Latest news with #LumaAI
Techday NZ
18-07-2025
- Techday NZ
Adobe Firefly adds AI sound & video tools to boost creativity
Adobe Firefly has introduced a suite of new tools and partner models to streamline AI-driven video production and editing, emphasising flexibility, precision, and creative control for content creators. New sound effects generation The new Generate Sound Effects (beta) feature allows users to create bespoke sound effects either by entering a text prompt or using their voice. This tool is designed to enable creators to easily add custom audio elements that fit the emotional and atmospheric requirements of their videos. According to the company, Firefly listens to the timing and energy of the user's voice input to match the action in the corresponding video, providing more cinematic alignment between audio and visuals. "Sound is a powerful storytelling tool that adds emotion and depth to your videos. Generate Sound Effects (beta) makes it easy to create custom sounds, like a lion's roar or ambient nature sounds, that enhance your visuals. And like our other Firefly generative AI models, Generate Sound Effects (beta) is commercially safe, so you can create with confidence. Just type a simple text prompt to generate the sound effect you need. Want even more control? Use your voice to guide the timing and intensity of the sound. Firefly listens to the energy and rhythm of your voice to place sound effects precisely where they belong - matching the action in your video with cinematic timing," the company said. Expanded partner ecosystem Firefly has broadened its partner ecosystem to include additional generative AI models. Users now have access to Moonvalley's Marey, Google's Veo 3 (with audio), and Runway's Gen-4 Video, allowing a greater range of creative options in video style and production without requiring users to move between different applications or workflows. Additional models from Topaz Labs and Luma AI are scheduled to become available soon in Firefly Boards and Generate Video. The company stated, "Creatives enjoy experimenting with different styles, so we're continuously expanding the models we offer inside the Firefly app. Recently, we added Runway's Gen-4 Video and Google Veo3 with Audio to Firefly Boards and Veo3 with Audio in Generate Video. And there are more partner models coming soon to the Firefly app: Topaz Labs' Image and Video Upscalers and Moonvalley's Marey will be launching soon in Firefly Boards. Luma AI's Ray 2 and Pika 2.2, which are already available in Boards, will soon be added to Generate Video." Enhanced video controls Firefly has released advanced video controls that give users the ability to direct specific aspects of composition, pacing and style on a frame-by-frame basis. The app now supports flexible aspect ratio selection - vertical, horizontal, or square - streamlining the creation process for multiple formats such as mobile, widescreen, or social content. Among the new tools is Composition Reference for Video, which enables creators to upload a reference video and a description, from which Firefly generates new content that maintains the original's visual structure. This is particularly helpful for repurposing content or maintaining consistency across scenes. The Style Presets tool allows users to apply visual styles such as claymation, anime, or line art with a single click, expediting the setting of tone for pitches, briefs, or final productions. Keyframe Cropping provides an intuitive solution for managing framing transitions. Users set the initial and final frames and the intended crop, and Firefly handles the video generation to fit the format, aiming to make the entire process efficient without exiting the creative workflow. Composition Reference, Style Presets, and Keyframe Cropping are built to give you more control, more speed, and more creative freedom. And they're just the beginning. Even more enhancements are on the way to help you push your storytelling further. Text to avatar and prompt enhancement Firefly has also launched Text to Avatar (beta), which enables creators to generate avatar-led videos from scripts with a few clicks. The tool offers a library of avatars, customisable backgrounds, and a selection of accents to match the desired tone or audience. The company said, "With Text to avatar (beta), you can turn your scripts into engaging, avatar-led videos in just a few clicks. Choose from a diverse library of avatars, customise your background with a colour, image, or video, and select the accent that best fits your video. Firefly handles the rest." The tool is being used for video lessons, transforming written content for social media, and creating internal training materials with a virtual presenter. Recognising the challenges some users face in crafting prompts, the new Enhance Prompt feature in Generate Video takes user input and augments it for greater clarity and direction, reducing the time spent refining prompt language. Commercial safety and creative rights Adobe maintains that all generative AI models within Firefly are trained only on assets for which it holds the appropriate permissions. The company emphasises that user-generated content within Firefly will not be used for further model training, aiming to respect and protect creator rights. A user guide and best practice tutorials are available to help users get started quickly and to assist with optimising their creative processes within the Firefly platform.
Khaleej Times
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
New tools, diverse storytelling: Is AI democratising filmmaking?
