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Sony Pictures Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks and Yellowbrick Launch Free Online Course, ‘This Is Animation’ (EXCLUSIVE)

+ Figma will let your AI access its design servers

The Gen Creative

Today’s Creative Spark…

  • Sony Pictures Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks and Yellowbrick Launch Free Online Course, ‘This Is Animation’ (EXCLUSIVE)

  • Figma will let your AI access its design servers

  • Waves pivots from plugins to samples with subscription-based AI text-to-sound generator

  • You Can Now Turn Text Prompts Into Lego Designs With LegoGPT AI

  • Former DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg co-leads $15.5M Series A for AI video ad platform

AI is transforming creativity by turning imagination into reality—unlocking Hollywood secrets, generating design, sound, and video from text, and reshaping entire industries in real time.

Read time: 5 minutes

Animation

Source: Variety

Summary: Unlock Hollywood animation secrets for free! Sony Pictures Animation teams with award-winning director Kris Pearn to reveal insider techniques from "The Willoughbys" and "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2." Master character creation, world-building, and discover surprising non-artistic careers through hands-on exercises. Your animation journey starts here—no experience required!

Five Essential Elements:

  1. Studio Partnership: Sony Pictures Animation and Imageworks deliver authentic insider education.

  2. Expert Instruction: Director Kris Pearn hosts with blockbuster animation experience.

  3. Five-Module Structure: Covers pipelines, storytelling, characters, environments, and careers.

  4. Interactive Learning: Hands-on character design exercises and practical skill building.

  5. Career Diversity: Reveals non-artistic paths like marketing, finance, and production management.

Published: May 29, 2025

JUST RELEASED

SNEAK PEEK: Textures in AI Image Generation - Coming Soon!

Discover the competitive edge in AI creativity with our comprehensive guide to texture mastery:

  • Material Mastery: Learn to generate remarkably realistic wood grain, metal patinas, and fabric weaves through precise prompt engineering

  • Artistic Medium Simulation: Recreate the distinctive textures of oil painting, watercolor, charcoal, and printmaking with authenticity that transcends basic style transfer

  • Light & Surface Control: Master the subtle interplay between light and materials to create dramatic atmospheres and authentic physical properties

  • Beyond the Basics: Explore specialized texture systems from biological patterns to abstract geometries that elevate your work beyond generic AI output

This isn't just texture knowledge—it's creative differentiation in the AI era.

🪵 Transform basic materials into rich, tactile surfaces
🎨 Master the subtle language of artistic expression
Control light interaction with professional precision
🧠 Create distinctive visual systems that set your work apart

Design to Code

Source: The Verge

Summary: Figma revolutionizes AI-powered development with its new Dev Mode MCP server, giving AI coding tools like Copilot and Claude Code direct access to design data instead of guessing from images. This beta tool provides precise measurements, exact colors, and design specifications to LLMs, dramatically improving accuracy when translating Figma designs into functional code—like giving an artist both the painting and the technique used to create it.

Five Essential Elements:

  1. Direct Design Data Access: Model Context Protocol (MCP) server allows AI tools to tap into precise Figma specifications like exact measurements and color values rather than visually interpreting image files.

  2. Enhanced AI Efficiency: Reduces LLM computational overhead by providing structured design context, minimizing the work required to transform designs into accurate functional applications.

  3. Developer Tool Integration: Compatible with popular AI coding assistants including GitHub Copilot in VS Code and Anthropic's Claude Code for seamless workflow integration.

  4. Beta Availability: Currently rolling out to users with Dev or Full seat Figma access, with expanded server capabilities and deeper codebase integrations planned for coming months.

  5. Comprehensive AI Strategy: Part of Figma's broader AI initiative including the prompt-to-code Make platform (now fully available) and upcoming Sites Code Layers feature launching June 12th for interactive website creation.

Published: June 4, 2025

Text to Audio

Source: musicradar

Summary: Waves breaks new ground with Illugen, an AI-powered desktop app that transforms text prompts into unique audio samples! This innovative tool generates loops, one-shots, and sound effects from creative descriptions like "haunted piano in abandoned mansion" or "snail's journey with synths." With drag-and-drop DAW integration and three creativity levels, producers can explore sounds that have never existed before—though it comes with a credit-based subscription model rather than traditional plugin ownership.

Five Essential Elements:

  1. Text-to-Sound Innovation: AI engine converts creative prompts into three sample options per generation, focusing on mood and vibe combinations over technical specifications.

  2. Flexible Output Options: Generates loops (2 credits), one-shots (1 credit), and sound effects (up to 3 credits) as 16-bit, 44.1kHz WAV files ready for DAW integration.

