Adobe's New Adobe Creative Cloud Release Offers Major Updates

Adobe has released the latest version of its flagship Adobe Creative Cloud tools and services. The 2015 release of Creative Cloud includes major updates to Adobe’s desktop tools, including Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, Premiere Pro CC and InDesign CC as well as new connected mobile apps for iOS and Android. 

The company also released Adobe Stock, a stock content service to be integrated directly into the creative process and the tools creatives use every day. In addition, Adobe announced an expanded Creative Cloud enterprise offering that includes enterprise-grade administration, security, collaboration and publishing services.

At the heart of Creative Cloud is Adobe CreativeSync, a technology that intelligently syncs creative assets including files, photos, fonts, vector graphics, brushes, colors, settings, metadata and more. With CreativeSync, assets are available, in the right format, wherever needed across desktop, web and mobile apps. CreativeSync means work can be started in any connected Creative Cloud mobile app or CC desktop tool; picked up again later in another; and finished in the designer’s favorite CC desktop software.

With the 2015 release of Creative Cloud, Adobe magic and Mercury performance provide speed and new technology across 15 CC desktop applications, including:

- Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Photoshop CC introduces Artboards, a way to design cross-device user experiences in a single Photoshop document and preview them on a device. Also in Photoshop CC is a preview release of Photoshop Design Space, a new work environment focused on the needs of mobile app and web site designers. 

-  Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC both now offer a new Dehaze feature, which eliminates fog and haze from photos, including underwater shots, for clear images. Haze can also be added to a photo for artistic effect.

- Premiere Pro CC adds the Lumetri Color panel for color corrections using sliders and other simple controls; and Morph Cut, which makes it easier to deliver interview content by smoothing out jump cuts in talking-head shots to create a cohesive, polished sequence.

- After Effects CC now has Uninterrupted Preview to allow artists to adjust a composition’s properties and resize panels without impacting playback. Also, the Adobe Character Animator brings 2D figures to life using a webcam to track facial movements, record dialog and apply movements in real time onto a pre-configured character.

- Illustrator CC is now 10 times faster and 10 times more precise than the previous version. Powered by boosts to its Mercury Performance Engine, users can now pan and zoom smoothly without delays. With the new Chart tool (in preview), designers can also create custom charts and share them with others via CC Libraries.

-  InDesign CC gets its own Mercury performance increase with zooming, scrolling, and paging through complex documents twice as fast. InDesign now also allows users to publish and distribute documents with a single click.

- Dreamweaver CC has new responsive web design capabilities that let designers lay out and build production-ready sites that adapt to any screen size.

- Adobe Muse now includes instant access to premium fonts from Typekit.

Adobe also released Brush CC, Shape CC, Color CC and Photoshop Mix on Android for the first time, bringing connected mobile workflows to creatives. Adobe has also updated many of its Creative Cloud mobile apps for iPhone and iPad, including Adobe Comp CC, Photoshop Mix, Photoshop Sketch, Illustrator Draw, Brush CC, Shape CC and Color CC.

In addition to these updates, Adobe debuted Adobe Hue CC which provides a way to capture and share production-quality lighting and color schemes for video, film and broadcast by using an iPhone camera and then applying these light and color moods into a Premiere Pro CC or After Effects CC project.

The new Adobe Stock is a stock content service integrated directly into the creative process. Now creatives can jump-start projects, with access to 40 million images, within tools such as Photoshop CC, InDesign CC and Illustrator CC. Adobe also announced it will offer new rates to photographers and designers contributing content to Adobe Stock.

Enhancements to Creative Cloud for enterprise include all the product features from the new Creative Cloud 2015 release, plus expanded security options and deep connections with Adobe Digital Publishing Solution (DPS) and Adobe Marketing Cloud. 

Two new security capabilities ensure protection of corporate assets, including customer-managed encryption keys and a new managed service hosting option, which offers dedicated storage behind a customer’s firewall. Creative Cloud for enterprise also supports an upcoming release of DPS, allowing existing teams in organizations to design and publish mobile apps without writing code. A public beta of this update to DPS is now available.

Content from Creative Cloud for enterprise also syncs with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), a component of Adobe Marketing cloud, to accelerate marketing campaigns by streamlining creative-to-marketing workflows.

All updates to CC desktop and mobile apps are immediately available for download by Creative Cloud members as part of their membership at no additional cost. Membership plans are available for individuals, students, teams, educational institutions, government agencies and enterprises. When adding Adobe Stock to any paid yearly Creative Cloud membership plan, creatives costs discounts are available up to 40 percent over purchasing stock content separately.