Adobe Buys Serious Magic For Video Development Tools

Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Serious Magic, based in Folsom, Calif., makes an assortment of video tools, including DV Rack, a direct-to-disk recording application for capturing and working with video footage, and Vlog It!, a tool for adding video clips to blogs.

San Jose, Calif.-based Adobe said it will continue selling Serious Magic's products while also incorporating the technology into its own video offerings.

Mark Randall, who holds the titles of CEO and "chief magician" at Serious Magic, will join Adobe as its chief strategist for dynamic media.

By boosting its video technology holdings, Adobe said it can help keep Flash at the forefront of Web development. "The huge momentum behind Flash Video, which is powering everything from online TV shows to YouTube and MySpace, is turbo-charging Adobe's video business," John Loiacono, senior vice president of Adobe's creative solutions group, said in a statement.

Adobe recently released major updates to Flash and its Flex 2 Web development software. As Microsoft readies its own Expression line of competing Web development tools, Adobe is under pressure to shore up the technical lead it has with its tools.