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Its easy to forget that theres another social network besides Threads for people tired of Elon Musks totally normal X platform. Bluesky is a fine alternative, as it definitely feels like Twitter. However, it has been lacking some of the features that made Twitter such an internet hotspot back in the day. Well, we just got a big one. The company just announced that users can now upload video content. There are some caveats. First of all, the videos have to be under a minute. Thats a fairly huge hurdle for just about every piece of content other than TikTok-style shorts. As a comparison, Metas Threads allows for five minute videos. Also, the videos autoplay by default, though that can be handled in the settings. Finally, theres a hard limit of 25 videos per user each day, though the company says it could tweak that in the future. The platform supports most of the major video file types, including .mp4, .mpeg, .webm, and .mov files. Users can also attach subtitles to each video, which is a nice little bonus. There are some guardrails in place to protect against spam and abuse. Only users who have verified their email address can upload videos and illegal content will be purged from the infrastructure. Theres also a way to submit reports to the moderation team. Additionally, each video will be scanned for CSAM by Hive and Thorn. Update to version 1.91 of the mobile app to get started, though it also works via the desktop client. Not every user will be able to access this feature right away, as version 1.91 will be a gradual rollout to ensure a smooth experience. Bluesky recently added direct messages into the mix, which is something Threads doesnt have. The platform may be a distant third, when compared to X and Threads, but its certainly growing. A massive influx of Brazilian users recently joined the social media site after X was banned in the country.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/bluesky-now-lets-you-upload-videos-but-there-are-some-caveats-185702403.html?src=rss
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On Wednesday, Adobe unveiled Firefly AI video generation tools that will arrive in beta later this year. Like many things related to AI, the examples are equal parts mesmerizing and terrifying as the company slowly integrates tools built to automate much of the creative work its prized user base is paid for today. Echoing AI salesmanship found elsewhere in the tech industry, Adobe frames it all as supplementary tech that helps take the tedium out of post-production. Adobe describes its new Firefly-powered text-to-video, Generative Extend (which will be available in Premiere Pro) and image-to-video AI tools as helping editors with tasks like navigating gaps in footage, removing unwanted objects from a scene, smoothing jump cut transitions, and searching for the perfect b-roll. The company says the tools will give video editors more time to explore new creative ideas, the part of the job they love. (To take Adobe at face value, youd have to believe employers wont simply increase their output demands from editors once the industry has fully adopted these AI tools. Or pay less. Or employ fewer people. But I digress.) Firefly Text-to-Video lets you you guessed it create AI-generated videos from text prompts. But it also includes tools to control camera angle, motion and zoom. It can take a shot with gaps in its timeline and fill in the blanks. It can even use a still reference image and turn it into a convincing AI video. Adobe says its video models excel with videos of the natural world, helping to create establishing shots or b-rolls on the fly without much of a budget. For an example of how convincing the tech appears to be, check out Adobes examples in the promo video: Although these are samples curated by a company trying to sell you on its products, their quality is undeniable. Detailed text prompts for an establishing shot of a fiery volcano, a dog chilling in a field of wildflowers or (demonstrating it can handle the fantastical as well) miniature wool monsters having a dance party produce just that. If these results are emblematic of the tools typical output (hardly a guarantee), then TV, film and commercial production will soon have some powerful shortcuts at its disposal for better or worse. Meanwhile, Adobes example of image-to-video begins with an uploaded galaxy image. A text prompt prods it to transform it into a video that zooms out from the star system to reveal the inside of a human eye. The companys demo of Generative Extend shows a pair of people walking across a forest stream; an AI-generated segment fills in a gap in the footage. (It was convincing enough that I couldnt tell which part of the output was AI-generated.) Adobe Reuters reports that the tool will only generate five-second clips, at least at first. To Adobes credit, it says its Firefly Video Model is designed to be commercially safe and only trains on content the company has permission to use. We only train them on the Adobe Stock database of content that contains 400 million images, illustrations, and videos that are curated to not contain intellectual property, trademarks or recognizable characters, Adobes VP of Generative AI, Alexandru Costin, told Reuters. The company also stressed that it never trains on users work. However, whether or not it puts its users out of work is another matter altogether. Adobe says its new video models will be available in beta later this year. You can sign up for a waitlist to try them.