Adobe is continuing to invest heavily in AI, and the demo I attended to showcase the latest developments in its flagship video editing software, Adobe Premiere, as well as Adobe After Effects, appears admittedly impressive. But in spite of the vocal pushback against AI, Adobe’s 2026 Creators’ Toolkit Report, at least, suggests that the majority of creators aren’t averse to using AI tools, citing that “nearly nine in ten” use AI creative automation to grow their businesses or audiences.
The photo editing software giant’s goal is to streamline video production “pain points” and “automate tedious tasks” in a bid to give more time back to the creative. That’s where Premiere’s Generative Media Tool comes in. This headline new feature is a fast-track to genAI content by allowing the creator to generate clips and sounds without leaving Premiere – and very often the timeline itself.
Generative Media Tool
Obviously, I saw choice examples of this working in Adobe’s demo, but it’s not just the convincing generated content that’s impressive; it’s the fact that you can fill gaps in your timeline seamlessly, right up to the second.
In the demo by Adobe’s Anton Knoblach, a drone shot was generated to fill a gap. This is performed in a generative taskbar that appears at the top of the timeline so you no longer have to leave Premiere in order to implement genAI content. As you’d expect, you can select your preferred model, be it Firefly or one of Adobe’s partner models.
You can further refine your content by selecting options such as the resolution and aspect ratio. What’s most impressive about all of this is that existing clips within your timeline are used for context. You simply select which clips you want to sample and the AI model will do the rest.
In the demo, the filmed footage looked like it was shot in a desert in the American Southwest. By sampling a few clips to provide context, the AI was able to generate a drone shot that looked like it was captured in the same landscape. Not only that, but the footage matched the grade of the contextual footage.
And all of this extends beyond Generate Video, with Generate Sound Effects bringing similar functionality. The update also introduces Generate Soundscape and Generate Music, which are both currently in beta. During the demo, I was shown a video of a rally car thundering through the desert, and all of the audio was AI-generated.
The sounds didn’t always fit with the rally car; there were some odd gearbox changes, and the squealing tyres sound effect was far too overpowering for a sliding car on a dirt track, but this was very impressive nonetheless. And again, this was all done inside Premiere, without leaving the project. Obviously Adobe is going to refine all of this in the future, but I can see it being a very useful conceptual tool straight off the bat for illustrative rough edits or first drafts at the very least.
Another example of generative audio was the implementation of a jacket zipper sound. Again, using the Generate Sound Effects tool within the Premiere timeline, Anton was able to generate a selection of zipper sounds, while also using their own voice to precisely time the length of the sound. By recording a “zzzzzzzzzzzip” sound, the AI was able to replicate the cadence of the voice while replicating an authentic zipper sound.
Refine audio and colors
That’s not all, Adobe Premiere also boasts “smarter audio” by bringing new AI audio tools into public beta, including Enhance Audio, Separate Crosstalk, and Dynamic Auto Ducking. The former allows users to enhance a variety of sounds, including dialogue, music, sound effects, and ambience, by removing elements, adjusting layers and muting dialogue.
Separate Crosstalk is used to identify speakers that overlap, placing their audio onto separate tracks. And the latter is said to automatically balance sounds without the need for manual keyframes.
Adobe Premiere is also getting an updated Color Mode (currently in beta), which is said to deliver “a first-of-its-kind grading experience”. Like the Generative Media Tool, this lives directly within Adobe Premiere edits, enabling users to make use of the new Auto Color tool. In one click, this automatically sets the color temperature and exposure of a video clip, group, or whole sequence. New Style Modules are also present, such as Vignette and Midtones, allowing you to do more without leaving the edit.
After Effects updates
Adobe After Effects is also getting in on the action, with an AI Assistant now in public beta. This is designed to take some of the load, distilling more complex multi-step workflows into automated processes. However, Adobe is quick to point out that the user remains “in complete creative control,” telling the AI Assistant what and what not to handle, while also shaping “every editable outcome”.
The AI Assistant can be implemented into a whole project, enabling editors to create motion effects without having to code, fix technical issues in the background, and organize large multi-layer projects, for example. According to Adobe, it’s often able to turn hours of work into minutes.
You might also like...
Check out the best cameras for video and the best hybrid cameras. Plus, here's the latest camera news.
