Ben Forta's Blog

Adobe XD Updated With Browser Auto-Animate

Tue, 29 Jan 2019 15:09:00 -0400

The January 2019 update of Adobe XD features Auto-Animate in the browser. And voice interfaces now have support for all voice languages and accents.

Creativity In Beaverton School District Classrooms

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 15:12:00 -0400

I have been working closely with Beaverton School District in Oregon for a couple of years now, collaborating on infusing classroom creativity via Adobe Spark. It's been amazing to watch the progress as described in this blog post.

Adobe XD in 2018

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 13:11:00 -0400

Elaine Chao reflects on Adobe XD in 2018, reviewing successes to date, and pondering what comes next.

Project Gemini Update

Sun, 23 Dec 2018 13:14:00 -0400

At MAX 2018 in Los Angeles, Adobe's Chief Product Officer and EVP Scott Belsky introduced the world to our next generation drawing and painting application: Project Gemini, which is coming first to the Apple iPad in 2019. Renée di Cherri has posted a summary of what we've shared to date with links and more.

Adobe Spark And Book Creator

Thu, 29 Nov 2018 20:17:00 -0400

Book Creator is hugely popular with educators the world over who love the creativity it helps unleash. It allows students to create interactive stories, compile digital portfolios, and publish research journals, poetry books, science reports, and so much more. And as many passionate app-smashing educators have discovered, the content that kids add to their "Books" can easily be created in Adobe Spark. In fact, we've run into so many teachers using both Adobe Spark and Book Creator in the classroom that we've partnered to streamline the integration, both simplifying the steps needed to add Spark content, as well as improving how Spark videos, pages, and posts display in finished books.

Dreamweaver In 2019

Thu, 22 Nov 2018 11:37:00 -0400

The Dreamweaver team has posted some thoughts pertaining to what they plan for 2019. Looking forward to the enhancements to Live View and CSS.

Project Aero Update

Wed, 21 Nov 2018 11:40:00 -0400

We showed Project Aero during the opening keynote at MAX in Los Angeles. The team just posted a summary of the MAX announcements and updates since then. If you are a designer and are interested in taking part in Project Aero's private beta, you can apply using this form.

Helping Students Get Started With Adobe Spark

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 19:41:00 -0400

Kids (and their teachers) love Adobe Spark. It's fun, easy, highly encouraging, and it's free, too! And, yep, as already noted, it's easy to use, so easy that kids just get it. But, if your students need a helping hand, these short videos may be of use:Logging In

Creating a Spark Page

Creating a Spark Video

Creating a Spark Post

Adobe MAX 2018 Sneaks

Thu, 18 Oct 2018 09:45:00 -0400

One of the highlight of my Adobe life is directing Adobe MAX Sneaks, a privilege I have been responsible for for many years now (I have also previously hosted Sneaks and presented demos, too). This year's MAX Sneaks were some of the best yet, and if you missed the show, my colleague Lauren Friedman has posted a summary and videos for your viewing pleasure.

Project Gemini Announced At MAX

Mon, 15 Oct 2018 16:21:00 -0400

During today's Adobe MAX open General Session we announced Project Gemini, a new app focused specifically on drawing and painting. If you missed the details, check out this post.

New Book On Spark In The Classroom

Mon, 15 Oct 2018 09:35:00 -0400

Adobe Spark is a fun, free content-creation tool that anyone can use. Designed to be used in the classroom and easily accessible on web browsers, Chromebooks, and mobile devices, Adobe Spark's intuitive and easy-to-use design makes it the perfect tool for learners of all ages to create video book reports, modern, responsive webpage "papers", video journals, science posters and videos, web newsletters . . . and so much more! In this new book, 40 Ways to Inject Creativity into Your Classroom with Adobe Spark, I partner with experienced educator Monica Burns to offer step-by-step guidance on how to incorporate this powerful tool into your classroom in ways that are meaningful and relevant.

Adobe XD Responsive Resize Best Practices

Sat, 29 Sep 2018 09:57:00 -0400

The Adobe XD team has posted a important thoughts on Best Practices for Designing with Responsive Resize in Adobe XD.

Adobe XD September 2018 Release

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 12:11:00 -0400

The Adobe XD team just announced the availability of the September 2018 release. New features include responsive resize, times transitions, and spell check.

Google Classroom Support Comes To Adobe Spark

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 16:02:00 -0400

Adobe Spark is a favorite in schools and classrooms worldwide. Google Classroom is used in lots of those classrooms, so we just updated the web (and Chromebook) version of Spark to support single click share to Google Classroom (this on top of existing support for Google login, Google Photos, and Google Drive).

Mala Sharma On Sparking Creativity In Classrooms Around The World

Thu, 13 Sep 2018 12:20:00 -0400

Adobe VP Mala Sharma spent her Adobe sabbatical in India volunteering with the nonprofit Teach for India, teaching technology and creativity to seventh- and eighth-graders. Her trip report (linked in the post) is well worth the read.