The world's premier creativity conference, Adobe MAX, is gearing up for its highly anticipated 2026 edition, and this time, it is heading back to the vibrant shores of Miami Beach.
Running from 10–12 November at the Miami Beach Convention Center (with pre-conference training sessions kicking off on 8–9 November), the event promises to be a massive celebration of digital art, photography, design, and video production.
For those unable to make the trip to Florida, the good news is that the main events and many sessions will be streamed online for free.
The other good news is that Capture will be attending to witness and report back on all the major announcements, hands-on demonstrations, and industry trends straight from the conference floor in Miami.
Photo: Tim Levy
Keynotes and Sneaks
The Opening Keynote will take place on Tuesday, 10 November, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am (EST), setting the stage for Adobe's biggest software updates and announcements. EST (Eastern Standard Time) is the local time in Miami, which is 16 hours behind Sydney. In Sydney time (AEDT), the live keynote runs from 1:00 am to 3:00 am on Wednesday, 11 November.
However, Adobe is broadcasting an Asia-Pacific replay of the opening keynote at a more convenient time for Australian viewers: 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm AEDT on Wednesday, 11 November.
This will be followed by the Inspiration Keynote on Wednesday morning from 10:00 am to 11:30 am which is live Thursday, 12 November from 2:00 am to 3:30 am AEDT.
A major highlight every year is 'Sneaks' – where Adobe showcases (sneak previews) experimental tools and features currently in development.
This year, the highly anticipated session will be hosted by the comedy actor Terry Crews on Wednesday evening from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm, which is live in Sydney: Thursday, 12 November from 9:30 am to 11:00 am AEDT.
Last year, Capture was very impressed with new AI integration into Premier and was then gobsmacked by some of the upcoming apps revealed at the Sneaks session. The benchmark has been set so high, it is almost hard to imagine what else they can add.
AI and video innovations
Adobe has been busy ahead of the show, and attendees can expect significant updates on the artificial intelligence front.
Following teasers at IBC (International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam) in September, creatives are eager to see more of the Generative Media Tool for Premiere Pro (which fills timeline gaps with AI-generated clips), the public beta of AI Assistant in After Effects, and powerful new AI audio tools.
Additionally, Adobe recently announced it is bringing NVIDIA's RTX Spark superchip to Photoshop, Premiere, and Substance 3D, promising up to twice the AI processing speed for creative workflows.
Firefly, Adobe's family of creative generative AI models, will also have dedicated sessions, including a hands-on lab for building short animations from storyboard to audio.
Stellar lineup of speakers
As always, MAX will feature a diverse lineup of creative luminaries. Alongside Terry Crews, featured speakers include viral filmmaker Drex Lee, writer and director Omar S. Kamara, and YouTube storytelling strategist Hayden Hillier-Smith.
Attendees can also look forward to deep-dive sessions, such as an introduction to Premiere Colour Mode by Adobe's Jason Druss, an audio design session for editors by Vinnie Hobbs, and motion design insights from Nol Honig.
Whether you are attending in person or tuning in virtually, Adobe MAX launches are full of technological surprises and artistic inspiration.
To register for the free online broadcast or find out more about the programme, head to the official Adobe MAX website.
