Adobe unveiled a new social graphics app today called Adobe Post, which now joins an expanding suite of applications aimed at encouraging mobile creativity, including Adobe Slate, Adobe Voice, and several others. However, unlike many apps in Adobe’s lineup, Post is not only targeted at professionals, but instead wants to make it easy for anyone to turn their photos and text into “beautifully designed graphics,” the company says, then share them on social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
The idea that graphic design is a skill set that can be democratized if only users were given the right tools is a growing trend. For example, Canva provides online and mobile apps that help anyone creative banners, ads, blog post graphics, handouts, and more using a simple editor.
Similarly, Adobe Post is straightforward to use, though it leverages concepts from Adobe’s pro tools like Photoshop and InDesign like the ability to layer images with text and filters. However, doing so in Post is only a matter of tapping a few buttons.
On the app’s home screen, you’re able to browse through a curated selection of pre-made templates designed for social sharing to get started with your creation. You can then add typography to your images, or select from one of Adobe Post’s “Design Filters.” The company explains that while Instagram popularized the concept of filtering photos, Adobe Post’s filters are a combination of a photo filter, typography, layout, and colors which basically transform your image with just a tap.
The app also provides color combinations by automatically extracting colors from your background images and then suggests variations on that. And Post offers fonts and shapes you can use on your images that were chosen and curated by professional designers.
Another handy feature is that these graphics, once created, can be saved to be used again, or even re-edited for a future post.
Though Adobe Post is aimed at a mainstream audience, the app may have particular appeal for those who work on social media, like community managers and other members of a business’s social team who often need to quickly create custom graphics to share along with their posts. (Hence the name, most likely.)
Adobe also suggests the app can be used for a number of other purposes, like event invitations, blog banners, email newsletter graphics, business graphics, album covers and more.
Adobe Post is a free download on the App Store.
