{"id":27456,"date":"2021-11-25T21:08:47","date_gmt":"2021-11-25T21:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/blog\/adobe\/adobe-stocks-motion-and-audio-trends-for-2021\/"},"modified":"2021-11-25T21:08:47","modified_gmt":"2021-11-25T21:08:47","slug":"adobe-stocks-motion-and-audio-trends-for-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/blog\/adobe\/adobe-stocks-motion-and-audio-trends-for-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Adobe Stock\u2019s motion and audio trends for 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Image source: Adobe Stock\/Jeremy Pawlowski\/Stocksy United.<\/p>\n<p>2021 \u2014 perhaps the most anticipated new year since the turn of the millennium. While 2020 has undoubtedly left its mark on us all, Adobe Stock\u2019s motion and audio trends for 2021 are direct reflections of our resilience, ingenuity, and enduring hope, both as a society and as creatives.<\/p>\n<p>Here is to a better, stronger, and more joyful year!<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"3-audio-trends-for-2021\">3 Audio Trends for 2021<\/h3>\n<p>This past summer, we launched Adobe Stock Audio, featuring a curated collection of royalty-free music and audio tracks from two powerhouse agencies, Epidemic Sound and Jamendo. Audio drives multimedia like nothing else, and 2020 saw a dramatic rise in content creation, with no signs of slowing down. In other words, it is the perfect time for us to roll out our first-ever Audio Trends forecast for 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Image source: Adobe Stock\/Dudarev Mikhail.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Global Rhythms<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As the world grapples with the larger themes of social justice, equality, and authentic representation, so, too, does the music business.<\/p>\n<p>Kathryn Matt, Music Supervisor at Epidemic Sound, has seen an uptick in requests for Afrobeat, reggaeton, and fusion tracks \u2014 specifically those made by artists and musicians with a direct cultural connection to the work they are producing. \u201cI think that a lot of companies are thinking about how [cultural] appropriation is pervasive, and they are trying to steer clear of that,\u201d Matt says. \u201cThey\u2019re looking for authenticity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brands are focused on the nuances of authenticity as well, says David Slitzky, Head of Music Development and Special Projects at Epidemic Sound. \u201cSo many creators and storytellers even the bigger ones, but especially the smaller ones \u2014 are kind of risking everything with every song,\u201d he says. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to make a misstep. I think for them, having some sort of agency in secure authenticity behind their music has been a big trend of the last year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This has been a boon for international musicians, including those with longstanding careers \u2014 a track from Malian duo Amadou et Mariam, who began recording music in the 1980s, was recently featured in a commercial for Coca Cola. \u201cThese types of rhythms \u2014 Afrobeat \u2014 baile funk \u2014 bossa nova \u2014 they are culturally relevant,\u201d says Matt. \u201cAnd, from a video editor\u2019s perspective, they\u2019re great to cut to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Image source: Adobe Stock\/Aberheide\/Pond 5.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Electronic Spectrum<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Electronic Spectrum is all about the deliberately digital, featuring tracks from artists who work across genres both typically electronic and traditionally analog. \u201cWhat always impresses us is the wide spectrum of music that\u2019s getting used digitally,\u201d says Slitzky. It is all there, across the electronic landscape, from electropop to synthwave, funk to classical.<\/p>\n<p>The spectrum part of Electronic Spectrum refers not only to the range of styles within the trend, but to the wide appeal of its collective sound \u2014 this is music that is at home in a high-budget commercial and on a YouTube vlog. It also encompasses the work of professional producers and up-and-comers mixing in smaller or DIY studios. The potential for crossover is huge. In a recent example, the wildly popular Billie Eilish, who got her start self-producing homemade tracks that she uploaded to Soundcloud, landed a spot in a Kia commercial.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat really resonates here is how, for most styles of music, in order to make it really, really well, you can\u2019t quite do that at home,\u201d Slitzky says. \u201cHowever, with electronic music, it\u2019s almost the exact opposite. It\u2019s exploded what it means to have accessibility. And that just marries so perfectly with what we\u2019re seeing in video content creation. These two worlds continue to influence each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Image source: Adobe Stock\/Dubassy\/Pond 5.