Creative software giant Adobe continues to push the boundaries of generative AI with a range of new products and features, showcased at its annual Adobe MAX conference in Los Angeles. Despite facing criticism in the past for its use of contributors’ work without proper compensation, Adobe remains committed to embracing AI technology and its potential for enhancing user experiences.
New AI Products and Features
Adobe has introduced several exciting additions to its AI lineup, including the highly anticipated “Firefly Image 2.” This improved version offers enhanced prompt understanding and greater photorealism, bringing it on par with other leading generative AI models like Midjourney and OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 integrated into ChatGPT Plus. While Firefly 2 lacks built-in typography capabilities, it compensates with unique enterprise-grade features.
- Generative Match: This new feature allows users to generate imagery in a particular style by either selecting images from a pre-selected list or uploading their own reference image. It simplifies the process of maintaining a consistent look across assets and meeting brand guidelines.
Adobe’s introduction of Generative Match intensifies the rivalry between Adobe and Canva, a popular choice among marketers and communications professionals. Canva recently announced its own AI-powered Magic Studio, featuring a similar style transfer feature called “Magic Morph,” a writing-driven feature called “Brand Voice,” and a text-to-video GenAI feature in partnership with startup Runway.
Not to be outdone, Adobe unveiled the “New Firefly Design Model,” which empowers SMBs and enterprises to generate stunning design templates instantly for use in print, social media, and online advertising. Adobe has teamed up with NVIDIA to make Firefly available as APIs in NVIDIA Omniverse, streamlining workflows for developers and designers.
Innovation for Enterprise and Copyright Protection
Adobe addresses the needs of enterprises and aims to protect copyright with its latest offerings:
- Content Credentials: Firefly Image 2 introduces a labeling mechanism that applies metadata to generated imagery, indicating whether it was AI-generated or based on a reference image. This helps discourage unauthorized use and provides transparency.
- GenStudio: Adobe’s new program allows companies to customize and fine-tune Firefly for their specific needs, with strict governance and security controls to ensure content stays within the organization.
In its ongoing commitment to copyright compliance, Adobe specifies that Firefly Image 2 is trained on licensed and public domain content with expired copyrights. Moreover, Adobe is among the few companies offering AI tools with indemnification, providing compensation or defense for users facing claims related to the use of AI tools.
Preview of Exciting Projects
As part of Adobe Sneaks, Adobe showcased several upcoming projects that leverage generative AI:
- Project Stardust: This object-aware photo editing feature enables users to manipulate objects within an image, change their colors and positions, and automatically enhance the resulting image for a professional look.
- Text to Vector Graphic: Adobe Illustrator now includes an image generator that instantly provides a range of vector images based on a text prompt. This simplifies designing assets for digital devices, as vector images can be resized without losing quality.
- Project Fast Fill: Adobe’s Generative Fill from Photoshop becomes available for motion graphics in Premiere Pro and After Effects, allowing for easy and automated editing of dynamic visual elements.
- Project Dub Dub Dub: This project aims to automatically dub audio or video into multiple languages while preserving the speaker’s voice, presenting competition for startups like ElevenLabs and Captions.
- Project Scene Change: Video editors can seamlessly combine videos from various cameras using algorithmically generated camera motions, creating a smooth transition between different source footage.
- And many more exciting projects!
While these features are currently in preview, they are likely to make their way into active Adobe software in the future.
Despite facing criticism and controversy, Adobe remains dedicated to AI integration across its Creative Cloud offerings. The company believes that AI technology has the potential to revolutionize the creative software industry, empowering users to create exceptional visuals while respecting copyright and ensuring a seamless user experience.
