Adobe-cs6-224x150Last month, I talked a little bit about what I was hoping for from Adobe (and Avid) at NAB 2013. Yesterday evening, Adobe provided a sneak peek of some of the major and minor enhancements that they've made to their suite of video production tools, and needless to say, some of them are tremendously exciting. So without any further ado, here's a quick peek at what Adobe has in store for next week's convention.

First and foremost, hop on over to the Adobe sneak peek page to check out a few videos about the new features. For some reason I can't embed them here.


Premiere Pro

Here's a quick rundown of the major enhancements in version 6.5 of Premiere Pro:

  • Vastly improved media management tools: plus two new tools called "Link Media" and "Locate".
  • SpeedGrade's "Lumetri Deep Color Engine" now part of PP: Can apply SpeedGrade .look files directly to footage in timeline, Plus preset "looks" are included.
  • Tons of audio enhancements: Support for 3rd party VST3 and AU plugins/Better native plugins/Audio Clip Mixer/Support for hardware control surfaces.
  • More GPU's now supported for editing w/ Mercury Engine.
  • The ability to copy and paste clip and effect attributes.
  • Adobe Anywhere now fully implemented and functional for collaborative editing.

Here are a couple of snapshots of the new media tools, the Lumetri Deep Color Engine preset looks, and the new audio clip mixer:

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Lumetri-looks-premiere-pro

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I'm not sure about you guys, but these new features in Premiere have me really excited, and not just about the current state of the program, but about where it will be in future versions. Adobe has made a point of listening to customer feedback and implementing new features quickly, and the stunning amount of features they've added on this go around leads me to believe that they are dead serious about making Premiere Pro the industry standard NLE for many years to come.

Check out Adobe's full preview document for Premiere CS6.5. If you're in the mood for a longer read, here's a complete list of the new features in the upcoming version of Premiere.

After Effects

After Effects was also given a few new features which both video editors and visual effects professionals alike are sure to love:

  • Solid pipeline between Cinema 4D Lite/Live 3D and After Effects (Cinema 4D Lite will now come bundled w/ AE).
  • The "Refine Edge Tool" which should put an end to old school frame by frame rotoscoping.
  • A newly redesigned Warp Stabilizer VFX plugin which looks to be far more comprehensive than the original.
  • Adobe Anywhere not yet enabled with AE, but will be soon.

And here are a couple of in-depth videos on the major new features from Mathias Möhl:

Check out Adobe's full preview document for After Effects CS6.5. Also, if you're a Lynda.com subscriber, here is nearly two hours of fresh content regarding the next version of After Effects.

SpeedGrade

Adobe's SpeedGrade color correction software has been the red-headed stepchild of the Creative Suite family for the past year due to the fact that Adobe had only bought Iridas a month or two prior to releasing version 6 of the suite. With this next update Adobe looks to change all of that. They have been hard at work Adobe-izing (Adobifying?) the SpeedGrade interface to bring it more in line with the Creative Suite design and media management ethos. Here's a quick look at what to expect from the forthcoming update to the software:

Adobe has also added a few other useful features to the new version of SpeedGrade such as a Shot Matcher to automate the repetitive and arduous task of matching looks between shots, as well as a brand new film stock emulator.

But Wait, There's More!

In honor of the new version of Creative Suite, Adobe is offering 40% off of the list price for a Creative Cloud membership. Now you can get access to all of the fantastic (and upgraded) apps in the Creative Suite for $30/month. This offer is only valid through the 19th of April, so if you're interested, head on over to the Adobe site and get signed up!Image-3878565-10450380

Adobe also has fresh versions of PreludeAudition, and Story. Check out those links for an overview of the new features.

What do you guys think? Do the new features in the Adobe video apps have you excited for the next version? If you've been on the fence about a monthly membership, does Adobe's commitment to these major yearly updates push you towards a Creative Cloud membership? Let us know in the comments.

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