Technology

Adobe Announces 14 New Versions of Creative Cloud Apps

Adobe_2014_CC_Release[1]One of the most compelling reasons to subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud is that it provides continuing access to new features and apps. This is more important than ever, now that so many creatives are expected to be proficient in more than one discipline.

Today, Adobe announced 14 new versions of CC desktop applications, including Adobe Photoshop CC, Adobe Illustrator CC, Adobe Dreamweaver CC and Adobe Premiere Pro CC. The biggest Adobe software release since CS6, it also includes four new mobile apps, the immediate availability of creative hardware, updates to Creative Cloud services and new offerings for enterprise, education and photography customers.

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Yesterday, Adobe announced that there are now over 2.3million Creative Cloud subscriptions. This far exceeds original projections when Adobe unveiled Creative Cloud two years ago.

“Our shift to Creative Cloud has given us a broad canvas on which to innovate like never before,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president, Digital Media, Adobe. “We’ve taken bold steps with this milestone release, fast-tracking new features to industry-defining tools like Photoshop and InDesign, while introducing mobile apps that turn tablets into indispensable creative tools.”

The release serves a creative industry that is changing at a staggering pace. According to a new report “The New Creatives,” three in four creative professionals believe the industry has changed more in the past five years than the previous 50. About two thirds believe their role will significantly change in the next three years. Creatives cited new technologies as the top driving force behind the rapid change.

Mobile Apps Extend CC Desktop Workflows

Adobe launched three new mobile apps for iPad – Adobe Sketch, Adobe Line, and Adobe Photoshop Mix. They also began shipping new creative hardware called Adobe Ink, a new digital pen, and Adobe Slide, a new digital ruler. The mobile apps were developed using a new Adobe Creative SDK that unlocks over 30 years of Adobe innovation and makes it available on mobile devices for the first time.

These new apps are professional- grade quality but easy enough for anyone to use, similar to the recently launched Lightroom mobile for photographers and Adobe’s new animated video app for storytelling, Adobe Voice, which were also updated with this release. These powerful, yet easy-to-use apps add significant mobile capabilities to Creative Cloud, integrate workflows with the CC desktop apps and bring tablets into serious creative workflows for the first time.
New Versions of CC Desktop Apps

Beyond mobile innovation, the 2014 release of Creative Cloud includes dozens of new features in CC’s 14 desktop apps. (See the press release for specific details.)

The new CC desktop apps, mobile apps, and hardware are tightly integrated through Creative Cloud services. This integration helps liberate the creative process by enabling users to access and manage everything that makes up their creative profile – their files, photos, fonts, colors, community and more – from wherever they work.

Also introduced today is the new Creative Cloud app for iPhone and iPad that allows users to access and manage their files, assets, and more from their mobile device.

New CC Offerings For Enterprises, Educational Institutions, and Photographers

Adobe Creative Cloud for enterprise is an offering designed specifically for large-scale software deployments that works with other Adobe enterprise offerings such as Adobe Marketing Cloud, Acrobat, Adobe Anywhere, and Adobe Digital Publishing Suite. Updates include more services with collaboration and file storage, expanded options for deployment, and a new dashboard for managing users and entitlements.

For education, Adobe now has a device-based licensing offer for classrooms and labs, which allows multiple users to access software on a single device rather than tying it to an individual with an Adobe ID. This is critical in an environment where students come and go.

And for photography customers, Adobe has introduced a new Creative Cloud Photography Plan for $9.99 per month. Designed for anyone interested in photography, the new plan brings together Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5, as well as Lightroom’s mobile apps on the iPad and iPhone.

AdobeLightroomforTablet

Pricing and Availability

Today’s updates to CC desktop tools are immediately available for download by Creative Cloud members as part of their membership at no additional cost. The new mobile apps are free to everyone.

To join Creative Cloud, special promotional pricing is available to existing customers who own Adobe Creative Suite 3 or later. Membership plans are available for individuals, students, teams,educational institutions, government agencies and enterprises.

