It’s Wednesday morning and I’m sitting in a foyer waiting for my last session of MAX to begin. But it’s not the foyer of the LA Convention Centre where the conference is being held, but in the swanky JW Marriot. The foyer is huge and fancy. A typical open and opulent space that you’d find in many 5 Star hotels in this city. But I haven’t been staying here. My session is here. You see Adobe Max takes over the whole of Downtown LA. Every 5 star hotel within a 5 block radius of the convention centre is inundated with creatives. All here to see, hear and absorb all that Adobe has to offer. And when it comes to digital creative conferences, Adobe MAX is king.
14,000 people from all over the world make their pilgrimage to soak in the atmosphere, learn new tips and techniques, wander the exhibits, add their personal mark on the “graffiti wall” and, of course stuff as much free merchandise as they can into their new Adobe bag – which is free too. I’ve chatted to people from all over the USA, Brazil, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain (Valencia as it happens), and many other Aussies too. It truly is a global conference.
My accommodation was about 4 block west and 4 blocks south of the conference centre, a leisurely 15 minute walk each morning. And even at that distance Adobe was the flavour of the town. Conference goers were easy to spot thanks to their lanyards and badges and the chartered coaches constantly moving through the streets with Adobe signs on the side, picking up devotees from the designated pick-up spots. There was one 100 metres from my accommodation which I could have used but I chose to walk instead. I think you get a better feel for a city wandering the streets on foot rather than looking out the window of a moving bus. Plus, I could grab a coffee on route. A quick side note, as a coffee fan who is picky about his coffee, I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of coffee available in LA– that is if you are thoughtful of your coffee venue and stay clear of S*****ucks (the placement of the stars was deliberate!)
Last night was the Adobe Bash. This is their last night “Party” which, this year, was at the Banc of California Stadium – the home of the LA FC Soccer team. It’s not close enough to Downtown to walk so they bussed 14000 people to the venue. The lines to get in were horrendous, as they were funnelling everyone in through one entrance, but once inside the place was buzzing. Plenty of good food, drinks and entertainment. There was even a 150cm gummy bear, made out of gummy bears…definitely a new medium in which to be creative.
I hope I’ve painted a scene for you about the size and professionalism of the conference, however that means nothing unless you go away from your time here with new ideas, skills and inspiration. But, to be honest, it’s impossible not to. Firstly, you’re with 14,000 people who speak your language. People who know their blending modes from their layer styles and their kerning from their leading. People who appreciate blank space on a page and who would never, EVER, consider using comic sans in a piece of work.
The Keynote sessions were outstanding. On day one, Shantanu Narayen, the head of Adobe, spoke first followed by a series of Adobe gurus showing the latest features of many of Adobe’s flagship apps. Day two was all about the lives and processes of different creatives. We heard from Nicola Scott, an Australian comic book artist who has drawn for characters such as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman; from Questlove (the drummer in Jimmy Fallon’s band) and Lilly Singh, a prolific You-Tuber with over 14,000,000 subscribers. Albert Watson, an award-winning photographer, spoke about his career spanning four decades and, leaving what I though was the best till last, actor, director and producer Ron Howard reflected on his career and the moments that made the biggest impact on him and his work in the film industry.
Each day there were numerous sessions and practical lab classes on topics to suit all, from the graphic designer, to the photographer, and budding film producer. Experts in their field sharing what they know to a hungry and appreciative audience.
In relation to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) there were some major announcements by Adobe but none bigger than Project Aero, described by Adobe as “a powerful new augmented reality (AR) authoring tool that makes it easier for designers to create immersive content.” While this is still in the development phase, the interaction that can happen now, even at this early stage is amazing and will only continue to improve. And with all students and teachers in the Department of Education having access to the full suite of Adobe Creative Cloud apps, this technology will soon be in the hands of teachers and students.
A topic that was spoken of on multiple occasions at MAX was 180°VR. We’ve all heard of 360° cameras and images, however, in the creative world, people have been moving towards the area of 180° photos and video. The thought behind this is with 360° images, especially video, you can’t hide lighting, sound equipment and workers – which are all required to shoot movies. This may not be a requirement if you have a 360° camera stuck to your head while your hurtling down a mountain on a snowboard, however in regards to typical story-telling movies it’s a problem. Also, when it comes to 360° video most people still look ahead and around only within the 180° view. Plus with new 180° technology comes stereoscopic video. This is where you have depth in an image. An example that you may remember is the viewfinder cameras many of us would have had as kids. Can you remember the depth that you had with these images? This is possible with the technology that is being developed. Have a look at this YouTube video. I think you’ll find it impressive.
It has truly been a great start to my scholarship tour. I’ve already seen ideas and technology that are going to shape AR and VR in education over the next few years, especially in how students can be creators with this technology, not just consumers of content.
Adobe MAX has been a fantastic experience due to what I’ve learned and also the people I’ve met. A big thank you to Dr Tim Kitchen and Jerry Wong from Adobe who looked after me while in LA and introduced me to a range of people both in the industry and teachers like myself. Hopefully, one day, I can return. But for now, it’s time to leave LA with new knowledge, new ideas and some new merch! Now…how do I open up the extension pocket on my luggage?
