From The Mind of An Introvert

Adobe Max was held from October 18th-20th in Los Angeles, California. Since I wasn’t able to attend in person, I was able to catch all the fun virtually & it was packed with announcements, updates, & some awesome world of VR/AR headsets.

The biggest news, at least for creators like me, Adobe’s masking tools has become more intelligent & more refined. Adobe’s editing app can now recognize specific parts of a scene to speed up the editing process. Also, Photoshop’s new Photo Restoration Neural Filter is now included. It removes scratches & other imperfections from old photos.

As an Adobe Express Ambassador, I was even more excited for the AI features for Express.

• Selection improvements that enable the user to hover over, detect and make detailed selections of complex objects with a single click, creating higher quality and more accurate selections of elements such as skies, foregrounds, subjects, and hair, while preserving detailed edges.
• One-Click Delete and Fill selects and removes objects from images, filling the removed area using content-aware fill in a single action in Photoshop on the web.
• Photo Restoration Neural Filter (in beta) helps Photoshop on the web users bring old or damaged photos back to life, using machine learning to intelligently eliminate scratches and other minor imperfections on old photographs. In other words, users’ old photographs can be almost as good as new.
• Remove Background is now available in Photoshop on the web (in beta), enabling one-click background removal.
• Masking and Brushing are also now available in Photoshop on the web (beta) and make precise adjustments faster and easier from a web browser.

Adobe Acrobat is also has new updates with it getting a web version. This includes the ability to edit, view, and even collaborate on PDFs. Overall, it is a handy upgrade for users who do not wish to bother with the app. Speaking of PDF’s. One session I was able to catch was new directions on Readability and Accessibility. I was able to learn more about the latest findings from their readability team on how personalized reading settings for individuals improve reading outcomes like those with Autism, learning disability’s, dyslexia, etc. There will be new tools available in Acrobat and Reader for dyslexic readers like the reading ruler. Also, new tools for making PDF’s more accessible, such as making sure your designs accommodate color-blind, legally blind and visually impaired audiences. This is is very important not just for innovation for all but also having a dad who is legally blind who works on on computers as well.

The part was the how-to’s & tutorials creating social media graphics, photo editing in Lightroom mobile & desktop, creating a social media brand using Adobe Express, & the right way to be a content creator and even make a living off of it.

One person I found interesting was Mr. Dazzle” Zipeng Zhu, founder and creative director of Dazzle Studio. He shows how you can use color to tell your story and journey. He explains that the power color can have in graphic design and in life can make an impact. He shows us how to thoughtfully and strategically use colors in your own work & how to use colors to unleash energy, exuberance, and emotion overall.

By the way, Adobe Express is free to download for desktop & all devices. You can choose from tons of unique and professionally designed templates to inspire and get you started. Apply your brand to your content in just a tap. Access the entire diverse, royalty-free Adobe Stock photo collection* created by the world’s best professionals from within the Adobe Express app.

The number 1 thing about being in the creative industry is building relationships & the value it provides to someone else.

Here’s something to take away from Adobe Max. “Art has always been a mixture of craft and other qualities harder to define — style, judgment, and eye. The history of art is an unbroken series of technical innovations — the development of ceramic kilns, invention of oil paints, debut of digital photography — all of which accelerated these crafts. As craft becomes less of an obstacle, the role of the creator — their vision, story, and imagination — becomes more — not less — important”