June 17, 2024

Wow! What a week. Between the announcements at WWDC 2024, the excitement surrounding Apple Intelligence and the ferocious reaction to Adobe's new Terms of Service, there was plenty of news to reflect on.

Let's start first with Apple's announcement of macOS Sequoia. Now that it's announced, what should we do?

Link: Apple Introduces macOS Sequoia – Now What?

Next, the firestorm over Adobe's revised Terms of Service forced Adobe to clarify what in the heck they are doing. First, as I wrote last week, Adobe does not review or access any data stored locally on your computer. This controversy is totally with media and projects stored on Adobe's Creative Cloud servers. Early last week, Adobe apologized for the confusion and clarified its policy.

"At Adobe, there is no ambiguity in our stance, our commitment to our customers, and innovating responsibly in this space. We’ve never trained generative AI on customer content, taken ownership of a customer’s work, or allowed access to customer content beyond legal requirements." (Adobe blog)

Here's Adobe's blog that further explains what they intended.

Link: blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2024/06/10/updating-adobes-terms-of-use

And here's a clarification on Adobe's Terms of Use.

Link: blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2024/06/06/clarification-adobe-terms-of-use

The actual revised Terms of Use will be released by Adobe by June 18. Given that this is a legal document, it takes time for Adobe's lawyers to write, review and approve the new terms.

In the news:

Apple released highlights from WWDC 2024.

Link: https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=o38yplz0

Topaz Labs updated PhotoAI with improved denoise, sharpen and upscale features. 

Link: https://www.topazlabs.com/topaz-photo-ai

FXFactory released Active Transitions for Final Cut Pro.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHloHcGye0w

Blackmagic Design announced an end-to-end workflow for producing cinematic Apple Immersive Video for Apple Vision Pro, featuring a new Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera and updates to DaVinci Resolve that will give professional filmmakers the ability to edit Apple Immersive Video for the first time.

Link: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/release/20240611-02

AJA Video Systems introduced the Ki Pro GO2, the latest evolution of AJA’s popular Ki Pro GO multi-channel HD/SD recorder. Featuring enhanced capabilities and flexible connectivity, Ki Pro GO2 gives the user the choice of four channels of H.265 (HEVC) or four channels of H.264 (AVC) recording to cost efficient USB 3.0 drives or network storage, with redundant recording and single channel playback.

Link: https://www.aja.com/products/ki-pro-go2

I'm wrapping up my exploration of the wilds of the upper midwest this week and should be back in the office by Friday. It's been a fun trip - made especially so by touring with a grand-daughter. There's nothing like seeing the world through young eyes to help you view the world afresh.

Because of my travels I haven't had the time to write new tutorials this week, but wanted to share some repeats that are worth reading if you haven't already done so. As we move into the world of M4 systems, it's important to realize two key facts:

1. The future is Apple silicon. If you are on an Intel system, it is time to start budgeting for new gear, especially for any AI uses.
2. When it comes to editing video, any M-series computer will be fast enough. The technical challenges in computer technology have moved far past video into artificial intelligence. As video editors, we no longer need to buy state-of-the-art gear to get our work done; even for frame sizes up to 12K.

Here are some earlier articles that clarify how fast is fast enough.

Link: Key Factors that Affect Computer Storage Performance

Link: How and Why to Use SSDs to Improve Computer Performance

Link: For Video Editing Storage – How Fast is Fast Enough? [u]

Link: Hey, Larry! Is My Computer Fast Enough For What I Want To Do?

The brouhaha over Adobe's Terms of Service indicates just how jittery media creators are on the impact of AI. Yes, it will help us get work done faster or do things we can't do now, but issues of how AI is trained, copyrights, deep-fakes, budget pressures, and job security loom large over our industry. Apple has made a good move in processing as much AI locally as possible. I also like their implementation of Private Cloud Compute. As the firestorm over Adobe's Terms conclusively proved, storing files in the Cloud should not imply a blanket release for cloud vendors to treat our data as their own.

The battle over user privacy and the inroads of AI won't be resolved until some sort of enforceable regulatory guard rails are in place. But, given today's political environment, I don't hold out much hope that will happen anytime soon. 

All we can do is the best we can with the skills and resources we have available. Until next Monday, stay safe, stay healthy and edit well.

TUTORIALS & REVIEWS

» Apple Introduces macOS Sequoia - Now What? (Commentary)

» A new operating system is coming - but it isn't here yet.

» Clarifying Adobe's Terms of Use (Adobe blog)

» Adobe clarifies what it does - and doesn't - do with your projects.

» Key Factors that Affect Computer Storage Performance (Tutorial)

» It's the small things that matter most.

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