In the run up to IBC 2024 Adobe has introduced a host of updates to their creative suite. Notable among these is an entirely new color management system in Premiere Pro that transforms raw and log formats from nearly every camera instantly upon import without requiring LUTs. Adobe is also introducing speed and performance updates including a new context-sensitive properties panel that puts the tools editors need easily accessible and enables modifying multiple clips at the same time to reduce “mouse mileage.” Paired with additional hardware acceleration for faster playback of codecs like AVC and HEVC and ProRes exports at triple the speed, this is said to be the fastest version of Premiere Pro yet.

A new wide gamut working color space greatly expands Premiere’s HD Rec.709 working space in industry standard ACES compatibility. Six simple “set-it-and-forget-it” presets have been added to the Sequence Settings and Lumetri color settings allowing users to work in traditional Rec.709 for legacy projects or the new wide gamut color ACEScct. Most-used effects, like Lumetri, are now color space aware with smoother and more flexible control for refining skin tones, balance, and creative looks when working in a wide-gamut preset. Importantly, consistent color and brightness are maintained when using Dynamic Link to send clips to and from Adobe After Effects for motion design and compositing.

With the new Properties panel, editors can perform functions they’ve never been able to do before in Premiere Pro, like crop video directly from the Program monitor, or highlight and adjust the properties of multiple clips or graphics at the same time. Consolidating the most frequently used tools in a single panel, along with the ability to directly manipulate (crop and reposition) images using on-screen controls, and the ability to batch process multiple clips at a time makes functions easier for new users to learn and more efficient for existing power users to work quickly.

Adobe’s creative apps designers have also been working hard to make Premiere Pro faster and more reliable for every job adding hardware acceleration for faster playback of codecs like AVC and HEVC. ProRes exports are now up to 3x faster and there is added format support for more cameras and codecs from Canon, Sony, and RED to import native files and start editing immediately. A new design element has been added with two dark modes, a light mode, and high-contrast accessibility mode, so editors can customize the look and feel of Premiere Pro. Users also get cleaner fonts and typography for better legibility and consistency with other Adobe Creative Cloud apps for less time spent re-learning how to use tools in different apps.

Also being introduced at IBC 2024 is a major set of improvements and upgrades to the 3D workspace in After Effects to make it easier for motion designers and video editors to animate and blend 3D objects seamlessly with real-world footage and 2D elements. While motion designers and video editors love working with 3D models, they can sometimes appear ultra “digital” and sharp. In order to make it easier to work with 3D models and have them seamlessly blend into 2D environments, Adobe has released a number of tools and controls to assist design in 3D and 2D at the same time. New 3D models are available from Substance 3D, Adobe Stock, and online marketplaces to integrate and embed into animations.

After Effects has also introduced shadow catchers, allowing 3D objects to interact realistically with video footage. Shadows cast by virtual objects onto the environment are accurately captured. Color shadows enhance realism since shadows cast in the real world are rarely a pure shade of black or grey. Depth Mapping features for 3D Models have been added for compositing 3D elements into live-action footage. Extract depth maps from Advanced 3D scenes just by precomposing. These maps encode the distance information for each pixel, enabling post-processing effects like depth-of-field blur or fog.

For more on what’s new in Premiere Pro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYibtc_dfls

And for more of what’s new in After Effects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7R2PjxxWnY