Adobe Adds AI Features to Premiere Pro

Adobe has announced plans to integrate third-party AI video generators into its popular video editing software Premiere Pro. Planned integrations include OpenAI's Sora, Runway ML's Gen-2, and Pika 1.0. This would allow users to combine traditional filmed footage with AI-generated content directly in Premiere Pro. Imaginary scenarios described include generating monsters for an action scene or extending live-action shots seamlessly.

Adobe sees value in specialized AI models each excelling in niches, and integrating them naturally into creative workflows. An accompanying video demonstrated the potential future of generating a b-roll and extending shots. No timeframe was given for integrations, and some tools require paid access currently. Adobe typically trains its tools like Firefly using licensed data for trusted, legally protected use unlikely with third parties.

In the meantime, Adobe will bring Firefly for video capabilities to Premiere Pro later this year. Generative Extend can lengthen clips smoothly while Object Detection and Removal allows editing detected elements across shots. Firefly also provides a text-to-video model, though quality compared to dedicated services is unknown.

Positive feedback highlighted AI's efficiency-boosting potential. Directors appreciated applications like seamless live-action extensions. Experts view tool integrations as crucial for compelling AI video generation by streamlining otherwise separate workflows. While details remain upcoming, the integrations aim to revolutionize video production through accessible AI-human hybrid content.

Meta Releases Llama 3, Integrates into App Search Bars

Meta has introduced the next generation of its open Llama AI models, called Llama 3. The first two models released are Llama 3 8B with 8 billion parameters and Llama 3 70B with 70 billion parameters. Meta asserts these models surpass previous models like Llama 2 on various benchmarks through improvements in knowledge, skill acquisition, and reasoning ability.

Llama 3 8B outperforms comparably-sized models from other organizations on nine benchmarks through training on a massively enlarged dataset containing 15 trillion tokens from publicly available sources in over 30 languages. Llama 3 70B is competitive against much larger flagship models as well according to Meta's internal testing, though these results must be viewed skeptically.

While still primarily English models, Meta claims the diverse multilingual training data improves nuanced understanding. The dataset is now over seven times larger than Llama 2's, containing vast amounts of text as well as significant code samples. Meta acknowledges using synthetic data but says filtering improved overall quality.

To address issues in prior models, Meta developed new data screening and publicly released tools like Code Shield to detect vulnerabilities. However, as with Llama 2, real-world testing is still needed to validate claims of improved safety and ability.

Looking ahead, Meta is currently training even larger Llama 3 models of 400 billion+ parameters intended to be multilingual and begin processing images, aligning with other leading open models. Despite accessibility restrictions, Meta envisions Llama 3 will continue advancing through expanded capabilities.

Stability AI Opens Access to Stable Diffusion 3’s API

Stability AI is expanding access to its latest state-of-the-art text-to-image generator model, Stable Diffusion 3. While still in the preview stages, Stability AI is now making Stable Diffusion 3 available to developers through its new Developer Platform API integration with Fireworks AI. This will allow companies to leverage both Stability AI and Fireworks AI models together.

In addition, Stability AI is launching a content creation platform called Stable Assistant Beta. As a "friendly chatbot," it will house Stable Diffusion 3 and future models for subscribers to generate images, write content, or match photos to text prompts through conversation. An early access version of Stable Assistant Beta was opened to a small group of testers.

According to Stability AI, Stable Diffusion 3 improves upon other leading generative models through its Multimodal Diffusion Transformer architecture. This is said to enhance text understanding and spelling accuracy in image generation.

However, while now accessible in limited scopes, Stable Diffusion 3 remains in preview development rather than general public release. Stability AI cites the continued expansion as collaborating with its community to refine the models, while also taking steps to prevent potential misuse from malicious actors during this preparatory phase.

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Sipher Odyssey Latest Fixes and Improvements with Patch 1.0.6

SIPHER has deployed a new game update focused on bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements. Named Hotfix 1.0.6, the update addresses various issues to enhance the player experience. Visual adjustments were made to optimize post-match screens and map selection interfaces. Text errors have also been fixed in multiple areas of the game.

Several combat adjustments were implemented. Imp animations in the Arena received tweaks and the Electric Blowbug enemy will now correctly engage players in battles. Notifications for daily, weekly, and monthly events now displayed more clearly to keep players informed of time-sensitive activities.

A few known issues remain a priority to resolve. The Synergy ability is still consuming charge without triggering after dashes. However, the developer team is working to restore proper combo functionality soon.

In summary, this update from SIPHER aimed to "squash bugs and tweak tricks" through refined visuals, grammatical corrections, combat balancing, and notification streamlining. The targeted "magic" of fixes and optimizations should deliver a smoother experience for players to enjoy the game's thrilling content. The developer duo of Bug and Byte assured players they are focused on addressing any outstanding technical problems.

Fallout Games Spike in Player Count After Prime Series Premiere

Following the premiere of the Fallout Prime series adaptation, player counts significantly doubled across several Fallout games on Steam. Fallout 4 saw the highest peak of nearly 83,500 concurrent players on April 14th, while Fallout 76, which also launched on Steam in 2020, achieved its all-time high of 39,455 players that same day. New Vegas also observed a spike to 19,300 players. As of writing, Fallout 4 remains high with around 68,000 players currently.

