Adobe has officially launched its AI video generator, Generate Video, in public beta, allowing anyone to create 5-second 1080p video clips from text and image prompts. This move marks a significant milestone in the company's efforts to democratize AI-powered video creation, and it comes on the heels of OpenAI's release of its own text-to-video generator, Sora.

The Generate Video tool, which was first teased in September, consists of two features: Text-to-Video and Image-to-Video. The former allows users to generate footage using text descriptions, while the latter enables users to add a reference image alongside the prompt to provide a starting point for the video. The tool also includes various options to refine or guide the results, such as simulating styles, camera angles, motion, and shooting distances.

In terms of output quality, Generate Video produces 1080p videos at 24 frames per second, up from the original 720p quality. However, the maximum length of generated clips is capped at 5 seconds, shorter than the 20-second duration available to Sora users. Adobe is working on both a faster, lower-resolution "ideation model" and a 4K model, which are "coming soon."

Adobe has also revamped its Firefly web app, which hosts many of its generative AI tools. The updated app features a new UI and integrates with Creative Cloud apps, including Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Express, making it easier to move and edit AI-generated assets. Notably, Firefly is trained on public domain and licensed content, making it safe for commercial use. Adobe describes its Generate Video tool as "production-ready" to entice users who want to use AI-generated videos in films without the risk of violating copyright protections.

The launch of Generate Video comes at a time when Adobe faces growing competition in the AI video market. In addition to OpenAI's Sora, Google is testing the second generation of its Veo AI video model, which appears more impressive than Sora in early demo examples. ByteDance and Pika Labs have also recently announced new video-focused generative AI tools. Adobe's main advantage lies in Firefly's commercial viability, but it will need to keep up with the quality and features its competitors are offering.

Two additional tools will also be available in public beta on the Firefly web app: Scene to Image, which allows users to create their own references for AI-generated images using built-in 3D and sketching features, and Translate Audio and Video, which enables users to translate and dub audio into over 20 languages while preserving the original speaker's voice. Adobe is launching two new Firefly subscription plans, which provide credits that can be spent to use Adobe's Firefly models. The plans start at $9.99 per month for 2,000 video/audio credits and provide up to 20 five-second 1080p video generations.

The release of Generate Video marks a significant step forward in the democratization of AI-powered video creation. As the AI video market continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how Adobe's tool fares against its competitors and how it will be used by creators and businesses alike.