Adobe TV is On the Air
April 9th, 2008Adobe TV debuted today with a wealth of ready-to-view video content, much of it aimed at InDesign-using graphic designers. What’s nice is that you don’t need to run out and buy an HDTV — just go to http://tv.adobe.com and watch the shows in your browser. (You may be prompted to install the Flash Player v9 plug-in, because the Adobe TV “network” is also a proof-of-concept showcase for its just-released product, the Adobe Media Player.)
I just finished watching three of the 50+ programs currently available, each belonging to one of their four Adobe TV “channels:” Designer, Photographer, Video Professional, and Developer. I only meant to watch just one show, because I have work to do, but it was like potato chips. Just one more. Okay one more. Finally I tore myself away to write this up!
While some of the content appears to be repurposed video from existing podcasts and training companies (Lynda.com, Total Training, the Creative Suite podcast), what I loved were the “made-for-Adobe TV” shows like Caffe Fibonacci, Tim Cole and Rufus Deuchler’s “digital kitchen:”
Caffe Fibonacci appears to be broadcast from an elegantly rustic kitchen in Tuscany, and even the list of topics they’re going to cover is conveyed by a “Today’s menu” video overlay. Tim and Rufus sit with their laptops behind a kitchen island laden with loaves of fresh-baked bread and slabs of cheese (mmm cheese…), and for about 30 minutes talk about (and show) neat InDesign tricks and effects, all of which integrate features in Illustrator, Photoshop and Bridge.
There are many more Adobe TV exclusive shows that I plan on watching whenever I can steal a few minutes away from deadlines, like Lynn Grillo and Adam Pratt’s “The Lazy Designer;” and Julieanne Kost’s “The Complete Picture” (about Photoshop and Lightroom).
But if you only have time for one program today, you MUST watch Kush Amerasinghe’s program “Ask the Adobe Ones.” (I think it’s supposed to sound like “Obi-Wans.”) The show’s graphics and soundtrack are a meld of Law & Order CSI and “24.” Adobe staffer Kush, in an hysterically funny deadpan delivery, promises to do whatever is necessary to track down the answer to “all your questions — okay, maybe not all, but at least the ones related to Adobe products.”
To submit a question, you’re supposed to upload a video of you asking it to any video hosting service like youtube.com or blip.tv, and then e-mail a link to the video to him at the address he provides on screen. Can’t wait to see the next episode!
OH WOW!!! Anne-Marie this is great! I just watched three in a row and had my mind blown away. I’ve been using Lynda, Real World, and a couple of other publications but these hit hard and fast and bring the lessons home. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Anne-Marie. I watched the two episodes with Tim Cole and Rufus Deuchler, who work great together. It’s like being back at the InDesign or Creative Suite Conference! They show tips on using the CS3 apps together.
The Caffe Fibonacci set cracks me up. I just watched a few minutes of one of them again, and noticed some interesting products hanging with the garlic cloves and salamis:
We, xTrain and Splash Media created most of the original programming for Adobe TV
:-)
Thanks for the comments Anne-Marie…and ID Secrets readers should know that Anne-Marie makes a guest appearance via Adobe Connect in an upcoming episode.
Kudos also to the effects people (especially Brad Murano at Splash) who took our ideas, ran with them, and made them better than we’d hoped.
Keep an eye on the view of Tuscany out our kitchen window…
I saw Rufus Deuchler do a live presentation in Milan and he was excellent. His Italian was really good. Looking forward to watching his show.
Loved the show. Some great tips. And the window, well that’s very interesting…
This is neat! I’ll have to check it out soon.
Yesterday I received an email from Adobe advertising this TV service. I clicked it and watched some of that Cafe Fibonacci and backed up several times to hear the Italian correct Tim’s pronunciation of the title of the show. I laughed. Thanks for the tip about the Adobe ones, I’ll go see if I can find it. Is it under “Designer”?
Apparently I’m the only one having trouble getting this to work. On two of my machines it tells me that I need to install Flash Player 9 and would I like to download it. I say yes. It downloads it (who knows where) and then tells me to close the window. I do that (I’ve tried closing the tab, closing the window and quitting Firefox — makes no difference). I go back and we go through the same process again.
Dave
Dave,
Try uninstalling flash player and then reinstalling it.
Fred,
Thanks. I went to the Adobe download site and installed from there. That worked.
Dave
Great show!
Anybody get the tinyurl link for caption script to work?
Scott, I tested the URL just yesterday and it worked for me. If you continue to have problems, let me know.
Tim,
Seems to work for me now (must not have been pressing my mouse button right?!?). Looks like I’m going to have to get to know Bridge a little better; I’ve got a lot of meta data to add. I’m relatively new to InDesign and scripting is one of those things I keep coming across in InDesign that just keeps blowing me away.
Scott
P.S. Caffé Fibonacci is the first show I’ve “subscribed to” on AdobeTV. Great work. Looking forward to Episode 3.