Adobe launched this Thursday, April 18, 2024, a brand new version of its Adobe Express mobile application, its graphic design platform. After being in beta for several months, it presents an interface where Firefly's generative AI tools hold a privileged place. Govind Balakrishnan, senior vice president, Express product group and digital media services, and Timothy Liu, growth product manager for Adobe Express, presented the application, already available on iOS and Android, exclusively at Trendedfeeds.
Generative AI tools are at the heart of the new Adobe Express application.
AI to “reimagine workflows”
In the war on AI waged by the various solution publishers, Adobe has been able to place its pawns throughout the year 2023. This saw it unveil its in-house AI model, Firefly, which is divided into numerous tools dedicated to specific tasks within each piece of Adobe software. To the point that in France, according to Talan's 2024 Barometer, Firefly has become one of the most used generative AIs, particularly in Photoshop. It is this strength that the designers of the new Adobe Express application wanted to highlight.
We believe it is important to reimagine creative workflows and experiences with generative AI deeply integrated into them, according to Govind Balakrishnan.
“A lot of things in this application can, however, start with generative AI,” introduces Govind Balakrishnan. “Many generative AI tools are available in Adobe Express, and they are directly visible and accessible at the top of the application home page. Indeed, the entire home interface of the app was built to highlight the generative capabilities of Adobe's AI. We, of course, find the generation of images via a prompt, but also generative filling, text effects, and many others. Next comes a section devoted to suggestions for quick actions, then model proposals, which are the very essence of this graphic design platform.
An improved text-to-template
Adobe Express, in its mobile version, has a large bank of templates and models—in addition to stock content—to create any type of visual intended for a wide range of social media. But the application also integrates the AI text-to-template tool in an improved version compared to the beta available on the desktop application. This feature allows you to create templates and models directly from a text prompt. All you have to do is write the request, for example, the opening of a donut shop, and choose the format (Instagram Story, Facebook post, etc.), so that the tool generates several proposed templates that can serve as a basis. for work. A button allows you to generate more results if the first ones are not suitable.
“It's a fun way to start your creative process, especially if the basic templates offered by Express don't suit you or if you don't want to waste time searching for one in the library. Of course, it will then be possible to completely personalize the template generated within the application's editing interface,” Timothy Liu explained to BDM, from the texts created and their positioning to the images and colors that make up the template.
An intuitive editing interface and smoother workflows
Alongside the significant presence of generative AI in the application, it also has a particularly intuitive editing interface adapted to the mobile format. The tools are all quickly available thanks to navigation panes positioned at the bottom of the screen. “The goal is to make it quick and easy to create content to help users promote their ideas, their passion, and their businesses,” describes Govind Balakrishnan. Creators will be able to find templates for generating images, filling to add or remove elements, text effects, and complete editing options without having to leave the interface. The element animation functions have also benefited from a special effort to make them intuitive in this mobile version.
These features, even the most subtle, make it possible to design creative and coherent projects with simplified access, according to Timothy Liu.
Professional users will also find brand features, including all the characteristics specific to their brand, as well as export and sharing options. Indeed, once a visual has been created, it is possible to automatically crop it in any format so that it adapts to each social platform by simply checking the boxes provided for this purpose. Finally, scheduling options are also available, allowing you to schedule publications on the different social networks without having to leave the application. “In just 20 minutes, I was able to create a template, add animations, remove a background, add text and effects, an AI-generated image, get format variations, and schedule my posts," concluded Timothy Liu at the end of his demonstration.
Discover the features of the Adobe Express mobile application in video:
A cross-platform application
For Adobe, today's content creator needs access to their work on the go, just as much as on their computer. Adobe Express aims to be a cross-platform application, usable on both mobile and desktop. This way, the files remain synchronized between the two interfaces. “You can upload a video from your phone, edit the scenes on your laptop, and finish by adding text and assets from your mobile device,” Adobe explains in its press release.
“We realize that more and more users are adopting mobile platforms. And we are confident that creators who enjoy Adobe Express on their computers will be delighted with this mobile application,” assures Govind Balakrishnan. At the same time, “we have always believed that the capabilities of our Firefly AI are superior to those of our competitors, and we are not surprised by their success. With this Adobe Express application, we wanted to integrate these capabilities cohesively into our workflows, making them available while you create your designs without requiring users to leave the editing interface,” he concluded.