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Pod Tracks<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Podcasts, along with the streaming services that facilitate our universal love of TV binge-watching (for better and worse), have been a constant companion during the extended periods of quarantine this past year. Whether they are into investigative \u201ctrue crime\u201d or cultural commentary, episodic or one-off, listeners and content creators both are continuing to propel what was once a niche medium into the mainstream.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHundreds of thousands of podcasts are available now,\u201d says Tom Spota, Head of Motion and Audio at Adobe Stock. \u201cMillions of people are listening to them. If you look at the market now, you\u2019re seeing multi-million dollar deals for podcast content. Major streaming platforms like Spotify, Audible, iTunes, and Amazon Music are incorporating podcasts into their services.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of all the complicated aspects of producing a podcast, one of the most difficult \u2014 especially for first-time or at-home producers \u2014 is finding the right music to set the tone. And, as Spota observed, scoring a podcast is not the same as for a video. \u201cPod Tracks are the particular elements that will make up a podcast \u2014 which are music or sound effects,\u201d he explains. \u201cYou have the podcast intro, you have the outro, you have your music bed and background, and you have the sound leading into commercials.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Music for podcasts has to strike a balance, both within the context of the subject matter and the medium itself. As a prime example, Matt refers to what she refers to as the \u201cNPR sound\u201d \u2014 \u201cIt\u2019s electronic and marimba-based, very minimal, but with a little rhythm to it,\u201d she says. \u201cIt still moves things along, but it\u2019s not overly dramatic. It doesn\u2019t take away from the voiceover.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Podcasters are often at a loss when it comes to securing music, the most common barriers being cost, licensing options, or simply the time it takes to find the right tracks. Pod Tracks, which are carefully labeled according to appropriate genre (i.e. horror, drama, comedy) and selected based on their specific use cases (intros \u2014 outros). \u201cUsers can utilize these elements to create their productions,\u201d Spota says.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"4-motion-trends-for-2021\">4 Motion Trends for 2021<\/h3>\n<p>Image source: Adobe Stock\/Flux VFX .<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Media Replacement<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You asked, we delivered: MoGRTs (motion graphics templates) will soon support the addition of photo and video content into motion graphics templates. Just drag, drop, tweak, and go!<\/p>\n<p>Media Replacement is an instant timesaver for big brands and social media stars alike, particularly when it comes to typically high-touch, complex graphics like logo reveals \u2014 which are now just a few clicks away. \u201cMany people from all over the world are becoming video editors and creators, and they are looking for ways to increase the production value of their work,\u201d Spota says. \u201cAdding videos and photos to motion graphics is a great way to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Spota notes the emergence of mini-trends within the larger scope of content that offers replaceable, drag-and-drop solutions for users, many that are driven by social media. \u201cVideo editors will be able to easily create photo mosaics \u2014 a moving wall of pictures,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s a mini-trend. Digital holiday cards, photo frames, logo reveals \u2014 these are all things that you\u2019re going to be able to do with these new media replacement templates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Image source: Adobe Stock\/Daniilvolkov.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Handheld<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Using homemade or homemade-style footage used to be a major no-no (barring, say, flashback sequences and the Blair Witch Project). Now, user generated content (UGC for short) is everywhere, adopted by major players, such as Apple and Microsoft.<\/p>\n<p>Spota noticed this shift as COVID-19 necessitated both the shutdown of productions worldwide, and an urgent need for new, up-to-the-minute messaging. \u201cThere has been a need for UGC handheld content over the last ten months,\u201d Spota observed. \u201cA lot of brands were not utilizing user generated content on broadcast, but now you are seeing an accelerated use during the global pandemic. It is really effective in that an audience can relate to the content. Commercials quite often feature people going through the same experiences as the viewer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The biggest appeal of UGC footage has been its authenticity \u2014 \u201cyou can\u2019t get any more authentic,\u201d says Ramin Talaie, Video Curator at Adobe Stock. \u201cIt\u2019s first person, first experience, it\u2019s all there,\u201d he continues. \u201cBrands have spent a ton of money trying to recreate that. The authenticity of user-generated content, it\u2019s unparalleled to anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brands