The original Fallout and Fallout 2, which typically see modest player counts in the double digits, jumped to over 2,300 and 1,000 players respectively. Console numbers are harder to track, but similar growth is expected due to the show's popularity. By comparison, the historical all-time highs for Fallout 4 and New Vegas remain much higher, indicating the Prime adaptation has revived interest rather than surpassing previous records.

This influx aligns with precedence where other adaptations drive people to their source materials. With no Fallout 5 announced and 76's online focus, fans are likely revisiting classic single-player entries until potential future seasons. Critical acclaim for the show has resonated by motivating exploration of the Fallout games it's based on. Unless a season 2 is confirmed, the games will satisfy renewed curiosity until then. The adaptation cycle proves mutually beneficial for Fallout's multiplatform franchise.

Sea of Thieves Surpasses 40M Players Ahead of PS5 Launch

Rare studio executive producer Joe "Three Sheets" Neate announced that Sea of Thieves has reached 40 million players across its platforms, a remarkable milestone for the game. Neate offered thanks to the creative and supportive community for their role in the game's continued success through more than 100 free content updates. He also praised the development team's ongoing hard work in delivering innovations that transform the gameplay experience, like those arriving in the upcoming Season 12 update.

Season 12 will introduce new features such as throwing knives and Bone Caller tools. Neate expressed excitement about the game's expansion to PlayStation 5 players as well, with the launch approaching. Feedback from the closed beta highlighted the positive reception from this new segment of players. The executive producer looks forward to welcoming more pirates to the shared world starting next week.

Before the PlayStation 5 launch, Neate encouraged the existing community to take part in a Gold & Glory Weekend celebration for hitting 40 million players. This boosted event will provide opportunities to earn more in-game rewards and resources through Season 11 activities. It marks both the celebration of current players and anticipation of those soon starting their voyages on PlayStation 5 through continued support for an already huge Sea of Thieves player base.

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Worldcoin Introduces World Chain, Blockchain for Humans

In a post dated April 17, the Worldcoin Foundation revealed details on an upcoming blockchain called World Chain. World Chain aims to prioritize verified individuals over bots by providing the former with priority blockspace and a gas allowance for common transactions. This novel design aims to attract developers to create applications accessible to Worldcoin's existing community of over 10 million verified users.

World Chain will tightly integrate with the Worldcoin protocol while leveraging users' proven identities via World ID's proof of personhood. The network will also draw scalability and security benefits from Ethereum's layer 2 scaling solution Optimism. Most notably, World Chain strives for independent community governance in line with principles of decentralization and open-source software.

The Worldcoin Foundation believes this user-centric approach can help address issues plaguing some networks like high congestion and fees exacerbated by non-human activity. Developers will be supported through planned community grants and access to Worldcoin's sizeable pool of wallet users. World Chain is slated to debut in beta later this summer to sustain through balanced prioritization and incentivization of verified humans.

OKX’s X Layer L2 Network Goes Live in Public Mainnet

Cryptocurrency exchange OKX has launched its Ethereum-based layer-2 network called X Layer to provide lower fees and interoperability. Using zk-rollups like other layer-2 networks, X Layer enables faster and cheaper transactions when interacting with decentralized applications securely. It is EVM-compatible, allowing developers to port Ethereum DApps without code changes easily. OKX believes layer-2 solutions will be critical infrastructure seamlessly connecting the emerging Web3 ecosystem.

X Layer launched as a public mainnet on April 15 after an initial beta testnet phase that attracted over 50 DApps. DApps from established protocols like The Graph, Curve, LayerZero, and QuickSwap are deploying on X Layer. It will enable OKX's 50 million users to access these and nearly 200 other DApps for activities such as token swaps and liquidity providing reduced costs. Built using Polygon's CDK, X Layer connects to other networks using Polygon's Aggregation Layer for shared liquidity. This creates an interoperable network of liquidity pools according to Polygon's CEO. OKX's native OKB token also serves as X Layer's gas fee token.

Investment firms estimate layer-2 networks could surpass $1 trillion total value by 2030 as they enable Ethereum to scale securely through low-fee transactions and applications. X Layer aims to contribute to this growth by powering a thriving DApp ecosystem and interconnected DeFi infrastructure through its proprietary scaling solution.

Faraway Buys ‘HV-MTL’ and ‘Legends of the Mara’ from Yuga Labs

Yuga Labs has announced the acquisition of two of its gaming IP collections, Legends of the Mara (LoTM) and HV-MTL, by blockchain gaming company Faraway. This marks a milestone that will see the collections incorporated into Faraway's current and future games. Representatives from Yuga Labs and Faraway had been discussing for over a year about utilizing Yuga's IPs for gaming purposes, which began with LoTM and expanded to include additional collections.

It was determined Faraway's dedicated gaming focus and resources could better achieve the full potential of these collections. Yuga Labs will work with Faraway to burn over 4,000 HV-MTL NFTs and transition minting management as part of the transition. Faraway has also launched a points system and community home for HV-MTL and LoTM holders within their Discord. The collections now owned fully by Faraway include HV-MTL assets as well as Otherside-related NFTs. Yuga will retain ownership of Kodama but these will participate in Faraway's systems.

To facilitate the transition, Yuga Labs CGO Spencer Tucker will join Faraway as CPO. Both companies remain committed to interoperability between the collections and gaming ecosystems. This example of IPs moving between collaborative studios exemplifies how interoperability can advance individual projects through specialized support. Yuga Labs expects Faraway to propel the collections moving forward.

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