Update
2022-10-18T06: 48: 44.837Z
Hi, I'm Mark (Camera Editor at TechRadar), welcome to our live Adobe Max 2022 blog. Adobe's "Creativity Conference" has already kicked off in Los Angeles, but today is the big day for the software giant, and for everyone who uses its dozens of apps.
Starting at 9am PDT / 5pm BST (or 2am AEST on Wednesday the 19th), Adobe will broadcast its two-hour keynote, giving us a sneak peek of what's to come for software like Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro. and more. . .
But in the lead up to this big reveal, we're hoping to see Adobe make some teaser announcements about things it's going to reveal in full later on. So if you want to know what we expect to see in Adobe Max, and our first thoughts on the news as it progresses, stay tuned to this regularly updated live blog. We even promise not to mention the metaverse (well, we'll try).
2022-10-18T07: 14: 24.570Z
(Image credit: Figma)
So what exactly do we expect from Adobe Max 2022? I'm particularly fascinated by this year's event because apparently there are so many rivals eating Adobe's lunch, or at least stealing some of their fries.
First, there's Canva, an increasingly popular free graphic design tool that's expanding into new areas like video editing. It's one of the main reasons Adobe spent €20 billion on Figma last month (that's more than Facebook paid for WhatsApp in 2014).
Then there are text-to-image creators like Dall-E and Midjourney, not to mention Google, which is incorporating AI photo editing into its Pixel phones. So, with all of that in mind, I've rounded up the top five things I hope Adobe will see announced or discussed during the Max 2022 keynote later on.
2022-10-18T07: 32: 39.191Z
(Image credit: Adobe)
Prediction #1: Virtual Clay in Meta Quest Pro
Here's something that went a little under the radar during the Meta Connect event last week. Jump to 42:30 on Meta's keynote (opens in a new tab) and you'll see Mark Zuckerberg announcing that Adobe is building creative apps for the new Meta Quest Pro mixed reality headset.
Referring to Adobe, Zuckerberg said that "next year they will start releasing a suite of applications for professional 3D creators, designers and artists, from collaborative design reviews to Substance 3D Modeler using Quest Pro controllers."
The latter is something I think we'll be hearing a lot more of at Adobe Max. The sculpting software is now in beta and allows you to have fun with digital clay. It actually looks tailor-made for VR/AR headsets, unlike work meetings with weird legless avatars.
(Image credit: Dall-E)
Prediction #2: Adobe's response to Dall-E 2
I'm excited and a little terrified by the appearance of text-to-image creators like Dall-E 2 and Midjourney. These AI image generators seem to be getting better on a daily basis and it looks like Adobe needs to respond. After all, if the average person can just type and instantly receive world-class artwork or images, why bother with Adobe applications like Photoshop and Illustrator?
Of course, the likes of Dall-E are new tools, rather than substitutes for human creativity. But professionals already use Dall-E and Midjourney in their workflows, so it's a space Adobe can't afford to ignore. But what about his AI-generated sleeves? Hopefully we can take a look later.
2022-10-18T08: 27: 38.272Z
(Image credit: Frame.io)
Prediction #3: The expansion of Frame.io
A little over a year ago, Adobe spent $1300 billion on a video software service called Frame.io, which allows creative teams to upload, review and approve video footage remotely in the cloud.
Since then, this service has seamlessly connected with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects software, and Creative Cloud subscribers enjoy 100GB of free storage. But where will he go next?
Adobe is surely looking to expand its powers, given that it doesn't do much more than the original plugin. Hopefully, we'll see it properly realize its potential as a super-optimized video editing platform in Adobe Max 2022.
2022-10-18T08: 53: 31.080Z
(Image credit: Adobe)
Prediction #4: More AI for Lightroom and Photoshop
I have been blown away by the development of Adobe masking tools in recent years. Going through the last two Adobe Max conferences, we should see them improve today in Lightroom and Photoshop.
I already rely heavily on Lightroom's ability to automatically select a photo's subject or the sky, then let me refine that selection with a graduated filter. But there's room for Adobe to be even more granular here, perhaps by automatically choosing specific parts of someone's face to edit.
Or maybe Adobe Sensei could learn to bring me a beer while I spend more time tending to the color wheel.
2022-10-18T09: 49: 25.429Z
(Image credit: Adobe)
Prediction #5: Will “Photoshop on the web” be free for everyone?
