Adobe Unveils Project Turntable: Revolutionary AI Tool for 3D Rotation of 2D Vector Art

Adobe wows with Project Turntable, an AI tool that rotates 2D art in 3D space

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. What just happened? Adobe's annual MAX creativity conference is usually packed with innovative ideas, and this year was no exception. A highlight was Project Turntable, an experimental tool that allows users to seamlessly rotate 2D vector art within a 3D space while maintaining the aesthetics of the original. Rotating a 2D illustration or graphic to a different angle usually requires redrawing the entire image from scratch, which can be a time-consuming process even for skilled artists. Adobe's new tool upends this by using advanced AI algorithms to reshape the vector art as it spins through three-dimensional space and intelligently fill in any gaps. One of the demos showed a simple illustration of a dragon being rotated to face a warrior from a different perspective. As the image twists and turns, it takes on a 3D quality, almost appearing to be a physical object. Yet when it settles into its new orientation, the resulting graphic is unmistakably flat and two-dimensional. Perhaps even more impressive is Project Turntable's ability to generate new elements based on the existing vector data. In the same dragon scene, a horse illustration with only two visible legs was rotated, revealing the AI had deduced and rendered the other two legs that were previously hidden. Beyond this, Adobe also unveiled Project Scenic, an experimental tool designed to streamline 2D image creation. Normally, image generators don't let you customize each detail - a larger part of the scene is left to the AI to plan out. But Project Scenic changes that, giving users granular control by letting them generate individual objects in a 3D scene layout. They can then adjust the camera positioning and have the AI generate a final 2D image based on the composed scene. Another notable tool was Project Remix A Lot, which can take rough physical sketches and digitize them into editable vector art using generative AI. The tool can also automatically generate layout variations tailored for different aspect ratios and social media formats, even "irregular" ones. It's important to note that these "Sneaks," as Adobe dubs them, are experimental projects designed to show off its cutting-edge research. There's no guarantee if or when any of these tools will be integrated into the company's commercial software, though there's a good chance of that happening considering how useful they appear.

Adobe's new image rotation tool is one of the most impressive AI concepts we've seen

While Adobe's annual MAX conference gives the company a chance to unveil its latest features, it also lets the brand demonstrate some of its more weird and wonderful ideas. 'Sneaks' sees Adobe engineers take to the stage to share ideas that may or may not see the light of day, such as 2024's Project Turntable. Creative Bloq enjoyed an exclusive preview of the concept in ahead of its unveiling at MAX, and it's one of the most impressive Sneaks we've seen. Project Turntable lets users easily rotate 2D vector art in 3D, whilst ensuring it still look like 2D art from any new angle. And even after the rotation, the vector graphics stay true to the original shape, maintaining the design's original essence. In the example above, a 2D vector of an illustrated warrior is rotated to face a dragon. While spinning, the vector image appears to be a 3D object, but the static image the user settles on will be completely flat. Truly impressive is how the tool uses AI to fill in the 'gaps' in the image - in another example, a 2D horse with only two visibly legs is rotated to reveal four. The tool was created by Adobe research scientist Zhiqin Chen. Adobe's Brian Domingo told Creative Bloq that like other Adobe Innovation project, there's still no guarantee that this feature will be released commercially - but the team expects it to generate a ton of interest at Adobe Max. From Automatic Image Distraction Removal, and a new Generative Workspace, Adobe has already announced over 100 new creator-first features this week. And with huge announcements from other brands including Tesla and Meta, this has arguably been one of the biggest weeks for AI we've seen so far.