LINKS

Press Release: Adobe Announces All New 2014 Release of Creative Cloud

Free trials of CC desktop apps

Pricing

Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan

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Museum Exhibit Will Raise Public Awareness of 3D Printing

MOSI_3D-print-vert-rgbAn upcoming exhibition at the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) in Tampa, Florida looks like a terrific opportunity to get a better understanding of everything that is happening in the fast-developing field of 3D printing.

MOSI is a not-for-profit institution and educational resource dedicated to advancing public interest, knowledge, and understanding of science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM).  Starting June 14, they will host an exhibition entitled “3D Printing the Futurel” The exhibition will illustrate how 3D printing has the potential to reshape how we live, work, and play.

3D Printing the Future will include 3D-printed objects, live demonstrations, plus an in-depth look at how 3D printing technology works and how it can be used. At the exhibition, you will see 3D printers in action as you walk through immersive exhibits focusing on various applications of 3D printing.

3D Medicine: See 3D-printed medical objects, including 3D-printed body parts and prosthetics, and learn how 3D printing is revolutionizing the world of modern medicine.

3D Science & Technology: See how 3D printing is helping scientists and researchers working in some of the most remote places on Earth. Learn how 3D printing is being used to help solve crimes, build cars and houses, and send replacement tools to astronauts in space.

3D Archaeology See how archaeologists are using 3D scanning and printing to bring ancient artifacts to life in surprising detail and advance our understanding of ancient people, places and animals.

3D Everyday: Discover everything from 3D-printed furniture and toys to 3D-printed fashion and jewelry. This section will illustrate modern conveniences that 3D printing can provide in the future, such as being able to print a replacement part for a dishwasher or an extra place setting for unexpected dinner guests. See how the fashion industry is embracing 3D printing to create clothing, jewelry and accessories that are tailored just for you.

Hands-On 3D Workshop: In this area, you can draw with the world’s first 3D printing pen, and bridge the gap between the real and virtual worlds by building with 3D-printed Minecraft blocks. Families can even take part in an interactive story featuring 3D-printed models. This fun, imaginative story time will offer a glimpse of new ways to tap into the imagination of children through tangible story-themed play that they can design and print out.

3D Live Showcase This live stage show will feature a variety of fun and fascinating demonstrations, including interactive scanning, a 3D Music Jam Show with actual 3D-printed instruments, and step-by-step walk-throughs of the 3D printing process. This show celebrates the fruits of creativity and the “maker movement” using 3D printing.

LINKS

www.mosi.org.

Holiday Video Shows Creative Possibilities of Digital Printing and Cutting Devices

It’s magic! Roland inkjet printers and cutting equipment come alive after midnight to deck the halls of Roland DGA headquarters in Irvine, California.

What a fun way to show the wide range of products that entrepreneurs can make with Roland products and a little imagination.  Happy Holidays!

Roland DGA Corp.is the U.S.-based marketing, distribution and sales arm of Roland DG Corp. in Hamamatsu, Japan. Roland provides large-format printers, printer/cutters, vinyl cutters, rotary engravers, benchtop milling machines, and 3D scanners for use in making signs, digital graphics, vehicle wraps, fine art prints, photo prints and gifts, packaging, awards, labels, and 3D models.

LINKS

Roland DGA

Roland Creative Center

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App Makes It Easy to Blend iPhone Photos and Video Into Narrated Stories

explory_logo_blackIf you need a fast way to produce explanatory videos for your blog or website, check out Explory. It’s a new app for iPads and iPhones that lets you blend images and/or video clips right on your phone. Adding narration is as easy as talking on your phone.

Explory offers an easy way to make “how-to” videos or tell “behind-the-scenes” stories about photo shoots, your art or design project, or research for your book project. You could use it to create promotional videos, document special events, or tell the stories behind selected projects in your portfolio.