Around this time last year, I was recovering from a fall from my chair when I learned that Adobe had finally made a web version of Photoshop. The awkwardly named "Photoshop on the Web" turned out to be less of a Photopea killer and more of a way for Creative Cloud subscribers to collaborate on Photoshop files.
But earlier this year, The Verge (opens in a new tab) noticed that Adobe was testing a free version in Canada, and since then we've seen the service grow into a more standalone version of the image editor.
Could Adobe go all the way and announce that “Photoshop on the Web” is completely free for everyone? That would certainly be a bold and very welcome statement.
2022-10-18T10: 22: 21.947Z
Photoshop Camera is a convenient way to achieve effects like this, but apparently a next-gen version is on the way. (Image credit: Future)
One more thing…
There's one more thing I'd like to see at Adobe Max 2022 (beyond an Oprah-esque giveaway from Creative Cloud to anyone watching the live stream). For some time, Adobe has been promising us a universal camera app that could act as a next-gen version of Photoshop Camera.
CNET recently spoke (opens in a new tab) with Marc Levoy (formerly of Google, now VP of Adobe), who said Adobe's new app will be for "photographers who want to think a little more carefully about the photo they're taking." and they are ready to interact with the camera a little more while they are taking it.”
Specific details are scant, but Levoy said Adobe is working on a "feature to remove distracting reflections from photos taken through windows," among other tricks. Apparently the app will be here in "the next year or two", so could we get a preview of Adobe Max 2022? I hope so, because it's unlike any camera or photo editing app out there today.
2022-10-18T10: 42: 56.513Z
So how can you sign in to Adobe Max 2022 later? Like last year, there's a YouTube livestream that's free for everyone: It's up there, and the keynote starts at 9am PDT / 5pm BST (or 2am).
The keynote is scheduled to last two hours, so expect a deluge of Adobe-related information. But if Adobe Max 2022 is anything like years past, we expect to see news long before the main presentation begins.
2022-10-18T11: 18: 20.538Z
Adobe Product Manager Scott Belsky (opens in a new tab) shared a little behind-the-scenes of setting up Adobe Max live streaming. It's confirmed: squirrels will appear, as well as a "glimpse of the future."
There have been some really big moments in Adobe Max in recent years: the arrival of Photoshop on the iPad, the arrival of the web versions of Illustrator and Photoshop. Are we going to have something that big in Adobe Max 2022? We will know very soon.
Behind the scenes with the team today in preparation for tomorrow's #AdobeMAX, showcasing the latest in each creative category, plus a glimpse into the future. https://t.co/jlJ0uDEzmy to join us… 😎 pic.twitter.com/CzATifKR9gOctober 17, 2022
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2022-10-18T11: 53: 24.240Z
(Image credit: Adobe)
The recent release of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements 2023 gave us a good idea of what might be coming to Adobe Max 2022 for its full subscription versions.
These one-time, reduced purchases are for AI-powered features only, including auto-cropping and guided edits. Outside of its neural filters, Adobe's primary use of machine learning has been to speed up the editing process for creators at all levels.
This will probably be a great Adobe Max 2022 theme and that's fine by me: more time to develop my creative vision* (*read bubbles and meaningless scrolling on Twitter).
2022-10-18T12: 37: 55.995Z
(Image credit: Meta)
As a photographer, there is no doubt that today's expected updates to Lightroom and Photoshop will make the biggest difference in my life, but what interests me most about Adobe Max 2022 is Adobe's vision for mixed and virtual reality headsets.
I'm still not sold on most of the apps we've seen so far for VR/AR headsets, especially virtual business meetings with legless cartoon avatars. I just don't see this as the future, or a future I want to be a part of.
But the potential for creative applications, especially 3D modeling, is huge, and Adobe providing the software to gradually improve the hardware could give it the boost it needs. It also feels like another crossroads moment for Adobe, like its shift to cloud-based subscription models a decade ago.
2022-10-18T13: 03: 13.468Z
Alright, Adobe just fired off a confetti gun ad Max ahead of the live stream later, and there are a few headlines among the many updates. Let's take stock of the great news that has just been announced.
2022-10-18T13: 10: 40.117Z
Adobe Max news #1: Adobe jumps into VR/AR with Meta Quest apps
As Mark Zuckerberg hinted at last week's Meta Connect event, Adobe…