"Dad, I know this looks real, but it's only AI. You don't have to wire money to anyone!' says a young, handcuffed woman, sitting in the centre of a dingy room. That video, and many others, made the rounds on social media shortly after the launch of VEO3. Google's new AI video generation model promised anyone with an access to a computer the ability to generate near-realistic videos from simple text prompts — and it kept its promise. What had been primarily a tool for filmmakers was suddenly available to everyone. What if this tool lands in the wrong hands: those who will abuse it for purposes other than the art of audio-visual storytelling? And that, of course, is not the only 'downside' of AI in film. Recently appointed Head of Luma AI's LA Studio, Verena Puhm has made significant waves in the field, trailblazing through a world of new opportunities in the art of audio-visual storytelling with AI. Puhm attended the AI Film Festival in Dubai, where she vowed the audience with her Sora Selects Film 2025 AI short film MILK. She also spoke frankly about the pros and cons, hinting at another shortcoming: IP and copyright infringements, anticipating what would occur a couple of months later, when Disney sued Midjourney for using Disney's IP. In this context, Puhm broadens the discussion in our interview: 'There's a big responsibility also on creatives to just do the right thing. If you put in 'Batman is fighting Spider-Man' in Midjourney, you might get Batman and Spider-Man fighting. Is that the content that you want to create? Then you cannot sell it.' One of the keywords that quickly crystalises from the interview is 'agency.' Puhm criticises some AI filmmakers for ripping off other artistes, for prompts like: 'in the style of Wes Anderson.' As James Cameron once pointed out, we're all models. We have been trained on movies, trained on stories, trained on the world's materials, but that doesn't give filmmakers permission to rip off other artists' work. Generally, it's not the intention of the AI toolmaker to encourage this, so it shouldn't be the intention of the creative using it, either. For audio-visual filmmakers who are just starting out in AI, Puhm suggests that they educate themselves before going through the creative process, and to keep doing what any creative would have done before the existence of AI: to secure their rights and involvement. While AI toolmakers aren't taking anything away from the creative in the same way studios have done in the past, Puhm points out that if there's a concern with IP retention or copyright, then leave traces of human involvement in the creation. For example, manipulate the created image in Photoshop, make screenshots or screen recordings of the process, do anything to document interaction between human and machine. While the use of AI was somewhat frowned upon at previous editions of the Cannes Film Festival — not just because the tools we have today hadn't been developed yet — Puhm noticed a change at this year's edition: AI was met with curiosity for the first time. 'If you're curious, you're not there yet where you're judging, and the biggest issue that I've seen in the past was that people are judging too fast. They judge based on fear or ignorance and no education.' One of the greatest opportunities AI film-making has to offer any storyteller around the world is that it 'provides this new playground for filmmakers that have historically been left out of the narrative because they were either not locally in Hollywood… to tell a story, did not have personal ties to studios … and now they pitch their project and (it) would get made (even though) they did not have a story that would reflect what the mostly male, white-dominated studio heads would want to see.' Instead of seeing it as a menace, AI can be a tool of connection between different cultures. 'It's an opportunity to under-represented voices to tell their story… all of a sudden, I can connect with someone from Zimbabwe that I never would have met. I would have never understood their cultural norms, beliefs, religion, anything that really makes me understand a different culture, and helps me expand my view on the world.' As a creator and storyteller herself, Puhm sees AI more as an expansion of humanity's film-making capabilities; writers can verbalise what they want to see in an image, designers can use motion graphics, and add sound and audio without the necessary skills you needed before. With a long background in traditional film-making, Puhm recalls the moment she first brushed shoulders with AI as a film-making tool: 'I felt that I got my agency back. I did not have to rely on gatekeepers to green-light my projects.' To Puhm, the biggest argument in favour of AI is democratisation: giving power back to the people, which is happening with the accessibility of film-making tools, and giving respect back to the artists, who 'historically have been very much exploited by the system... even though the creatives are the ones that are creating worlds; so with this new shift we can become storytellers on any platform.' She concludes: 'That's what it's about … giving artists an opportunity, the respect they actually deserve and to shape how the future of storytelling can look like. Hopefully, it will be broader than what we have experienced in the past.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Luma AI Launches "Dream Lab LA" to Give Filmmakers the Knowledge, Tools, and Team to Thrive in the AI Era
