Introduction
Adobe Express is a design tool with similar features to Canva. You can use it to make a wide range of media, such as posters, social media posts and videos. It works in a web-browser, and there are also desktop and mobile apps.
Alongside standard design features, Adobe Express also has a number of generative AI tools which allow you to create your own images or alter existing ones simply by writing a text prompt.
Can I use it?
Adobe Express has both free and premium accounts. You can read about the differences here: Pricing | Adobe Express (adobe.com).
Staff have access to the Premium version of Adobe Express. Alongside the core features, this includes the ability to use premium assets, such as templates and stock photos. It also gives you a greater number of generative-AI credits than the free account.
To access the premium version of Adobe Express, please follow these instructions or watch the video:
- Go to www.adobe.com/uk and click ‘Sign in’ at the top right.
- Enter your Coventry email address and password and complete multi-factor authentication if prompted.
- You’ll be returned to the Adobe homepage. Click on ‘Creativity’ at the top left.
- From the drop-down, click ‘Adobe Express‘.
- Click ‘Get Adobe Express Free’ (don’t worry that it says ‘Free’).
- You can double-check you have access to the premium version of Adobe Express by looking for a template or asset with a crown and a tick on it. Hover over this, and you’ll see a message saying ‘You have full Premium access’.
Accessibility
You can read the accessibility report for Adobe Express here:
Adobe Express Accessibility Conformance Report
What can I do with it?
Media creation
The most common use of Adobe Express is probably to make posters and social media posts, but you can also make videos / animations and edit PDFs.
AI features
Adobe Express also has its own generative-AI tools, which you can read about here:
Generative AI in Adobe Express (adobe.com)
Adobe Firefly
In addition to its built-in AI features, Adobe Express integrates with Adobe’s standalone generative-AI image creator, Adobe Firefly. This is similar to tools such as DALL-E , Microsoft Image Creator and Midjourney, where you type a text prompt and it creates an image. However, Adobe Firefly has some potential advantages:
- People who aren’t used to writing prompts for generative AI may find Firefly easier to use than other similar products, as it has a more traditional interface.
- Adobe states that it is designed to be safe for commercial use and that the data used to train its models has been collected in a responsible way. See Adobe Firefly – FAQ.
Training
General training for Adobe Express
Please see the links below for tutorials about how to use Adobe Express:
Adobe Express for Beginners (youtube.com)
Learning Adobe Express (linkedin.com)
Adobe Express Learn & Support (adobe.com)
Training for using the AI features
Adobe Firefly Learn & Support (adobe.com)
Getting started with the AI features in Adobe Express (media.coventry.ac.uk) – select ‘Related media’ to download the associated presentation and worksheet, and ‘Chapters’ to skip to a specific part of the video.
Related Links
AI tools and the impact on Higher Education – The Teaching Knowledge Base (coventry.domains)
Artificial Intelligence – Staff Guidance – The Teaching Knowledge Base (coventry.domains)
