Widely regarded as the world’s premier creativity conference, Adobe MAX brings together approximately 15,000+ professional digital creatives in person and thousands more online every year.
This year, the event returns to its traditional West Coast home in Los Angeles, following last year's milestone event on the East Coast in Miami Beach.
Capture attended last year's event, (see photos within this article) and we can personally attest – if you're in the creative field, attending Adobe MAX is a very inspiring 'bucket-list' event.
Last year, the buzz was very much about AI integration in the digital workflow. This year, we anticipate the focus will shift to even deeper use of AI in Adobe software. This will more than likely mark a subtle 'normalisation' after the initial panic that we were all about to lose our jobs to the robots.
Of course, this focus is already well underway, notably with the recent integration of Google's Nano Banana directly into Photoshop.
What is Adobe MAX?
You can think of it as a massive festival for digital creatives. But instead of music stages, you have a multitude of events, workshops, and immersive labs hosted by the world's top digital artists and industry leaders.
Image: Tim Levy
There is a lot going on and it's tough deciding which of the 200+ sessions to attend over five full days of creative immersion. The in-person event runs from October 26–30, 2025, including two days of pre-conference training followed by the main conference.
Spotlight Speakers for Adobe MAX 2025
Attendees will learn from a diverse lineup of visionaries covering every creative discipline, from graphic design and videography to Generative AI and UI/UX. The list of featured speakers includes:
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James Gunn: Award-winning Filmmaker (Co-Chair and CEO of DC Studios)
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Jessica Williams: Emmy-Nominated Comedian, Writer, and Actress
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Mark Rober: American Inventor, Engineer, Educator, and YouTuber
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Yuko Shimizu: Illustrator and Educator
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Serwah Attafuah: Multidisciplinary Artist and Musician (Australia's own!)
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Johnny Harris: Journalist & Co-Founder, Newpress
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Aaron Draplin: Founder, Draplin Design Co.
Image: Tim Levy
Sessions and online classes
Image: Tim Levy
The conference offers over 250 learning opportunities, including hands-on labs, seminars and photowalks, across key topics like:
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Photography
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Video, Audio, and Motion
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Graphic Design and Illustration
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3D and Immersive
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Education
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Social Media and Marketing
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Branding
The conference also features two highly-anticipated evening events.
The first is 'Sneaks, an insanely popular session held in the main arena where Adobe employees and celebrity hosts offer an exclusive look (a sneak peek) at the innovative, often secret projects currently in development behind the scenes at Adobe.
Immediately following Sneaks is the MAX Bash party.
This massive celebratory event allows attendees to unwind, enjoy complimentary food and drinks, network, and be entertained by a performance from top contemporary musicians.
Adobe MAX for Australians and New Zealanders (Online)
Importantly, even if you can't make it to Los Angeles, the free virtual / online events run on October 28–29, 2025 (PDT), featuring Keynotes, Sneaks, and 90 sessions.
For those tuning in from Australia (AEDT), here is the conversion for the core mainstage events:
Event LA Time (PDT) Aus East Coast Time (AEDT)
Opening Keynote: Tue, Oct 28 @ 9:00 AM(PDT) Wed, Oct 29 @ 3:00 AM(AEDT)
Day Two Keynote: Wed, Oct 29 @ 10:00 AM(PDT) Thu, Oct 30 @ 4:00 AM(AEDT)
MAX Sneaks Wed: Oct 29 @ 5:30 PM(PDT) Thu, Oct 30 @ 11:30 AM(AEDT)
If you did want to attend in person – the price for a Regular ticket for the full conference is US$1,1995 which is approximately $AU$3,075. Discount is available for students and group pricing.
Adobe's Lightroom (app/ web based), Lightroom Classic, and Photoshop are still regarded as the photo industry standard software. All three software programs are available as a package for AU$371.88/yr and includes 1TB of cloud storage as well as 500 monthly AI generative credits.
Finally, stay tuned for more updates, as Capture will be attending this year's event in person.
Follow our travel blog on Instagram, and check the official Adobe MAX website for the most current information and the full session catalogue.
