Adobe branches into hardware with Ink and Slide

Facebook friends and gadget geeks were buzzing with excitement during the launch of Amazon’s smartphone last week. I, however, was thrilled to know Adobe was having their own big launch that featured some cool updates to their software and, more importantly, the introduction of their new stylus for the iPad. I first heard about development of these new products last year and have been itching for their release. Pesky rash.

There are a host of styli available for the iPad. Some have great features and strong reviews. But for Adobe’s first step into hardware they are offering something more—a pair of tools the Ink (stylus) and Slide (digital ruler). Pairing the two, users will be able to draw straight line and shapes more precisely. It will be fun for casual users and productive for designers. But you need to see it in action to understand why I’m so excited. https://www.adobe.com/products/ink-and-slide.html

Additionally, Adobe made some improvements to their Creative Cloud software suite that will be great for professionals, students, and casual users.

Here are some of the software updates I’m most excited about.

• SpeedGrade is updated to work more seamlessly with Premiere Pro for easier, faster color correcting in a video.
• Quick masking features added to Premiere Pro to allow for faster editing such as blurring out or color adjusting a section or specific object in a video.
• Better support for fonts in Photoshop to allow for better font substitution and easier live previews when selecting fonts in a design.
• Illustrator has added a smooth pencil tool for easier drawing.
• Lightroom for color correction has been added to the iPhone. Images can sync between phone, tablet, and desktop over the cloud.
• Sketch is a new mobile program for freehand drawing on tablets that simulates pencils, markers, watercolors, and more.
• Line is the new software for the iPad that makes use of Ink and Slide for precision drawing and fluid freehand illustrating. It even has French curves and a variety of stamps that are images such as furniture, people, and shapes stored in the software. Images created in Sketch and Line can later be opened in Photoshop and Illustrator.

Those who know me, joke about how often I get free stuff. I wouldn’t dream of making a plug to receive one of these as a gift (Ink and Slide available now for $199 at Adobe.com). But I truly hope Santa brings one of these to me for Christmas. In the meantime I’ll enjoy exploring the new features, especially in Photoshop and Premiere Pro, for future projects for our awesome Red Sage clients.

Source: Adobe.com
Via: Techhive.com