavy reliance on cloud computing remains a challenge for Adobe and others.
- Adobe is delivering all-new versions of 14 CC desktop apps, tightly integrated with cloud services, plus updates to Lightroom and Edge Reflow.
- To help provide more practical ways do serious work on mobile, there's new Creative Cloud-connected mobile apps and hardware that attempt to extend desktop workflows to mobile devices.
- To address “always-on” access, Adobe is introducing a new Creative Cloud service experience across desktop, web and mobile. Assets, colors, fonts, and community and collaboration should be available everywhere.
- Adobe is broadening offerings beyond creative pros to include non-pros with a new Creative Cloud plan for photography as well introducing a new iPhone app for Lightroom mobile ($10-per-month subscription).
With over 1000 new features for 14 desktop applications integrated with services via Creative Cloud, this is Adobe’s biggest general release since CS6 in spring 2012. Here are some of the highlights.
1. Performance boosts
- Enhanced Mercury performance in Photoshop CC: Upsample images up to 3 times faster now that the Mercury Graphics Engine delivers an OpenCL performance boost.
- Improved Mercury Playback Engine in Premiere Pro, with performance enhancements for top industry graphics architecture including improvements to OpenCL workflows, GPU debayer for RED media, and new support for Intel Iris.
- Even faster Mercury performance in Illustrator: Windows 7 or 8 + GPU acceleration provides 5-10 times faster rendering of vector graphics, along with accelerated pan and zoom.
- Adobe Muse CC now has 64-bit support.
For more on Photoshop, see Richard Curtis's Blog at Adobe, New Design Features in Photoshop CC, Including Typekit, Smarter Smart Guides, and More 2014 release of Photoshop CC: FAQ and Experimental Features Manager from Jeff Tranberry, Julieanne Kost collects the Adobe videos for the Photoshop release
2. Workflow efficiencies
- In Photoshop CC, you can link Smart Objects and share them across multiple documents, then automatically package the links into a single directory when you want to move a Photoshop file to another computer or share it.
- Live Shapes in Illustrator lets you quickly transform rectangles into complex shapes with a mix of rounded, inverted, or chamfered corners, and then return to the original rectangle with just a few clicks.
- Element Quick View in Dreamweaver CC allows web developers to easily see, navigate, and modify the HTML structure of pages, with a tree view that lets users click and drag to select, edit, and rearrange elements.
- News features in the video apps, originally previewed at the NAB show in April, include Live Text Templates in Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC, which give you the ability to edit text in After Effects compositions without leaving Premiere Pro.
See The top 5 new features in Illustrator CC 2014 from Creative Bloq and the Adobe Illustrator blog at Adobe.
3. Support for changing hardware and formats
- EPUB Fixed Layout in InDesign CC lets you easily create fixed layout digital books. See Peachpit's Top 5 Features of Adobe InDesign CC (2014 release).
- Native HTML video support in Edge Animate CC allows the direct import of HTML5-friendly video clips.
- Get even smoother strokes, the ability to pinch and zoom, and a more responsive experience on Windows 8 Touch devices like the new MSFT Surface Pro 3, and Wacom tablets, in Photoshop CC.
4. Adobe “magic”
- New Blur Gallery motion effects in Photoshop CC create a sense of motion, even if not originally captured on camera.
- Focus Mask in Photoshop CC lets you automatically select the in-focus (or out-of-focus) areas of your image to create a mask.
- They're also updating Lightroom (version 5.5) to support more camera format, and updating Edge Reflow (preview 8) with improved import from Photoshop CC; HTML and CSS export for use with code editors; and new support for local fonts.
5. Mobile Apps
- All of these are Creative Cloud connected apps, with access to files, colors, and more – just as if you were working on the desktop. For photo-related stuff, see Crank it up to 15: Introducing Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 at Adobe.
- Adobe Sketch (video down page), gives designers a connected creative process on the iPad, to explore ideas and gather feedback from trusted peers, from wherever they are and share their sketching work on Behance.
- Adobe Line, recreates the art of drafting for the iPad, combining organic drawing with beautiful straight lines and perfect shapes that can be drawn in plan and elevation views or in perspective. Line can be used in conjunction with Slide and reimagines traditional drawing tools like rulers, T-squares and shape templates for the mobile world, as well as giving creatives access to assets, Kuler themes, and the ability to share work.
- Adobe Photoshop Mix offers a new Creative Cloud connected mobile workflow that delivers access to powerful creative imaging tools on their mobile device – including Upright, Content Aware Fill, and Camera Shake Reduction. Mix your images and selectively apply “looks” to photos, and fully compatible with Photoshop CC. See CNET and video from Terry White (below).
Fast Company notes, “Adobe is releasing an SDK (software development kit) for mobile devices, which will let third party developers embed select Adobe technologies, such as Photoshop’s blur reduction or content aware fill, into their iOS apps. And all image processing will be handled by servers in the cloud rather than on your phone or tablet.”
6. Hardware
Adobe is also introducing two hardware products that connect Creative Cloud to Apple iPad. The pen, Adobe Ink (formerly known and Project Mighty) and the ruler, Adobe Slide (formerly known as Project Napoleon), redefine creative hardware for our connected digital age.
- Adobe Ink, a beautiful three-sided hydro-formed aluminum stylus for the iPad that enables controlled, expressive drawing and connects to Creative Cloud, giving users access to their creative assets – favorite drawings, photos, Adobe Kuler color themes and more – all at the tip of the pen. Built using the Adonit Pixelpoint technology, the fine-tipped, pressure sensitive pen is lightweight and balanced for a comfortable grip.
- Adobe Slide, the 3-inch companion to Ink, is a multifunctional digital ruler for the iPad. Taking a modern twist on traditional tools used before computer graphics and desktop publishing, Slide enables precision sketching – straight lines, perfect circles, and balanced shapes – on the iPad.
- Adobe Ink and Slide will be available for $199.99 for the pair. The hardware will be available in the US at launch and is expected to be ship in other regions later this year. See The Verge and overview from Engadget:
There's also a CreateNow Tour 2014 coming to cities that might be near you (check more if there's no main event near you).