Creative Machines & Bass Queens: Adobe Max 2025

Another MAX has come and gone, and I’m holding onto that Adobe-infused magic with all my might. This October, I had the pleasure of attending my second Adobe MAX, and I can’t overstate just how impressed I am with the rapidly improving features Adobe continues to introduce to the world. Along with that, it is always such a joyful, curiosity-driven, inspiring experience to be an attendee, free to roam the Creative Park and stumble into new creations and connections at every turn.

Sessions & Labs

Let’s talk about what I got my hands into at sessions and labs. At my first Adobe MAX in 2023, I spent most of my time in sessions learning about the new features in apps I already spend a lot of time in, like Illustrator and Photoshop. This go-round, I made it a point to gain new insights on apps I use less frequently but want to utilize more, like After Effects and Fresco.

One session I particularly enjoyed was Master the Magic of Buttery-Smooth Keyframes in After Effects with Nol Honig. Nol was so funny and engaging, and also passionate about cool design, which made for a really easy listening session. As I mentioned, I don’t spend a lot of technical time in AE, so getting some industry best practices tips is great. In this session, he honed in on the benefits of the value graph versus the speed graph in replicating realistic motion, highlighting that continuous-movement animation is particularly engaging to viewers. Nol spent most of our time doing real-time demos for us, which was so helpful in showing me how to implement the skill into my own workflow.

I also was lucky enough to spend two labs playing in Fresco. In Learn to Draw with Adobe Fresco – and Make it Move!, Renée di Cherri led us in familiarizing ourselves with the Fresco interface by playing with layers, using shading strategies, and doing basic animation. Later, the famed sports illustrator Robert Generette III, AKA Rob Zilla, opted to give his lab attendees playtime in A Creative Escape: Come Play with Adobe Fresco. Here, he wanted us to explore and try things on Fresco, with the loose assignment of making a MAX postcard. This is where I got to experiment with style and troubleshoot technical roadblocks. With Fresco’s vector capabilities, I am so excited to integrate it into my professional workflow.

Showstoppers

It wouldn’t be MAX without a few jaw-dropping announcements from the Adobe team. Here are the few that really stood out to me:

1. Turntable for Illustrator lets you rotate a 2D vector drawing any which way you want to, resulting in several 2D illustrations of your drawing from different angles. I mean, are you kidding? Of course, no AI generation tool is perfect every time, and I’m sure one might have to go in and tweak something here and there. But as a designer who isn’t necessarily an expert in illustration, this is certainly a mind-blowing tool to add to the box.
2. AI Audio Editing for Premiere Pro presents new, stunning shortcuts for video makers. First off, you can create your own copyright-free soundtracks in seconds just by typing in a prompt with keywords. Second, you can eliminate background noise with the tap of a button. And it cleans it up well, too. HUGE for the social content-makers across the industry.

From the ChatGPT x Firefly integration to quick audio editing for video in Adobe’s new Premiere Pro for iPhone to highly detailed generative vector features with Turntable for Illustrator, I am so excited to utilize these new features IRL.

MAXimized

Now, post-MAX, I can look back and admire the inspiring energy that continues to radiate out of the experience. Jam-packed schedules alongside the eagerness to learn, and a huge reward for it all with the MAX Bash, opened by our bass queen Blu deTiger and magnificently closed by the incomparable St. Paul & the Broken Bones. I will be forever grateful to Grova for supporting me in my creative endeavors and fostering a sense of growth and inspiration that can’t be fabricated. Until next time, Adobe MAX!