  3. Creative Control System: Three-tier "Creativity Level" settings (Tame, Wild, Wilder) let users choose between predictable results and experimental sound generation.

  4. Subscription-Only Model: Credit-based pricing from $7.99/month (150 credits) to $19.99/month (600 credits), with rollover credits lasting 12 months after unsubscription.

  5. Usage Rights Included: Generated samples can be used royalty-free in original tracks without permission, though redistribution and resale are prohibited.

Published: May 28, 2025

Text to Lego Design

Source: HYPEBEAST

Summary: Carnegie Mellon's LegoGPT breaks new ground by converting simple text descriptions like "red sports car with big wheels" into buildable LEGO instructions. This revolutionary AI bridges imagination and physical creation, understanding natural language to generate step-by-step assembly guides while respecting LEGO's unique geometric constraints and connectivity requirements.

Five Essential Elements:

  1. Natural Language Processing: Interprets descriptive text prompts and extracts key visual elements for LEGO construction.

  2. LEGO Geometry Translation: Converts abstract concepts into precise brick arrangements while respecting connectivity constraints.

  3. Buildable Instruction Generation: Produces human-followable assembly steps for physical model construction.

  4. Vehicle Specialization Focus: Currently optimized for creating cars, spaceships, and transportation-themed builds.

  5. Physical-Digital Bridge: Demonstrates AI's evolution from virtual spaces into tangible, constructible reality.

Published: May 31, 2025

Video Ad Generation

Source: TechCrunch

Summary: DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg doubles down on AI advertising with his venture fund WndrCo co-leading a $15.5 million Series A for Creatify's AdMax platform. This AI-powered tool rapidly generates dozens of video ads by analyzing high-performing TikTok and Instagram campaigns, joining Meta's Mark Zuckerberg in the race to fully automate social media advertising—though Katzenberg's track record includes the spectacular $1.75 billion Quibi failure.

Five Essential Elements:

  1. Hollywood Veteran Investment: Former DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg's WndrCo venture fund co-leads the substantial Series A funding round for AI advertising innovation.

  2. Social Media Focus: AdMax platform specifically targets TikTok and Instagram advertising by analyzing successful campaign patterns to inform AI-generated video content.

  3. Rapid Ad Generation: Technology creates dozens of video advertisements quickly, streamlining the traditionally time-intensive creative process for social media marketing.

  4. Industry Automation Trend: Aligns with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's vision to completely automate advertising through AI tools testing thousands of ads across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

  5. Track Record Caution: Katzenberg's investment history includes both entertainment industry success and the notorious Quibi failure, which burned through $1.75 billion before shutting down after six months.

Published: June 2, 2025

Remote Creative Jobs

5 Remote Startup Creative Jobs

  1. Motion Designer: Life.Church is seeking a Motion Designer to create 2D/3D graphics for services and ministry teams. Must have 1+ year of experience and strong skills in After Effects and Cinema 4D. Full-time role with generous benefits and a mission-driven, faith-based culture.

  2. Gameplay Animator: CD PROJEKT RED seeks a Gameplay Animator for Project Sirius to create character and creature animations using Maya, MotionBuilder, and Unreal Engine 5. Requires 5+ years experience and motion capture skills. Work remotely (UTC+2 zone) or from Polish offices with flexible hours, great benefits, and relocation support.

  3. Interior Designer: CannonDesign is hiring an Interior Designer in Los Angeles with 2+ years of experience in commercial interiors. You’ll work on multi-disciplinary teams, handling interior planning, construction documents, FFE coordination, and 3D modeling using tools like Revit, Rhino, and SketchUp. Strong skills in rendering and presentation software (Photoshop, Enscape, InDesign, Illustrator) are essential.

  4. Video Editor & Graphic Designer with Native Spanish: Paired is hiring a native Spanish-speaking Video Editor & Graphic Designer with e-commerce experience to create social media and training videos. The role is remote, requires 2 hours availability between 10 AM–8 PM Madrid time, and demands skills in Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, storytelling, and time management.

  5. Content Designer: Our Future Health seeks a Content Designer to create clear, accessible health content for its Recontact programme. You'll work remotely or in London, collaborating with teams to design user-focused, evidence-based materials. Requires strong content design experience and communication skills. Benefits include £39K+ salary, pension, 30 days holiday, learning budget, and flexible work options.

See you next time!

AI is becoming a familiar presence in daily creative work. 🧠🖌️ From designing visuals and mixing audio to refining writing, it’s helping ideas take shape more smoothly. 🖼️🎵 Whether putting together graphics, editing sound, or fine-tuning words, AI tools offer dependable support throughout the process. 🎥📝 Explore how technology is being woven into everyday creative practice. 🔍🧩

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