Every Adobe Sneak I saw at Adobe MAX 2024

Today at Adobe Max 2024 I sat down to watch the latest Adobe Sneaks reveal, and came away impressed. For anyone new to Adobe Sneaks, these are teasers of new tech and tools that may come to Adobe apps sometime, somehow in the future. These new early-stage tech innovations are literal sneaks into what Adobe is working on behind the scenes, and include new tool and software developments designs to improve the workflows, and lives, of digital artists, designers, 3D artists, photographers, video editors and anyone creative who simply wants to see their ideas realised. At Adobe MAX 2024 nine new projects were highlighted and demoed by the researchers and scientists developing the ideas, and joining the dots on stage was the award-winning actress Awkwafina, who co-hosted the evening's reveals. You can see all of the art focused Sneaks below, with brief descriptions, to get an insight into the kind of technology Adobe is aiming to bring to creatives in the future. Some may turn up in Adobe software, some reworked into new apps or products, some may never see the light of day. Regardless, every Adobe Sneak is a glimpse into the future. Project Scenic is a new tool that is designed to make 2D generative AI image creation easier and with more control by embracing 3D. The tool enables you to build a 3D scene layout using a copilot prompt, from here it's possible to change the camera angle, adjust objects in the scene and guide the image generation process for better results. The tool aims to reduce the trial and error of prompting alone, by giving you the power to tweak layouts, camera views and through precise editing of a 3D scene. It also makes use of Firefly's new 'Regional prompting' for changing specific objects or areas of the scene. Project Hi-Fi enables you to capture any part of your screen to use as a guide to generate AI images. This tool effectively turns you on screen content into detailed visuals using real-time technology, in doing so enabling you to turn concepts into high-standard images, which can the be taken into Photoshop to edit and develop into a final image. Project Remix A Lot is a deceptively simple idea that aims to enable you to turn a sketch into a finished design. Your early sketch is the base idea, from here you can use another image to refine it using generative AI to guide you to the finished artwork. Adobe describes this as "like having a personalised creative assistant that helps you convert sketches into editable graphics and keeps your style intact across different canvases". Project In Motion uses generative AI to turn a custom shape into a video simply by describing what the final outcome needs to be. The Adobe press release states: "Using generative AI, you can explore new animation workflows and convert text into animation based on an initial After Effects project. Plus, you can add a style reference image to mix and match styles with your prompt for a unique touch." Project Clean Machine is a tool that many photographers, pro and hobbyist, will love, as it removes any unwanted flashes from subjects like fireworks and even objects that briefly block the camera and ruin a shot. This works on still photos as well as video. A note from Adobe states: " It can even detect and automatically remove camera flashes in videos, making it super handy for cleaning up footage." Project Perfect Blend is designed to make it easy to add people and objects into images. Many AI tools to date focus on removing objects, so this is a refreshing change. One added to an image you can adjust the colour, lighting, and even shadows to blend naturally. Adobe states: "Masking technology has improved for better foregrounds, and generative AI helps create custom backgrounds. This project focuses on natural blending and realistic shadow casting to make the process smoother and more lifelike." Project Turntable enables you to easily rotate 2D vector art in 3D, meaning it will always look like a 2D artwork even when rotated. The tool works by simply clicking and dragging a slider to spin the art, just like you would a 3D object. For more on this, read our exclusive look at Project Turntable from earlier today.

New Adobe MAX Sneaks transform photo, video, audio, and 3d creation

At Adobe MAX, Adobe introduced this year's Sneaks -- the latest early-stage innovations and exciting advancements across photography, video, audio, 3D and design. Nine projects were highlighted, where engineers and research scientists reveal prototype ideas and technologies. Award-winning actress Awkwafina co-hosted the program, providing attendees with a glimpse into the future of creativity. This year's Sneaks spotlighted the limitless potential for re-imagining creative workflows, bringing creative pros more speed, precision and power than ever and products, trusted by millions of customers worldwide: Photo Project Perfect Blend: Project Perfect Blend can make it easier to add people or objects into another image, adjusting color, lighting, and even shadows to blend naturally. Masking technology has improved for be er foregrounds, and generative AI helps create custom backgrounds. This project focuses on natural blending and realistic shadow casting to make the process smoother and more lifelike.Project Clean Machine: With Project Clean Machine, unwanted ashes from things like photo flashes or reworks, as well as objects briefly blocking the camera, can easily be removed from photos or videos. It can even detect and automatically remove camera flashes in videos, making it super handy for cleaning up footage. Video Project In Motion: Project In Motion lets you turn a custom shape animation into a video just by describing what you want -- like "pistachio ice cream." Using generative AI, you can explore new animation workflows and convert text into animation based on an initial After Effects project. Plus, you can add a style reference image to mix and match styles with your prompt for a unique touch.Project Know How: Project Know How envisions the future of content provenance by demonstrating the durability of Content Credentials across both digital and physical spaces. through fingerprinting and watermarking, users can quickly trace the origins of videos and images to their original source, even when visible Content Credentials metadata has been stripped. Project Know How exemplifies how Adobe continues to help build trust and promote transparency across all forms of content.Project Turntable: With Project Turntable, you can easily rotate 2D vector art in 3D, and it'll still look like 2D art from any new angle. Just click a button on and drag a slider to spin your graphics around, much like manipulating a 3D object. The best part? Even after the rotation, the vector graphics stay true to the original shape, so you don't lose any of the design's essence. Audio Project Super Sonic: With Project Super Sonic, you can generate sound effects for your video simply by using a prompt, or you can click on objects in the video to create sounds without any prompts. You can even control the timing of these sounds with your voice, making it super intuitive. Add and layer sounds directly in the timeline, mix background and foreground effects, and choose from variations of prompts to get just the right sound. It's a cool way to enhance your videos with custom audio that fits perfectly. 3D/Design Project Scenic: Project Scenic makes 2D image creation easier by letting you build a 3D scene layout with a copilot prompt is tool helps you control the camera and tweak individual objects, guiding the image generation process. This system reduces the trial-and-error of adjusting layouts and camera views by letting you edit 3D scenes more precisely. Plus, "regional prompting" lets you make specific changes to objects in your images.Project Remix A Lot: Project Remix A Lot makes it super easy to turn a sketch into a polished design. You can start with a rough idea and then refine it using an inspiration image. The tool uses generative AI to guide you through the creative process, letting you adjust your design to fit various shapes and sizes, even irregular ones. It's like having a personalized creative assistant that helps you convert sketches into editable graphics and keeps your style intact across different canvases quality images with AI. These images can then be easily brought into Adobe Photoshop for further editing. By leveraging advanced models, Project Hi-Fi boosts both productivity and creativity, turning your screen content into detailed visuals with real-time AI technology. It's a seamless way to transform your design concepts into polished images effortlessly.