Adobe Systems Inc. is expanding its flagship Creative Cloud, the suite of design applications headlined by Photoshop, to address more of the platforms through which users are consuming digital content.

The push centers on a set of new products and features that the company debuted at its Adobe Max event today in Los Angeles. Many of the additions, most notably Project Aero, focus on extending existing Creative Cloud applications into the emerging areas where Adobe hopes to grow its presence.

AR and other emerging mediums

Project Aero is a newly introduced tool for creating augmented reality content. First previewed in June, it uses Adobe’s Sensei artificial intelligence to turn graphic assets from Photoshop and other Creative Cloud applications into AR-compatible 3-D models. Content produced using the offering can be overlaid on live footage from a user’s mobile camera.

With Project Aero, Adobe’s visual editing suite could emerge as a formidable alternative to existing AR development frameworks. The tool can significantly reduce, and in some cases maybe even outright eliminate, the need to hire AR specialists for brands looking to creative immersive content. Most designers are already familiar with Photoshop and other components of Creative Cloud.

This strong market presence works to Adobe’s advantage in other areas, too. At Max, the company introduced a new version of its popular XD application prototyping tool that adds the ability to create voice-controlled interface elements. Developers can now use the tool as part of projects that target platforms such as Amazon.com Inc.’s Alexa, which Adobe has recently also started targeting with its marketing automation services.

The other digital platforms that the company ticked off its checklist today are much more established. Adobe has pulled back the curtains on Premiere Rush, a video editing app that targets hobbyist content creators who publish clips on services such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

The tool sets itself apart with straightforward controls that promise to simplify the work involved in putting together a custom video. In some cases, Premiere Rush automates entire tasks. An audio editing capability powered by Adobe Sensei can turn down the background music when it detects voiceover to make the speaker’s words easier to hear. 

Photoshop comes to the iPad

Also at Max, Adobe unveiled an iPad-optimized version of Photoshop. The offering is based on the same code base as the desktop edition but features an interface specifically designed with touch gestures in mind. According to the company, it’s backed a new file format called Cloud PSD that lets users sync their work across devices.

For more tradition-minded digital artists, Adobe is rolling out an alternative visual editing app for the iPad dubbed Project Gemini. It features a large selection of virtual brushes carried over from Photoshop that the company said are designed to mimic watercolors, oils and pastels.

Photo: Adobe