"Dream Lab LA" will be led by industry veteran and filmmaker Verena Puhm and entertainment technology expert Jon Finger With support from a16z, AWS, NVIDIA and other leading investors, Luma AI is partnering with filmmakers to evolve their craft – honoring the past while innovating for the future LOS ANGELES, July 10, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Luma AI, one of the world's most advanced generative AI companies, today announced the launch of its groundbreaking initiative, "Dream Lab LA" – a bold new initiative headquartered in Los Angeles that combines frontier AI technology with deep expertise in filmmaking. Dream Lab LA is designed as a creative engine room where Hollywood veterans, emerging storytellers, studios, and curious minds come together to shape the next era of storytelling – before it arrives. "Dream Lab LA is where we build what everyone else is still guessing at," says Amit Jain, CEO and Founder of Luma AI. "This is not about chasing trends, this is about defining what's next." Rooted in hands-on filmmaking and backed by frontier research, Dream Lab LA exists to explore how AI can empower creativity, not replace it. As AI rapidly reshapes the creative landscape, Dream Lab LA offers a space for experimentation, education, and collaboration between studios, creators, and curious minds. Luma AI today announced the leadership team for Dream Lab LA, naming Verena Puhm as Head of the studio. A powerhouse in both traditional and AI-driven storytelling, Puhm has shaped content for global giants like CNN, BBC, Netflix, Red Bull Media, and Leonine Studios. As one of the earliest creatives to embrace AI in filmmaking, she's led acclaimed projects recognized by Sundance, Project Odyssey, Curious Refuge, and OpenAI's Sora Selects. Her ability to merge narrative craftsmanship with technological innovation has earned her a reputation as one of the leading voices driving the future of the entertainment industry. In her new role, Puhm will spearhead the studio's vision for next-generation content and lead a slate of boundary-pushing productions. "I believe the future of storytelling should be shaped by the people who tell stories, not just the people who build the tools," says Verena Puhm, Head of Dream Lab LA. "We're cultivating a community, a creative lab, and a launchpad for what's next. This isn't just another platform; it's a creative studio built from the ground up to blend technological innovation with artistic intention." Jon Finger, Creative Workflow Executive, brings over 15 years of experience at the intersection of emerging technology and content creation. A pioneer in at-home motion capture, 3D scanning, and virtual production, he has worked across various entertainment sectors with brands such as Paramount Network, The Game Awards, and Comedy Central, and has developed for Netflix. For the past three years, Finger has focused on AI integration in filmmaking, developing workflows that give creators physicalized control over AI-driven productions. "The focus here is to find the best experiences for passionate creatives," said Jon Finger, Creative Workflow Executive. "The world is changing quickly, and we want to find the best ways for fun, fulfilling human-centric creative expression to not only continue but be amplified, so more creative people can find a new prosperous way forward." Luma AI is fundamentally different from other technology companies; it builds AI that elevates the craft of filmmaking, working closely with creatives. From its intuitive Modify Video, Reframe, and Keyframes to its foundation models Ray2 and Photon, Luma is creating instruments, not gimmicks, explicitly designed for narrative storytelling. At its core, Dream Lab LA is a creative harbor where:- Filmmakers collaborate, learn, and tell new stories- Studios get embedded support to modernize workflows and upskill teams- Curious daredevils push boundaries and experiment freely Projects created using Luma AI's tools are already being deployed in real-world productions and will continue to shape what's next across film, TV, gaming, and beyond. About Luma AI Luma AI is building a multimodal general intelligence that understands and operates in the physical world. Its flagship platform, Dream Machine, enables anyone to generate photorealistic video and images from simple prompts, and now powers creation for over 30 million users. In 2025, Luma released Ray2, a frontier video generative model capable of creating realistic visuals with stunning detail and natural motion. Luma's models are utilized by top entertainment studios, ad agencies, and technology leaders such as Adobe and AWS, and are available via subscription or API. The company is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, AWS, Amplify Partners, and Matrix Partners. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Peter BinazeskiLuma AIpeter@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Wire
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Wire
Luma AI Launches 'Dream Lab LA' to Give Filmmakers the Knowledge, Tools, and Team to Thrive in the AI Era