“Many of us want to share experiences that are more in-depth than what can be conveyed with a single photo or a six-second video clip. At the same time, few people want to take the time and effort required to edit a video,” said Peter Goldie, one of the founders of Explory. “Explory makes it fun for anyone to quickly create rich, interactive stories, right on their phone.”

Even better, your audience can control the pace at which they view the story and the level of detail they want to explore.

“I’ve been having a lot of fun with Explory, sharing stories with family and friends. It’s easy to use and creates great results quickly. I know my clients are going to be excited to use this to craft their business stories in a compelling and cost effective way. It’s really the next evolution of corporate video,” said Chuck Easler, owner of Easler Communications.

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Creating a story with Explory is simple and fast. The “Story Ideas” feature automatically creates stories for you by analyzing the time and location data of photos and videos on your device. Just edit the draft, dictate some narration, and add text and music if you wish.

Or, you can start with a blank canvas and pick content from your photo library. You can also choose to use Explory’s camera to record a story as it happens.

Each story can be as long as you wish; you are not limited to short video clips. You can zoom in on high resolution photos, and play high quality video without aggressive compression.

Explory’s blended media story has a “play” button, but it’s not a traditional video: it’s interactive. Explory allows viewers to easily swipe ahead to skip sections, or explore details that would not normally be part of watching the main story. Your stories won’t bore anyone because they choose the length!

ExploryPizzaRecipeExplories can also be embedded in a Web page or blog, just like a traditional video. Or, you can share your “explories” privately with friends and family via email, messaging, and social media.

If you publish your “explories” publicly in the Explory gallery, people don’t need the Explory App to view your stories; they can use a mobile or desktop Web browser.

Explories are stored in the cloud and optimized for playback on your device. You can share your story immediately and continue to refine it over time. Explory’s cloud synchronization feature lets you work on the story from multiple iPhones and iPads.

Potential Uses

Creative pros will undoubtedly find all sorts of ways to use Explory — either to tell their own stories or to tell stories for their clients.

The creators of Explory envision that “makers” will use the app to share step-by-step, how-to instructions for assembling, repairing, or cooking. Digital journalists can use Explory to quickly assemble a story that combines photos, videos, and audio. Small businesses that don’t have the time, skill, or money to create corporate videos can use Explory to demonstrate products, answer frequently asked questions, or provide technical support.

The app is also being promoted as a tool for students, educators, people who want to share special moments in their lives with family and friends, or anyone who wants to describe the world around them and share it with others.

Explory is a free download in the Apple App Store. It requires an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 6 or better. Once you’ve installed it, tap on “Story Ideas” and see your stories! If you want more than the 50 MB free storage Explory provides, you can sign up for a month-long or annual subscription.

LINKS

Explory

 

International CES Features 3D Printing Conference Track and Tech Zone

CESLogoThe scope of the International CES conference and expo extends well beyond everyday electronics such as TVs, tablets, audio systems, cameras, and gadgets.

The 2014 International CES (January 7-10) in Las Vegas will showcase how connected technologies are changing the way we run our homes, drive our cars, educate our children, monitor our health, care for the sick, buy things in stores, play games, and watch videos. Tech zones will include areas devoted to robotics, fashionware, fitness technology, digital health innovations, and 3D printing.

The 3D Printing TechZone will showcase the various additive manufacturing processes that are being used in making prototypes in the medical, aerospace, engineering, and automotive industries as well as the more compact 3D printers that are making the process more accessible to makers and consumers.

3DPrint_SponLogoA Conference Track entitled, “Don’t Believe the Hype? 3D Printing Uncovered” is being organized by experts from TCT Magazine and Personalize.

Personalize is a web portal that delivers 3D printing news and printable designs to consumers. TCT Magazine is a leading source of business intelligence on industrial 3D printing. They have been covering the topic for more than 20 years. The editors of TCT magazine note that “3D printing is an overnight sensation that has been around for 30 years. Consisting of tens of technologies processing hundreds of materials, there’s more to it than meets they eye.”

The 3D Printing Conference track at CES will bring together thought leaders, 3D printer manufacturers, champions of 3D printing-related businesses models, and industrial super-users of 3D printing processes.