have also used UGC to show their support for essential workers, frontline health care providers, and, in the case of Google, thanking teachers via clips of exhausted parents juggling work, life, and childcare during quarantine. \u201cBrands wanted to be part of the conversation,\u201d says Talaie, \u201cand they were using videos that were pulled from social media like TikTok, Youtube, Twitter, and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a time of crisis and, for many, isolation, handheld footage beams a little \u2018welcome home\u2019 to audiences. \u201cThere are a lot of people who may feel alone,\u201d says Spota, \u201cand using user generated content that has been shot on handheld devices, by everyday people \u2014 it helps to bring people together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rather than viewing its use as a temporary stopgap, brands and production companies have seen the immense impact UGC has on viewers. \u201cThis isn\u2019t going to go away,\u201d says Talaie. \u201cThe idea that we can create content that is part of a movement, be it the Black Lives Matter movement, be it other social justice issues \u2014 that\u2019s going to continue. Brands use that to speak to their users. This year, they didn\u2019t want to stay away from addressing these social justice issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Image source: Adobe Stock\/Ukramedia.com.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Transformative Transitions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Transitions are short, but mighty. Done right, they underscore every ad, trailer, presentation, and video. A dynamic, on-brand transition pulls an audience in \u2014 or, as Spota puts it, \u201cpushes the viewer to pay more attention.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The mechanics of a Transformative Transition vary, but their goal is one and the same: brand cohesion, and the quick, clever projection of its message. This can be a carefully tailored logo animation \u2014 the red filmstrip treatment developed for Netflix, for instance \u2014 or simply the use of a brand\u2019s color scheme, as Talaie noted in a recent spot for online dating platform eHarmony.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese little touches transform the messaging,\u201d he says. \u201cIt helps brands deliver the message they want to deliver, by customizing to their own needs. This is something that you see everywhere \u2014 every teaser, every credits sequence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Image source: Adobe Stock\/RocknRoller Studios.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Gradient<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Like a great transition, the impact of a gradient is surprisingly deep. Gradients have long been popular for their undeniable beauty, but, as it turns out, we need them, especially after the turbulent 2020 news cycle. The beauty of rolling, seamless color in motion is a welcomed visual relief. \u201cColor psychology comes into play, here,\u201d says Spota. \u201cGradients can used as a calming effect, with light and pastel colors. Or you can use gradients to be bold and energetic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brands are incorporating gradients into their product lines, both for little touches like icon refreshes (see Facebook Messenger) and in more prominent ways. Apple, for example, recently commissioned light-sculpture artist Craig Dorety to create a new set of iPhone backgrounds in his ethereal style, which relies heavily on the use of gradients.<\/p>\n<p>Gradients have also been all over social media. In a particularly clever use of gradients as an emotional underscore, social platforms Facebook and Instagram are offering users an array of backgrounds they can use to match the content of their text posts and stories.<\/p>\n<p>But gradients can also shine on their own or take the lead in a visual experience. Spota notes the bold but dreamy look used in rapper Travis Scott\u2019s recent virtual concert in collaboration with Fortnite. \u201cThe video was just this amazing, beautiful world,\u201d Spota says.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned for deep dives on each of these trends and, in the meantime, we hope these motion galleries and playlists inspire you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Source : Adobe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image source: Adobe Stock\/Jeremy Pawlowski\/Stocksy United. 2021 \u2014 perhaps the most anticipated new year since the turn of the millennium. While 2020 has undoubtedly left its mark on us all, Adobe Stock\u2019s motion and audio trends for 2021 are direct reflections of our resilience, ingenuity, and enduring hope, both as a society and as creatives. &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27458,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27456"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27456"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27459,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27456\/revisions\/27459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepicpedia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}