Adobe Creative Cloud is a tightly integrated suite of apps with a significant attention paid to the video professional. As Adobe CC continues to grow and develop with expanded features, the integration of the suite continues to expand. One of the advantages of Adobe Creative Cloud (Adobe CC), and its subscription based model, is that users are able to download software updates as they are released without the need to purchase an upgrade license.
Since its release, Adobe CC has been updated with new features several times, such as a previous upgrade to the Adobe CC video apps in October. This week Adobe announced the latest updates to the video apps in Adobe CC. The announced December updates include updates to Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Speedgrade CC, Prelude CC, and Adobe Media Encoder CC. All of which are available for download today, with an update to After Effects CC to be available soon.
Adobe Premiere Pro CC
The most significant number of the latest updates to the Adobe Creative Cloud video apps are found in Adobe Premiere Pro CC. The December 2013 updates are the fourth set of updates for Adobe Premiere Pro CC since it's launch.
This round of updates includes not only performance improvements but a number of new enhancements and features, ones long requested by users. Many of these enhancements help video editors in their overall workflow when working with Adobe Premiere Pro CC. Users will find improved media management by being able to now open multiple Media Browser panels, granting access to multiple projects and media locations simultaneously. New projects can now be created from a single selected sequence or a selection of multiple sequences with a simple export. This makes cleaning up and handing off a project much easier.
There are several editing enhancements which are included in the December download. Several of these enhancements involve markers and the timeline as well. Markers that are set for a single media asset, as well as sequence markers, can be exported as a list to either a CSV or an HTML file. Markers can now be set with a keystroke to a single clip when that clip is selected in the timeline and the playhead is over the frame where the marker will be dropped. Previously, this would only set a sequence marker, while markers on an individual clip required multiple keystrokes because the clip needed to be loaded in the Source Monitor for clip markers to be added. It should come as a delight to video editors who use sequence markers with regular frequency that sequence markers will now move with media and remain in sync when a ripple delete is performed in the timeline. The Ripple Delete function now works with the In/Out range of a sequence making it easier to remove a portion of a timeline.
One of the most robust enhancements involves voice-over recording in Adobe Premiere Pro CC. A pre-roll overlay countdown has been added to the Program Monitor, this includes the ability to pre-roll before a sequence begins. The Audio Track header has a new dedicated voice-over record button. Another helpful enhancement for recording voice-overs in the timeline is the record status indicator light in the Program Monitor. The record status indicator includes a new count-out to the end of a sequence when an Out Point is set, giving the artist a visual cue on how much time they have left.
There are new enhancements to the Adobe Premiere Pro CC Multi-Camera workflow. Now, when there is only a single source stream in a multi-camera sequence, the Source monitor will show a full-frame clip instead of a grid view. Clip names appear in the timeline for multi-camera source sequence clips, making it easier to know which camera angle from the multi-camera sequence is selected.
Of course, any update wouldn't be complete without some performance enhancements. The December download includes improved OMF export, OpenCL performance, and playback performance with other enhancements specific to file formats and graphics cards.
Speedgrade CC, Prelude CC, & Adobe Media Encoder
Speedgrade CC and Adobe Media Encoder both received updates expanding their support for various file formats. Speedgrade CC includes additional camera format support in DIrect Link mode, making it a more versatile tool for those performing a color grade outside of Adobe Premiere Pro CC. Adobe Prelude CC receives increased support for the latest Adobe Anywhere protocols.
Adobe After Effects CC
The October update to Adobe Creative Cloud included numerous new features in Adobe After Effects CC. There are more updates coming soon including customizable file name and path templates, improved snapping behavior (a much needed update), and enhanced scripting options for individuals who take full advantage of After Effects' capabilities. Another welcome addition to the December updates for After Effects is the ability to migrate user settings when updating to newer versions.
The updates for the majority of the Adobe CC apps are available for download now. Adobe After Effects CC will be updated soon.
Chris "Ace" Gates is a four time Emmy Award-winning freelance writer and video producer.