Speakers will include:

  • Avi Reichental, CEO of the 3D printing equipment manufacturer 3D Systems,
  • Clement Moreau, CEO of the Sculpteo 3D printing service, and
  • TCT columnist and technology consultant Todd Grimm.

Other Programs of Interest to Creators

Sometimes, the disruptive impact of emerging technologies can difficult to predict. Many of the conference sessions are less about the technologies, and more about the types of changes they might bring.

For example, one session will focus on how Hollywood is being affected by the world of always-connected, always-on media and the ability to watch video whenever and wherever we want. Another session will examine how mobile photography on smartphones and tablets has affected photography-related businesses.

A session entitled “The Roar of the Crowd” will examine how crowdfunding through sites such as Kickstarter to deviantArt is changing how content is funded, created, and curated.

Other session titles include:

  • Merging Content with New Technologies
  • The Digital Copyright Debate: What Needs to Change?
  • YouTube: Unlocking the Power of Programming, Premium Content, and Advertising
  • The Future of Gaming
  • The Smartphone/Tablet Economy
  • The Multiscreen Universe
  • Redefining the Relationship Between the Consumer, Advertising, and Media Platforms
  • The State of Digital Music
  • Impact of the 3D Printing Revolution
  • The Power of Co-Creation and the Maker Revolution

International CES

The International CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Held in Las Vegas every year, it has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for more than 40 years—the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace.

CES showcases more than 3,200 exhibitors, including manufacturers, developers and suppliers of consumer technology hardware, content, technology delivery systems and more; a conference program with more than 300 sessions; and more than 152,000 attendees from more than 150 countries.

LINKS

2014 International CES

Follow CES on Social Media

CES TV

 

Report Examines Future of Museums in Digital Age

MuseumsInDigitalAge-CoverA new report “Museums in the Digital Age” envisions a dynamic future for museums. Published by Arup’s Foresight + Research + Innovation group, the report contends that museums must move far beyond static objects in glass cases and offer more personalized content, new levels of sustainability, and visitor experiences that extend beyond present expectations of time and space.

“It is a common misconception that museums are designed to house objects,” notes Senior Analyst Josef Hargrave. “In fact they are designed to give visitors an experience.”

The report calls attention to cultural changes that may affect what visitors expect to experience, and suggests changes in museum design and technology investments that can help museums meet those expectations.

For example, the report recognizes that museums must cater to increasingly disparate visitor groups–from Facebook-using digital natives to aging Baby Boomers. Funding restrictions will put pressure on some museums to be both more profitable and more inclusive.

The report makes several recommendations:

  • Create more immersive experiences. As people become accustomed to having unlimited access to information, museums must figure out how to present their content in a manner that is appealing to all groups within society. Use innovations such as contact-less technology, augmented reality and face-recognition software to capture the imaginations of all visitor groups and enhance the physical experience.
  • Find innovative ways to use advancements in 3D printing. For example, 3D printing can enable the accurate reproduction of rare, damaged or previously unavailable objects. Accurately reproduced objects could be exhibited in multiple locations. Museums could also give visitors the option of creating a copy of the artifact to take home.
  • Consider creating nomad museums. Museums and the content they exhibit no longer need to be fixed to a certain point in space and time. Mobile museums, combined with digital access to collections can reach a wider demographic, shifting the notion of where and how museums can exist in the future.
  • Integrate sustainable and open spaces. In addition to managing water, heating and cooling systems more effectively, the museums of the future might shift towards the preservation and archiving of threatened living elements or the promotion of alternative food cultivation systems such as hydroponic farms.

Future Scenarios 

The report concludes with a number of future scenarios in the year 2040, envisioned by students in the Narrative Environments course at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in London. The students were mentored by the Arup Foresight + Research + Innovation team. Built on existing social and environmental trends, the scenarios provide drastic visions of the museum’s role in the future.

