Adobe unveils 150 updates to video tools

Wow - Adobe are really getting our attention today! We were still reeling from the excitement of real-time asset generation coming to Photoshop CC, when the company hit us with another whammy - a major update to the video tools in the Creative Cloud.

More than 150 new capabilities are being added to After Effects CC, Premiere Pro CC, SpeedGrade CC, Prelude CC , Media Encoder CC and Story CC Plus, the company says. These updates, expected to come online next month, are explained in this video and will include:

• Mask Tracker for After Effects. This will enable video professionals to create masks and apply effects that track automatically frame-by-frame throughout a composition, to save countless hours of tedious work.

• A new Direct Link Colour Pipeline between Adobe Premiere Pro CC and SpeedGrade CC. This will provide an integrated workflow that allows users to move multi-track timelines seamlessly back and forth; open Adobe Premiere Pro CC sequences in SpeedGrade quickly; and enable you to see the results as effects in Adobe Premiere Pro CC that are managed by the Lumetri Deep Colour Engine.
• Expanded native support for UltraHD, 4K and higher resolutions, high frame rates and RAW formats, enabling editors to work with footage from the hottest new high-res cameras natively without having to wait to transcode and re-wrap files.
• More streamlined editing in Premiere Pro CC, with improved multicam, enhanced closed captioning capabilities, new monitor overlays and audio monitoring features.

• Performance enhancements including OpenCL support in Premiere Pro CC and new GPU delayering of the Cinema DNG file format for real time playback.
• Advanced colour grading, with the new SpeedLooks in SpeedGrade CC offering dedicated camera patches. This will enable users to match the colour spaces even across different camera formats. New multiple masks and linked mask layers capabilities will also enable SpeedGrade users more control over complex looks.
• New Sync Settings in Adobe Media Encoder CC means users will be able to sync application preferences between multiple computers via Creative Cloud.
• New production planning features in Adobe Story Plus will provide powerful scheduling and reporting tools for managing productions efficiently, making it easy to modify and share lists between productions and users

Updates are also planned to Adobe Anywhere, the modern collaborative workflow platform that enables users of tools such as Premiere Pro CC and Prelude CC to work together using centralised media and assets across standard networks. These include:

• Early access to After Effects CC Support. Adobe Anywhere now enables visual effects and motion graphic artists using After Effects CC to collaborate with other production team members without the need to learn new software.
• Growing File Support: Users can now edit media in Premiere Pro CC while it is recording to a file – a capability important for sports and live broadcasters.
• Complementary iPad App: Adobe is previewing an upcoming Adobe Anywhere iPad app, that enables users to view productions and play back sequences on the Anywhere server from the field or a remote location.

Adobe will demonstrate these new updates during the annual IBC 2013 Exhibition at its stand (Hall 7, Stand 7.G27) in the RAI Convention Centre, Sept. 13-17. Adobe professional video and broadcast tools will also be presented in more than 60 partner booths throughout the IBC exhibit.