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Random Reviews: Should You Be Using Adobe Express?

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Author
samuelstapp
Published
April 23, 2024

Adobe has been a household name for decades now (seriously, 'Photoshop' is now a verb, people!). The creative giant is known for its suite of innovative tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro. But with the rise of user-friendly platforms like Canva, Adobe has put a contender in the ring: Adobe Express. This online content creation tool aims to streamline the design process for content creators, social media managers, and marketers. 

After diving into Adobe Express and testing its wide array of features, we’re here to share our insights and help you decide if this tool deserves a spot in your creative toolkit. Let's dive in!

The Good Stuff

Don’t let the word Adobe scare you away. While Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro might seem like robust programs requiring years of experience, Adobe Express is designed with simplicity and accessibility in mind. It offers a user-friendly interface that caters to both beginners and seasoned professionals, making it easy to create stunning visuals without the steep learning curve.

Screenshot of Adobe Express homepage showcasing its user interface and features.

Like Canva, the Adobe Express homepage allows users to select from a myriad of options to start creating, including size, format, templates, and more. Let’s dive into a design and explore the specific qualities the platform has to offer:

1. Extensive Animation Customization

Adobe Express makes animating text, images, and shapes easy peasy, making your content more dynamic. A specific aspect of this feature worth noting is the ability to change the animation's personality. This customization provides subtle changes to your animations so you can narrowly tweak to what you want.

But you can go even further than that. The ‘Looping’ and ‘Out’ buttons allow you to tack on different animation styles to the middle and end of your sequence.

Screenshot highlighting animation styles available on the Adobe Express platform.

2. Intuitive AI Generation

Adobe has been on the AI train for a while now, so it’s no surprise that Adobe Express flaunts its text-to-image features. However, the text effect generator is one of the platform’s unique approaches to AI. While some results turned out a little strange, it was extremely fun to use and has the potential for exciting graphics in your design.

GIF demonstration showcasing AI text generation features of Adobe Express.

3. Easy Access Layers Panel

The easy-to-access layers panel in Adobe Express makes designing headache-free. The fact that the layers panel is always present on the screen is SO HELPFUL, making it extremely easy to switch graphics around.

GIF demonstrating the Adobe Express layers panel.

4. Adobe Cloud Sync

Those who do most of their creative work in the Adobe ecosystem will be happy to know they can access all their Creative Cloud files in Adobe Express. That means you can bring in designs from Photoshop and Illustrator into Adobe Express!

GIF demonstrating the Adobe Cloud Sync feature in Adobe Express.

The Not-So-Great Stuff

Not every platform is made equal. While Adobe has had years to revise and refine its more popular programs, the novelty of Adobe Express means that the platform has some downsides. Here’s a few cons that we think are important to note:

1. Sometimes Slow and Glitchy

When creating content, lag and buggy performance can make or break your process. While testing out Adobe Express, we experienced several laggy/glitchy occurrences. At one point, a glitch erased the whole project we had been working on. Where did it go? We have no idea. These minor bugs can lead to major frustrations for those hoping to use this platform for its accessibility and simplicity.

GIF demonstrating the slow loading times of the Adobe Express platform.

2. Limited Graphics

Variety is the spice of life, and the same goes for content creation. Adobe Express has a decent library of graphics, images, and icons, but compared to a tool like Canva, it’s a bit lacking. The limited graphics library can make finding the right graphic for your social post, flier, or video hard. For example, here’s a side-by-side comparison of the results you get when searching for ‘mango’ on both Adobe Express and Canva.

Side-by-side comparison image showing search results for a mango graphic on Adobe Express and Canva platforms.

3. Can't Import SVG Files

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) files are a type of vector image format that allows for high-quality graphics to be displayed at any size without loss of quality. This scalability and crispness make SVG files crucial for maintaining the integrity of designs across various platforms and screen sizes (especially when it comes to web design). The inability to import SVG files in Adobe Express seems like a mistake coming from a design powerhouse like Adobe. This defect may be their way of restricting features so users migrate to Illustrator, but SVG importing seems like a pretty standard necessity. An update for the future, perhaps?

Screenshot displaying an error message while attempting to upload an SVG file to Adobe Express.

The Verdict?

So, should you hop on the Adobe Express train? If you're a fan of Adobe's ecosystem and looking for a tool to create content quickly and easily, it's worth giving Adobe Express a spin. While the platform has a few downsides, the straightforward and uncomplicated features assuredly outweigh the cons.

Ready to elevate your content creation game? Our team at That Random Agency is always here to help you navigate the ever-changing digital marketing landscape. Reach out to us!

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