I had some trouble with our web system and so this should have been posted a week ago.

In this episode, I dive into the technique for creating the smoky look of the text disappearing.  It's not entirely intuitive at first, but once you get it, it rocks!  Hat tip (and big thank you) to Andrew Kramer for this technique.  Read on to view the tutorial and/or see a short clip with the finished animation.

...And here's the animation itself.

I don't think many people are shocked by this and hopefully many people are excited about this as we slowly get closer to CS 'Next'.  And to answer your next thought, no, it's not anytime soon!

I've added a couple of graphics and reviewed the text. Originally published 10/20/2009

There is the question as to why is Adobe announcing this now, so far in advance of anything?  The answer is you my friends.  We want to make sure that you're aware of where we're going and that if you have any thoughts about upgrading in the future, that you have the necessary time to get ready for it.  In addition, if you're using CS4 and not using 64-bit now, you should run not walk to the store to upgrade your OS and memory.  The benefits of '64-bit aware' CS4 are awesome right now. I have talked about it previously here and here.

CS 'Next' and true 64-bit is the next logical step and will provide users with optimized code, greater stability and more performance.  Video editing or motion content creation has always demanded the most from any computer and we believe that this won't change any time soon.  Therefore the move to 64-bit is a necessary step towards the future to ensure that Adobe can continue to bring exciting tools and features to our customers.

Why no 32-bit version? There's a good answer for that one as well.  The bottom line is that it's a different program than a 64-bit version.  Two versions = two types of code.  Twice the engineering, twice the checking, twice everything.  You say, "Yeah, so what?"  Well, Adobe may be a large software company, but they do not have infinite resources. We're constantly doing a balancing act - trying to get as many cool things we can with a certain number of resources.  I think we've done a pretty good job in the past.  Our assessment was that it was better to make one awesome 64-bit version of Premiere Pro and After Effects than to make two versions that were so-so.

What about all of the other products in the CS 'next' suite (whatever they may be)? Will they be 64-bit as well?  The answer on this one is mostly no.  As you know Photoshop CS4 on the Windows side is already 64-bit native, so that won't be a problem.  The rest of the suite will remain 32-bit for the time being, but a move to 64-bit is probably eventual. Getting performance out of the two main video centric apps (Premiere Pro and After Effects) was essential and so it was done.

This decision has been a long time coming. It goes back about a year!  This should give you an idea of a) how far we're thinking in the future and b) how much we're thinking about the customer!

One final tidbit on the whole 64-bit only decision.  Originally, I passionately objected that dropping 32-bit versions would hobble a large bulk of our users.  I admitted that this was a necessary step and that it was a limited problem since the world would eventually move to 64-bit anyway, but it wasn't the right time I argued.  Over the ensuing months, in talking to customers and in promoting the fact that CS4 loved 64-bits anyway I saw that most of our customers have already moved to 64-bit operating systems.

Today I find myself excited about the break from 32-bit and know that our customers have either moved or will move to 64-bit.  Snow Leopard is solidly if not entirely 64-bit and Windows 7 looks to be a real winner with the Windows crowd, so it's a great time to start preparing.

Where you can get more information

A post on ProVideo Coalition

On the Production Premium Product page (You'll have to look - there's a lot of information there!)

And the FAQ

There are lots of FAQs on each of the product pages as well, but the above will hopefully get you started.

Dennis

However, in this information overload age, if you've got a voice, it's at least good to mention things now and again.  And so, I bring you news that the Nobel Prize organization uses all Adobe tools for their production and distribution.  It's yet another powerful example of Adobe's end-to-end capabilities.  From planning to playback, Adobe technology can be at the center of the work.  So, please take a look at the Nobel Prize Org customer story

Adobe,After Effects,Broadcast,Motion Graphics,CS4,Compound Blur,Nesting

This one is comparatively long - about 24 minutes, but I do think it worth it and I hope you'll come along for the ride.  Consider subscribing to my show on Adobe TV.  Or via Adobe Media Player.

I have to find the project file later today and when I do, I'll edit this post and let you download it.

This is big for so many reasons.  It's big because it continues to validate Adobe Systems in broadcast, and I'm NOT talking about After Effects or Photoshop. It's big because it is another real world customer that is giving input into Adobe on how to make their products better which we all benefit from.

Hearst chose Adobe Systems because they saw two main things: Adobe's innovation and Adobe's willingness to communicate and pro-actively work with them. On innovation, they saw native file support for their chosen ENG format when competitors did not.  With today's announcements on Adobe Story and Cinema DNG, we demonstrate (albeit in a different arena) that we continue to innovate for our customers.

On the idea of communication, it's essential that large media companies be able to offer input into how they want the workflow and products to function.  Simple concept, very difficult for a manufacturer to execute.  I'm glad to say that Adobe has been successfully doing this for a few years now, starting back with the BBC.  Now US companies are benefitting from this same approach.  More to come on that in the future!

Lastly, I'll note that I am personally excited to be a part of this effort and look forward to communicating much more as the months progress.

Some of the nifty features of Adobe Story that I like are the ability to import Final Draft and other types of common script formats.  These formats include Microsoft Word and others.  Ultimately, the script can also become a gateway for a more efficient production workflow as well. Having an export from Adobe Story that can drive shot lists in OnLocation... There's a lot of possibilities.

So...where do you get all of the details? Right here of course