Adobe has launched a raft of major updates for its video-centric software portfolio, a day before this year’s famed Sundance Film Festival kicks off. The enhancements will affect Premiere Pro (beta), After Effects (beta) and Frame.io and are said to “streamline post-production and accelerate time savings for video pros”.
Unsurprisingly, following the software giant’s commitment to AI-powered tools, artificial intelligence headlines the enhancements. I’m most intrigued by Premiere Pro’s new Media Intelligence & Search Panel. This seeks to significantly reduce time spent scouring gigabytes of video files for a specific clip – laborious for both user and CPU – via an AI-powered search function. Adobe uses the example of typing in the search query: “red canoe at dawn” which brings up multiple clips that include a red canoe in dawn lighting.
Another AI-powered addition is Caption Translation. This allows the software to recognize and caption 17 languages, with the ability to make multiple captions visible, so a video can be captioned in more than one language. This sounds like a great function to me, especially since captions have become integral to the success of videos destined for social media.
Enhancements to After Effects include Improved Caching, which looks set to speed up workflow by allowing video editors to play back compositions faster. And with less reliance on RAM, your computer won’t even need to meet recommended requirements, with Adobing stating: “All computers that meet the minimum specifications will be able to play back their entire composition the moment it’s cached.”
After Effects also gets Improved HDR Support. HDR monitoring will support PQ and HLG video, which Adobe says will allow users to: “Accurately import, monitor and export high dynamic range content, resulting in brighter and more vivid motion design work.”
Last but certainly not least, big news for Canon users regarding Adobe’s cloud-based video collaboration platform, Frame.io. The software’s Camera to Cloud system, which allows filmmakers to automatically upload video clips and photos from camera to Frame.io, is now compatible with Canon’s C80 and C400 cameras, thanks to a partnership with the imaging giant. As with many of the upgrades, this looks set to speed up users' workflow, mitigating time spent manually transferring files.
According to Ashley Still, Adobe Creative Cloud Senior Vice President and General Manager: “We’re passionate about empowering filmmakers to tell their stories and realize their creative vision. These innovations will bring time savings and career support so they can focus on inspiring and captivating audiences worldwide.”
This announcement, the day before the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, is certainly timely. Adobe delivered the news that, according to the annual Sundance Institute survey: "nearly 85% of 2025's entrants relied on Adobe Creative Cloud applications – including Premiere Pro, Frame.io, After Effects, Photoshop and the Substance 3D Collection – to bring their stories to life."
You may also like...
Want to improve your filmmaking workflow? Check out the best video editing software. Perhaps you're due a big camera upgrade and would like to browse the best cameras for filmmaking. And if you're new to the world of video editing, take a look at these basic video editing tips for filmmakers.