One such scenario includes museums functioning as a temporary retreat from future ‘mega-cities’, with vegetation helping to regulate environmental toxins. In this future, Kew Gardens will have a dual role as a research center and visitor attraction, becoming a driving force in the development of functional plants.

Another scenario envisions transient museum experiences, where objects are showcased on trains as they are returned back to their country of origin. Plugging into mass transit systems, the scheme presents the museum with an alternate business model, as a travel and tourism guide and international affairs ambassador.

In an increasingly globalized community, a move to deliver artifacts back to their country of origin would exemplify cultural awareness and might ease political tensions.

The 40-page report can be downloaded as a PDF from the Arup website.

About Arup

Headquartered in London, Arup is an independent consultancy that provides professional services in management, planning, design, and engineering. The Arup F+R+I Team identifies and monitors trends and issues that are likely to have a significant impact upon the built environment and society at large. Other reports available through the company’s website cover The Future of Retail, The Campus of the Future, and the Living Workplace.

LINK

Report: Museums in The Digital Age

About Arup

 

Will Augmented Reality Be a New Form of Mass Communication?

At the PRINT 13 Conference this month, Julie Shaffer of Printing Industries of America, discussed some of the technologies that will go beyond QR codes to make print more engaging and interactive. She started out the presentation listing seven forms of mass communications that have evolved since the Gutenberg printing press was invented:

  • Printing – (Late 1400s)
  • Recordings (1870s)
  • Cinema (Early 1900s)
  • Radio (Early 1900s)
  • TV (1950s)
  • Internet  (1990s)
  • Mobile smartphones and tablets (2000s)

Julie then suggested that this decade might see the rise of an eighth form of mass media: Augmented Reality (AR).

MetaioAugRealityCarManul.bmpAn augmented reality app on your smartphone can turn a printed ad, sign, or package into a portal to additional video, audio, or textual content. For example: See a poster advertising a concert by a new band, then use your smartphone to hear a sample of their music. Or, see a package for a new toy, then use your smartphone to watch a video of children using the toy.

After hearing Julie’s prediction, I have been looking for additional examples to support her claims. It didn’t take long to find some because it turns out that the InsideAR 2013 Conference is coming up. October 10-11 in Munich, Germany.

Some of the topics that experts will discuss at the InsideAR Conference include:

  • How Augmented Reality and Print Bridge the Physical/Digital Divide
  • Case Studies in Augmented Reality Marketing
  • How Augmented Reality is Affecting the Retail Experience.
  • The Future of AR and Wearable Computing

MetaioAugRealityCarManul2At the Inside AR Conference, Metaio will show a prototype for a hands-free interactive car manual for use with Google Glass and other wearable viewing devices. The interactive car manual might make it easier for the average person to perform some routine maintenance on their own vehicles.

Earlier this year, Metaio worked with McDonald’s Germany to develop the “McMission” AR app. The app takes a playful approach to educating restaurant visitors about McDonald’s commitment to sustainability. The app consists of four “missions” that teach kids about renewable energy, recycling, waste disposal, and product origins. The games are launched by scanning printed items such as a McDonald’s box of French fries or images in McDonald’s “Sustainability Report.”

McMissionApp2

In her presentation at PRINT 13, Julie Shaffer showed some examples of the different ways that Nellymoser is making print more interactive with mobile-activated campaigns. While some campaigns require prints to include digital watermarks, QR codes, or NFC (near-field communications) codes, augmented reality can be used with any photograph or printed image without altering the prepress process. . 

It seems to me that a lot of creativity will be required to make sure that customers are delighted (not disappointed) by the additional content they access through smartphones. (Otherwise, why bother “augmenting” printed materials at all?)

But once we all start wearing computing devices that don’t even require us to lift a smartphone, it’s easy to imagine that we might expect to see augmented reality everywhere we look.

What do you think? Have you seen any particularly creative applications of augmented reality that make printed pieces more interesting? more meaningful? more useful? 

LINKS:

McMission AR App

Inside AR 2013 Conference

Metaio

Nellymoser

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