Applications
Adobe launches After Effects 5.0 in India
US-based Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced the India launch of Adobe After Effects 5.0, a new version of the company’s motion graphics and visual effects software.
Adobe After Effects 5.0 offers more than 100 new features and productivity enhancements that enable creative professionals to generate compelling content for film, video, multimedia and the Web, according to a company release.
Commenting on the launch of After Effects 5.0, Adobe Systems India Pvt Ltd business development manager Sandeep Mehrotra said: “India represents an escalating demand among professionals for a comprehensive video editing software for special effects in movies, television channels and the Internet.”
“The new version of After Effects is a complete tool set for 2-D and 3-D compositing, animation, special effects for film, video, multimedia, and the Web and integrates well with Photoshop, Premiere and Illustrator. We look forward to the success of After Effects 5.0 in India.”
Adobe After Effects 5.0 offers a superior implementation of tools that professionals demand in a leading compositing software package. The new version includes a true 3D compositing environment. In addition, new vector paint tools and 16-bit color support expand the Production Bundle version.
The combination of new features along with numerous productivity enhancements will help visual effects artists and motion graphics designers explore their creative ideas and execute them with precise control, the release states.
New Features in Adobe After Effects 5.0 include a) Parenting, which allows users to animate layers hierarchically; b) Expressions, which create live relationships between layer properties; c) Masking enhancements to draw masks in the Comp window, d) Expand masks and add Motion Blur to masks; d) Macromedia® Flash? (SWF) output which allow users to create vector animations for Web sites.
Adobe After Effects 5.0 software is available in two versions. The standard version provides the core 2D and 3D compositing and effects tools that motion graphics professionals and Web designers need. The production bundle version is designed for visual effects artists and motion graphics designers who need all of the tools in the standard version, plus additional keying, motion control and distortion tools, audio effects, 3D channel effects, 16-bit per channel color, vector paint tools, and support for network rendering. The standard version has a market price of Rs 33,500 and the production bundle is available at RS 77,500.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
