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Wednesday, April 26, 2023

AI Prompt-Based NLEs Will Kill Editing As We Know It - YMCinema - News & Insights on Digital Cinema - YMCinema Magazine

The launch of Adobe’s Firefly should raise a solid concern in the editing profession as we know it. Instead of expertise, knowledge, and talent, users will need to enter their prompt, and that’s it. As Midjourney damages artists, then Firefly (and its upcoming products) will strike editors’ soft bellies. An opinion.

Firefly: AI color grading. Source: Adobe
Firefly: AI color grading. Source: Adobe

We wrote about Firefly before. As this new service from Adobe is pretty cool and innovative (well…not so innovative, but rather an imitation of Midjourney), it can do harm in the long run, including the cannibalization of Adobe’s products. In simple words, Firefly allows you to create images from text. Like Midjourney, but legal, this AI-generated imagery service is based on the hundreds of millions of stock photos stored in Adobe. However, Firefly will be implemented in Adobe Cloud Apps including the video editing application — Premiere Pro. It can be a major threat to colorists and editors. Instead of the color wheel, Inspectors, and a well-trained eye, there’s a prompt. Yes… this prompt that we, the artists hate so much. In a new video released by Adobe Live titled “The Future of Firefly for Videos”, the team behind this populistic product, talks about possible implementations and applications that encourage laziness and zero talent. Check it out below:

When Firefly is implemented in Premiere Pro — editors, colorists, VFX specialists, and sound designers can step out of the game, since all you ever need is a sentence … a couple of words to insert into the prompt box. Check out these examples:

  • Instead of creating a teal & orange look, just type: “Apply the Michael Bay look to the image”
  • Instead of meticulously mixing and mastering sound layers, just type: “Mix and master layer 34, make the drums more dramatic”.
  • Instead of crafting a rough cut for hours, just type: “Insert only the dancing shots into the main timeline”.
  • Instead of assembling a VFX of an atomic explosion, just type: “Draw an atomic explosion 2km into the background —t-stop 5.6”.

You get the point here. All you need is a text box. Just write your prompt, and voila, you are good to go. Just like Midjourney which demands zero talent in order to produce stunning imagery, users will need the same zero talent to create an impressive film, with decent sounds, effects, grading, and everything else. Now, is that a good thing? Depends on who you’re asking. For professional editors, sound designers, VFX artists, and colorists, this is a bad…. Very bad thing.

Top Gun Maverick - Timeline- Avid Media Composer
Top Gun Maverick – Timeline- Avid Media Composer. An old-generation editing?

Let’s be clear here. AI has been implemented on major NLEs for a while. For instance, Resolve utilizes advanced AI techniques in its mask functions. Avid, FCP, and of course, Adobe are using AI methodologies to speed up complex processes. AI has been an essential tool for professional creators for a long time. However, AI prompts are another whole animal. The ability to create advanced imagery from text is way too much. Hence it neutralizes artistry, creative skills, knowledge, and expertise. And there’s the legal question as well since all these prompts are being trained on other pieces of art that were crafted by a very very very hard work of real artists. Nevertheless, it can not be stopped. Firefly is just the first shot. Trust Apple and Blackmagic to develop their own products. We can call it: The race to the prompt. Then creativity will be eliminated.

The Colorist Guide to DaVinci Resolve 18. Picture: Blackmagic Design
The color wheels. Will we need them? Picture: Blackmagic Design

Well, not for professionals. Basically, only the Supreme Court can stop these prompts. Meanwhile, hobbyists will use these tools to create professional-looking works….from text (!!!). As explained, prompts will be implemented in all major NLEs since they will not stay behind. Let’s hope smart judges will understand the damage these tools make to those who make art for a living. Let’s know your thoughts about this approach/article. Should professional creators be afraid of prompts?

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AI Prompt-Based NLEs Will Kill Editing As We Know It - YMCinema - News & Insights on Digital Cinema - YMCinema Magazine
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