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Heading back to LA after an impressive demo at Vū’s HQ in Tampa, where they showed early prototypes for the next gen of their Studio software.

We’ll have a full video up on the channel soon - for now, check out the main headlines of what they’re cooking up in today’s edition and our more in-depth article.

Also in today’s edition:

Manus AI (the company where access codes were selling for thousands of dollars) has taken its agentic approach to image generation
The anime studio behind One Piece is eyeing AI tools to speed up its creation pipeline
ElevenLabs has a new soundboard product

And more - let’s get into it!

Joey

Speak, Gesture, Create: A First Look at Vū Studio’s AI-Powered Platform

At a private demo in Tampa, Vū Studio gave an early preview of Gen 3, its next-generation creative software platform.

Moving beyond its LED stage roots, Gen 3 is built for a wide range of environments—from classrooms to corporate boardrooms—and blends voice control, real-time AI generation, and simplified 3D workflows to help teams create and iterate faster.

Vū AI lets anyone generate custom scenes using natural language prompts. A command like “create a forest at sunset with soft lighting” immediately renders the visual and casts it to the display. Color temperature, exposure, and other settings inside Vū Studio can be adjusted with follow-up voice commands.
The platform can be trained on a company’s own asset library using a “point folder” system, supporting metadata tagging, local or network storage, and responsive formats like Three.js for cross-device compatibility.
A brainstorming prototype listens to live conversations and suggests relevant imagery in real time—positioning AI as a creative collaborator during pitch sessions, team meetings, or classes.
Gesture-based controls are being developed to replace traditional mouse-and-keyboard interaction, including hand tracking and spatial scene navigation for large displays and immersive setups.
Unreal Engine scenes can be launched instantly from a preloaded environment library. Core adjustments like sun position, time of day, rotation, and tracking are available through a simplified UI. A custom plugin is in the works to let teams import and prep their own scenes directly into the Vū platform.
A new browser-only version of the platform will support casting content to any internet-connected screen—eliminating the need for dedicated hardware in many setups.

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Coming Soon: External link sharing, web/iOS uploads, full read/write mobile access, enhanced security tools, public SDK/API, and seamless migration tools

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Manus Brings AI Agency to Image Generation

Manus AI has expanded its buzzy agentic capabilities into image generation, taking the same autonomous planning approach that caused an internet sensation earlier this year and applying it to visual content creation.

Unlike traditional AI art tools that simply respond to prompts, Manus analyzes user intent, develops execution strategies, and coordinates multiple specialized sub-agents to complete complex visual tasks as part of larger workflows, making it particularly valuable for creative professionals needing comprehensive solutions.

Rather than just generating images from prompts, Manus breaks down visual requests into executable steps, analyzing requirements and developing comprehensive plans before creating images that align precisely with user intent

3 Examples:

Upload a room photo, and Manus analyzes the layout, finds matching furniture (like IKEA pieces), builds a full visual layout, and outputs a shoppable list—style-matched and ready to go.
For a fictional tea brand, “TeaVive,” Manus generated the full visual identity—packaging designed for a younger demo, multi-channel marketing assets, and a complete launch playbook with visuals for every touchpoint.
Starting with simple product shots, Manus styled the images, standardized the product presentation, and built a full mockup of an online store—turning raw photos into a ready-to-launch storefront.

AI in the Anime Pipeline? Toei Says “Soon.”

The studio behind One Piece and Dragon Ball is planning to bring AI into anime production—but not just yet.

Toei Animation is investing in AI startup Preferred Networks to explore tools for storyboarding, in-between animation, coloring, and background creation. While AI isn’t currently being used on active productions, it’s part of Toei’s longer-term 2026 strategy.

Toei Animation, one of Japan's oldest and most respected animation studios, is investing in AI technology company Preferred Networks to develop new production methods
The studio plans to use AI for generating storyboards, automatically correcting colors, creating in-between animation frames, and converting photographs into anime-style backgrounds
While Toei has updated its financial presentation to clarify it's not currently using AI in these processes, the technology remains part of its fiscal year 2026 outlook
One Piece animator Vincent Chansard has reassured fans that AI isn't currently being used in the show's production, describing the announcement as possibly "an overblown PR-esque statement"
The move comes as Japan's anime industry faces labor shortages, with some 30% of animators working as freelancers and earning as little as $200 monthly

ElevenLabs' SB-1 Soundboard: Text-to-SFX

ElevenLabs has launched SB-1 Infinite Soundboard, an AI-driven tool for generating, customizing, and sharing sound effects. Designed for livestreamers, podcasters, and performers, SB-1 combines a soundboard, drum machine, and ambient noise generator in a single platform. Users simply describe the sound they want, and SB-1’s Text-to-SFX model creates it instantly. The platform is free to try, with saving and sharing features available via a free ElevenLabs account.

Build custom soundboards by uploading, selecting from presets, or generating new effects with AI
Instantly play and layer sounds by clicking pads, with looping options for continuous playback
Create unique sound effects by describing them in plain language
All features are accessible for free, with account sign-up needed for saving and sharing creations

Watch what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella unveiled at Build 2025 — from Copilot and Azure to the latest developer tools.

Stories, projects, and links that caught our attention from around the web:

🎨 This Reddit post shows how to achieve a Technicolor 3strip look in DaVinci Resolve using node-based color grading techniques to split and recombine red, green, and blue tones, enhancing color saturation and vibrancy.

🗃️ OWC’s new Thunderbolt 5 Dock delivers up to 80Gb/s data speeds and 120Gb/s for display bandwidth, supporting up to three 8K displays or dual 6K displays on Macs.

👶🏻 Hedra, an AI app known for some of the best lip-sync abilities (like talking babies), has secured a $32 million investment from a16z.

🌆 Runway’s Gen-4 References feature is now accessible through the Runway API.

In the latest episode of Denoised, we discuss Nolan going all in on IMAX for The Odyssey, companies that are rolling back their AI first initiatives, and Microsoft's Claimify model for fact checking AI outputs.

Read the show notes or watch the full episode.

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