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/adobe-previews-ai-video-tools-that-arrive-later-this-year-172021715.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Most early impressions of the Apple Watch Series 10 are quite positive. Not only does it have the biggest display yet on any Apple Watch (despite a smaller overall case size than the 49mm Ultra 2), but it weighs less and is somehow thinner than before. The display isnt just bigger, either it has improved brightness when viewed at an angle, and the always-on screen can refresh once a second when at rest, rather than once a minute as it did before. Beyond the updated display and some lovely new case options (the new polished titanium and jet black aluminum look pretty fabulous), the Apple Watch is also getting a new health feature: sleep apnea detection. Its not exclusive to the Apple Watch Series 10, as last years Series 9 will also get it as well, but it was still a main highlight of Apples presentation and another example of how they want you to wear the Watch all day and all night. The only problem with that? Battery life is still rated for 18 hours, or 36 in battery-saver mode (half of what Apple claims for the Watch Ultra 2). That means if I get up and strap my watch on at 7AM, itll be dead overnight. Of course, the reality of this isnt as extreme as Im making it sound. While Apple has quoted an 18-hour battery since the Apple Watch was first released in 2015, recent models have easily exceeded that, despite changes like an always-on display. Its not unreasonable to wear it all day and overnight to track your sleep, and then give it a charge in the morning to get set for the next day. Apple has focused on quick charging in the last few models to make that more feasible the Series 10 can be charged to 80 percent in just 30 minutes. The problem, at least in my experience, comes a year or so into an Apple Watchs life. I had a Series 7, and its battery health had dropped to below 90 percent capacity after less than a year, and under 85 percent capacity after about 14 months. That made a noticeable difference; if I wanted to wear my watch overnight for sleep-tracking purposes, it would have needed a mid-day charge. Things were even worse if I used LTE on a run and left my phone at home, as streaming music and tracking a workout could easily use more than 25 percent of my battery. My Series 9 that I got last December, however, appears to be doing much better, with battery health still at 100 percent. Maybe my Series 7 was a lemon, but I think Apple has done some solid charging optimization to keep things fresher here. Getting a day and change from the Apple Watch is in line with the Pixel Watch 3 that we just reviewed, though it lags behind Samsungs Galaxy smartwatches. But the comparison gets worse when you look at Garmins line of fitness-focused watches, basically all of which can be used for well over a week without needing a charge. Granted, theyre different from Apple and Google wearables that are tightly integrated with all aspects of your phones OS, but thats not the point. If you want to use your watch to the fullest, wear it overnight to track sleep and not have to think about it the next day, the Apple Watch is far from your best option. That brings me back around to the Series 10. How psyched would we all be if Apple said this thing got three days of battery life? Even matching the 36-hour rating of the Apple Watch Ultra would be a win, as chances are good youd get closer to two days in real-world use. Instead, though, Apple did what it often does and made the Series 10 thinner. Sure, comfort is crucial when youre talking about a wearable, but I personally would have traded a 1mm reduction in thickness (about a nine percent change) for a bigger, longer-lasting battery. Instead, well just have to make do with faster charging, which, dont get me wrong, does make a difference. Its pretty easy to imagine a world in which you wake up, drop your Apple Watch on the charger for 45 minutes while you get ready for the day and then dont think about it again until the next morning. But thats just another time you have to think about this thing thats supposed to live on your wrist. Charging overnight isnt necessarily the best option anymore, but having to charge every day without fail is still a bummer. I just wish I had an Apple Watch that I could forget about and just drop on a charger every couple days to top it up. Maybe next year. Catch up on all the news from Apples iPhone 16 event!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/the-apple-watch-series-10-deserves-more-than-18-hour-battery-life-170410297.html?src=rss
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