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Luma AI, one of the world's most advanced generative AI companies, today announced the launch of its groundbreaking initiative, 'Dream Lab LA' – a bold new initiative headquartered in Los Angeles that combines frontier AI technology with deep expertise in filmmaking. Dream Lab LA is designed as a creative engine room where Hollywood veterans, emerging storytellers, studios, and curious minds come together to shape the next era of storytelling – before it arrives. Rooted in hands-on filmmaking and backed by frontier research, Dream Lab LA exists to explore how AI can empower creativity, not replace it. Share "Dream Lab LA is where we build what everyone else is still guessing at," says Amit Jain, CEO and Founder of Luma AI. "This is not about chasing trends, this is about defining what's next." Rooted in hands-on filmmaking and backed by frontier research, Dream Lab LA exists to explore how AI can empower creativity, not replace it. As AI rapidly reshapes the creative landscape, Dream Lab LA offers a space for experimentation, education, and collaboration between studios, creators, and curious minds. Luma AI today announced the leadership team for Dream Lab LA, naming Verena Puhm as Head of the studio. A powerhouse in both traditional and AI-driven storytelling, Puhm has shaped content for global giants like CNN, BBC, Netflix, Red Bull Media, and Leonine Studios. As one of the earliest creatives to embrace AI in filmmaking, she's led acclaimed projects recognized by Sundance, Project Odyssey, Curious Refuge, and OpenAI's Sora Selects. Her ability to merge narrative craftsmanship with technological innovation has earned her a reputation as one of the leading voices driving the future of the entertainment industry. In her new role, Puhm will spearhead the studio's vision for next-generation content and lead a slate of boundary-pushing productions. "I believe the future of storytelling should be shaped by the people who tell stories, not just the people who build the tools," says Verena Puhm, Head of Dream Lab LA. "We're cultivating a community, a creative lab, and a launchpad for what's next. This isn't just another platform; it's a creative studio built from the ground up to blend technological innovation with artistic intention." Jon Finger, Creative Workflow Executive, brings over 15 years of experience at the intersection of emerging technology and content creation. A pioneer in at-home motion capture, 3D scanning, and virtual production, he has worked across various entertainment sectors with brands such as Paramount Network, The Game Awards, and Comedy Central, and has developed for Netflix. For the past three years, Finger has focused on AI integration in filmmaking, developing workflows that give creators physicalized control over AI-driven productions. 'The focus here is to find the best experiences for passionate creatives,' said Jon Finger, Creative Workflow Executive. 'The world is changing quickly, and we want to find the best ways for fun, fulfilling human-centric creative expression to not only continue but be amplified, so more creative people can find a new prosperous way forward.' Luma AI is fundamentally different from other technology companies; it builds AI that elevates the craft of filmmaking, working closely with creatives. From its intuitive Modify Video, Reframe, and Keyframes to its foundation models Ray2 and Photon, Luma is creating instruments, not gimmicks, explicitly designed for narrative storytelling. At its core, Dream Lab LA is a creative harbor where: - Filmmakers collaborate, learn, and tell new stories - Studios get embedded support to modernize workflows and upskill teams - Curious daredevils push boundaries and experiment freely Projects created using Luma AI's tools are already being deployed in real-world productions and will continue to shape what's next across film, TV, gaming, and beyond. About Luma AI Luma AI is building a multimodal general intelligence that understands and operates in the physical world. Its flagship platform, Dream Machine, enables anyone to generate photorealistic video and images from simple prompts, and now powers creation for over 30 million users. In 2025, Luma released Ray2, a frontier video generative model capable of creating realistic visuals with stunning detail and natural motion. Luma's models are utilized by top entertainment studios, ad agencies, and technology leaders such as Adobe and AWS, and are available via subscription or API. The company is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, AWS, Amplify Partners, and Matrix Partners. For more information, visit
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Business Standard
03-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Luma Fertility raises $4 mn in seed funding led by Peak XV's Surge
Mumbai-based fertility health-tech startup Luma Fertility has raised $4 million in seed funding, led by Peak XV's Surge, with participation from Ameera Shah (Metropolis Healthcare) and Vijay Taparia (B2V Ventures). The funding will help Luma expand its footprint in Mumbai and later scale into subsequent cities over the next two years. Ameera Shah, promoter and executive chairperson of Metropolis Healthcare, said, 'Fertility care in India is at an inflection point. Demand is growing rapidly, but the system is deeply fragmented and outdated. Patients are forced to navigate a maze of clinics, labs, and specialists with little coordination or support.' Founded by Neha K. Motwani, Luma Fertility's 6,000-square-foot facility houses a lab and offers comprehensive in-house fertility procedures. Luma is the first IVF clinic to launch an integrated app, allowing patients to track their treatment, access reports, and stay informed. Its AI-enabled tool, LumaAI, offers 24/7, jargon-free support on everything from cycle timelines to medication guidance. The global fertility services market is projected to reach $53 billion by 2030, driven by factors such as delayed parenthood, increasing age-related infertility, and declining global fertility rates. In India, the total fertility rate is at a historic low, declining from 2.1 to 1.9 births per woman. Over 33 million couples in the country face fertility challenges, with IVF cycles expected to grow from 320,000 in 2024 to 550,000 by 2028. As India's economy evolves and per capita income rises, there is significant latent demand for transparent, patient-centric, and tech-enabled fertility solutions, including egg and embryo freezing.
