New Delhi: Ahead of the Sundance Film Festival, Adobe announced significant expansions to its AI-powered video capabilities and a new $10 million investment to support emerging filmmakers, strengthening its deep connections with the global film and creator community.
According to Sundance Institute’s annual study, 85% of films submitted to festivals in 2026 were created using Adobe Creative Cloud applications such as Premiere Pro, After Effects, Frame.io, Photoshop, and Substance 3D. Several of this year’s Sundance premieres, including Chasing Summer, The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, and The Brittney Griner Story, were edited in Adobe Premiere.
At the heart of Adobe’s latest announcements are new AI-driven upgrades to Premiere Pro and After Effects designed to simplify post-production workflows and help creators move from idea to edit faster. Premiere Pro now connects seamlessly to Firefly Boards, Adobe’s AI-powered collaborative ideation surface. This integration allows video teams to visually brainstorm and explore concepts using AI models from Adobe as well as partners like Google, OpenAI, and Runway before moving assets directly into edits.
Adobe also introduced advanced masking tools to Premiere Pro that significantly reduce the time required for complex tasks like rotoscoping. New object selection and shape masking features allow editors to track subjects more precisely and apply effects like relighting and blurring more precisely. The new Adobe Stock panel within Premiere allows editors to browse and license video clips without leaving the application.
After Effects has received one of the most significant updates in recent years, with new native 3D parametric meshes, access to over 1,300 free Substance 3D materials, enhanced typography controls with variable font animation, and improvements to vector workflows for importing SVG files from Illustrator.
In addition to these product updates, Adobe announced nearly $10 million in new commitments through the Motion Picture and Television Fund in 2026. The fund supports filmmakers and video creators from underrepresented communities through grants, donated tools, training programs, fellowships, and apprenticeships. This brings Adobe’s total investment in the fund to $20 million since its launch at Sundance in 2024.
The company is also introducing new direct grant applications for filmmakers experimenting with AI in their creative workflows. New partnerships include Rideback RISE and Dimz Inc., as well as ongoing collaborations with organizations such as Gold House and Group Effort Initiative.
Adobe is partnering with Sundance Institute to launch Ignite Day, a new initiative aimed at creators ages 18 to 25. This program focuses on hands-on learning, mentorship, and real-world exposure for young storytellers seeking a career in film and media.
“We’re thrilled to see so many filmmakers using Adobe’s industry-leading tools to create their stories,” said Deepa Subramaniam, vice president of product marketing for creative professionals at Adobe. “The creative community inspires everything we do, and we are committed to advancing AI video tools with new innovations and investments for the next generation of storytellers.”
The latest updates to Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Firefly Boards are rolling out worldwide this week.
