Adobe bundles easy-to-use photo and video tools in Creative Cloud Express

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Adobe's new Creative Cloud Express app aims to make content creation easier for all.
Adobe's new Creative Cloud Express app aims to make content creation easier for all.
Photo: Adobe

With its launch Monday of the Creative Cloud Express mobile and web app, Adobe bundles tools from its Creative Cloud Suite and Acrobat PDF into a simple platform amateurs can use to create a variety of projects. The app means to make it simple to make social media posts, promotional posters, invitations, videos and more.

Creative Cloud Express, formerly known as Adobe Spark, takes a template-first approach to address many common projects. It allows access to stock images and other assets. It’s designed to be more accessible than the individual Creative Cloud apps.

“Everyone has a story to tell and it’s our mission to empower everyone to express their ideas,” said Scott Belsky, chief product officer and executive vice president, Creative Cloud, Adobe. “In this unique time, where millions of people are building a personal and professional brand, we’re excited to launch Creative Cloud Express as a simple, template-based tool that unifies the creation, collaboration and sharing process so anyone can create with ease.”

Libraries of templates and other assets

Creative Cloud Express gives non-professionals tools they can use to bring creative projects to life. A professional might prefer the precision and control of a full Creative Cloud app. But many folks just want a fast and easy way to accomplish similar tasks, Adobe said.

The app offers thousands of templates, 20,000 Adobe fonts and 175 million Adobe Stock images, the company said. Creative Cloud Express takes advantage of Adobe Sensei, Adobe’s AI/ML framework. It also helps power the company’s flagship Photoshop, Premiere and Acrobat programs.

With Creative Cloud Libraries integrated with Express, users will also be able to take assets previously created in programs like Photoshop and Illustrator and re-use them in Express.

The app also features conversion tools, so you can easily turn a video into a GIFs or a documents into a PDF, for example.

Adobe Stock’s integration in the free version of Creative Cloud Express means users can access about 1 million images and other assets. Meanwhile, premium plan users have access to 175 million Adobe Stock photos, 20,000 fonts and access to Photoshop Express and Premiere Rush.

Key features

  • Simple drag-and-drop functions to quickly customize thousands of templates.
  • 20,000 premium Adobe fonts and 175 million royalty-free licensed Adobe Stock images.
  • Advanced search capabilities, powered by the Adobe Stock Marketplace.
  • “Quick Actions” powered by Adobe Sensei to remove background features from photos, trim and merge videos, turn videos into GIFs and convert/export PDFs in a few clicks.
  • Shared Templates and Shared Brands to ensure brand consistency across teams.
  • Seamlessly manage social media publishing workflows with ContentCal features, once integrated with Adobe.
  • Integration with Creative Cloud Libraries.
  • Creative Cloud Express for Enterprise and Teams is coming in 2022.

Creative Cloud Express: free and by subscription

Express is available in a free version and a paid, $9.99-per-month edition. The paid version adds capabilities and a library of more complex templates. Adobe said it will allow access to the new application in the company’s Creative Cloud All Apps and flagship single-app plans.

Price: free or $9.99 per month

Where to download: App Store or Adobe for the web version

 

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