Tag Archives: Creative Suite

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Adobe Unveils AI-Powered Enhancements in Illustrator and Photoshop

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Adobe has unveiled a wave of groundbreaking new features for its flagship applications, Illustrator and Photoshop. These advancements leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to empower designers and photographers with innovative tools that streamline workflows and unlock new creative possibilities.

New in Illustrator: A World of Creative Possibility | Adobe Creative Cloud

The latest updates prioritize AI integration, aiming to enhance efficiency and productivity for users. A key highlight is the introduction of Generative Shape Fill (beta) in Illustrator. This innovative tool utilizes the power of Adobe Firefly, a machine-learning framework, to generate intricate and detailed vector shapes based on user input. Users simply describe the desired shape with text prompts, and Generative Shape Fill automatically delivers a range of options. This eliminates the need for manual creation, saving designers valuable time and effort.

AI-Powered Image Editing

Photoshop also benefits from the inclusion of AI features. The Generate Image tool, powered by Adobe Firefly Image 3, allows users to create entirely new images based on text descriptions. This opens doors for creative exploration and rapid prototyping, enabling designers to visualize ideas more quickly and efficiently.

Enhanced Selection and Adjustment Tools

adobe photoshop selection brush tool

The updates extend beyond AI. Both Illustrator and Photoshop boast improvements to existing tools. Illustrator features enhanced selection tools for more precise object manipulation. Photoshop gains a new Adjustment Brush tool, providing users with greater control over adjustments applied to specific areas of an image. These refinements streamline the editing process and allow for more nuanced creativity.

Empowering Creators with Accessibility

Accessibility remains a core focus for Adobe. The new features are designed to be user-friendly and cater to a diverse range of skill levels. Program Akar, a new initiative by Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet) powered by AWS re/Start, was also announced alongside the Adobe updates. This program aims to equip Malaysians with essential cloud computing skills, fostering a future workforce prepared to utilize these cutting-edge design tools.

photoshop generate image

The development of these AI-powered features reflects Adobe’s commitment to collaboration. Generative Shape Fill in Illustrator is powered by the latest Firefly Vector Model, highlighting teamwork between Adobe’s research and development teams. Program Akar, meanwhile, exemplifies a successful industry partnership between PayNet, AWS, and WEPS, ensuring accessible training for aspiring designers.

Business

Canva Acquires Affinity Becoming A Viable Rival for Adobe’s Creative Suite

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We’re all familiar with Canva, the app that blew up during the pandemic as more and more of us needed to find ways to keep communication interesting. Well, that app’s parent company, Canva, is looking to take on Adobe with its latest acquisition – Affinity. Affinity, formerly known as Serif, makes one of the most popular alternatives to Adobe’s Creative Suite and the best part? Affinity’s offerings are available for a one-time fee. The acquisition sees Canva acquiring Affinity for a reported USD$380 million.

Screenshot 2024 03 27 at 18 23 13 Welcome to Canva Affinity!

Canva’s acquisition of Affinity gives it access to Affinity’s suite of design apps including Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Publisher. All of these apps received their major v2 updates recently. That said, Affinity’s suite of apps expands on Canva’s market. Where the company was looking at targeting the majority of users who do not have design know-how with its own app, it can now cater to design professionals. As of reporting, Canva itself has over 100 million active users while Affinity brings a user base of over 3 million. The suite of apps also allows it to compete with the likes of Adobe which is arguably the largest design software company in the world.

For now, it has been indicated that the 90 people in Affinity will be joining Canva. Canva and Affinity have yet to announce any plans on how the apps will be integrated moving forward. As of now, it seems like everything is more or less status quo. However, it has been indicated that there will be some integration between Canva and the Affinity suite in the near future. With this acquisition, Canva becomes one of the most complete options when it comes to design software in the market.

It’s worth noting that Canva did create some waves when it first launched back in 2013. With its initial offering, the company also spurred companies like Adobe to create a new offering like Adobe Express that takes on the platform directly. It looks like the tables have turned with other competitors.