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Adobe begins testing Ginger, its video presentation iPad app

The software, which lets iPad users create video presentations, is in testing -- but only to those who agree to an Adobe confidentiality agreement.

Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
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Stephen Shankland
2 min read

Adobe has begun welcoming beta testers of its Ginger app for creating video presentations.
Adobe has begun welcoming beta testers of its Ginger app for creating video presentations. Adobe Systems

Adobe Systems has begun letting people test Ginger, its new iPad app for creating video presentations, but only in secret.

"Ginger is now in beta, and you're invited to join the Ginger prerelease program, which will give you exclusive access to Ginger before it's released to the public," the company said Tuesday in a message to those who signed up to try the software. "You'll be able to share the videos you create using Ginger with anyone, so you can share your story."

Beta testers will be able to share their stories, but apparently not their experiences with the software itself. Adobe requires testers to agree to a confidentiality agreement before being able to try the software.

Ginger is a new development in Adobe's attempt to adapt to a computing market that includes mobile phones and tablets, not just personal computers. It's sells several apps already, but the mobile market is full of new entrants, and incumbents such as Adobe don't have the installed-base advantages they do on PCs.

The Ginger software, aimed squarely at the creative types at the core of the company's business, is designed to make it easier to build animated video presentations. It's designed for sales pitches, product explanations, and other situations where a person needs to get an audience to see the light.

The Ginger app comes with a supply of photos and graphical elements that can be dropped into presentations.
The Ginger app comes with a supply of photos and graphical elements that can be dropped into presentations. screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET

Adobe hasn't yet committed to shipping it. "Adobe is constantly evaluating new ideas and market testing new innovative products," the company said in a statement last week. "Ginger is one of many explorations in our product pipeline."

PowerPoint today is the king of the heap when it comes to creating presentations. There are competitors, too, including Google Slides, Apple Keynote, and Prezi. Those are all geared for circumstances where a person is delivering the presentation in person, though, not posting a video online or sending it to clients by e-mail.

Another company called Brainshark, though, can convert PowerPoint documents into online videos. On Tuesday, Brainshark and Embed.ly announced a partnership that will make it easier to embed those videos on a social-media Web sites such as Facebook and on corporate intranets.

The Ginger app is designed to help people quickly create persuasive videos.
The Ginger app is designed to help people quickly create persuasive videos. screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET