This week’s new tools, tutorials, and resources 👇
Hubspot: 200+ ways to make money with AI in content creation, e-commerce, gaming, and more (Free guide).*
Mindstream: 40+ popular AI tools every builder should know (Free guide).*
Superhuman AI: Join 1M+ pros at companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon that are using AI to get ahead (Free newsletter).*
Magic Generator 2.0: A free tool generates editable animations from your Figma designs (NEW).
Isocons: A free collection of isometric icons for your designs (Free).
CTA.Gallery: A curated gallery of call-to-action (CTA) design inspiration (Free).
In partnership with
TOP STORY
🎉 Paper releases “Alpha”
This week, Paper released "Video Export" and several major updates, marking rapid progress since the design tool opened for public access (Alpha) two weeks ago.
The tool positions itself as a creative alternative to traditional design platforms like Figma, with a focus on real-time visual effects and motion capabilities that bridge the gap between static design and animation.
Paper is now available for free, with Video Export exclusive to Paper Pro subscribers.
Created using the “Fluted Glass” shader in Paper
Since opening to the public, Paper has released:
Video Export: Render full designs with shaders, text, blend modes, vectors, and images directly to video format.
Text Gradients: Apply gradients directly to text via the new Fill panel for more expressive typography.
Shaders: Major updates to effects, including Pulsing Border (new Aspect ratio and Margin parameters), Paper Texture (improved Fade, Fiber, and Crumple controls), Mesh Gradient (Grain mixer and overlay options), and Fluted Glass (Size and Edges parameters).
Paper Mono: A newly released monospaced typeface integrated directly into the editor for typography work.
Designers are already using Paper to create stunning animated social media posts and motion graphics in seconds, with many showcasing their work across platforms like Instagram and X (Twitter).
Created using Shaders in Paper (video by @BrettFromDJ)
FROM OUR FRIENDS @ HUBSPOT
How can AI power your income?
Ready to transform artificial intelligence from a buzzword into your personal revenue generator
HubSpot’s groundbreaking guide "200+ AI-Powered Income Ideas" is your gateway to financial innovation in the digital age.
Inside you'll discover:
A curated collection of 200+ profitable opportunities spanning content creation, e-commerce, gaming, and emerging digital markets—each vetted for real-world potential
Step-by-step implementation guides designed for beginners, making AI accessible regardless of your technical background
Cutting-edge strategies aligned with current market trends, ensuring your ventures stay ahead of the curve
Download your guide today and unlock a future where artificial intelligence powers your success. Your next income stream is waiting.
Interested in sponsoring our newsletter? Book an ad here.
MOTION DESIGN
🚀 LottieFiles releases “State Machine”
This week, LottieFiles released "State Machines," a no-code feature that enables designers to create interactive, logic-driven animations directly in Lottie Creator.
State Machines allow you to build animations that respond to user interactions like clicks, hovers, and scrolls — without writing a single line of code.
The entire experience exports as a single dotLottie file, making it easy to implement across web and mobile platforms.
With State Machines, you can now:
Create interactive animations: Set up states, transitions, and triggers to make animations respond dynamically to user behavior, like buttons that animate on hover or toggles that smoothly transition between states.
Build complex logic visually: Define how animations should behave based on user interactions using a visual graph editor — no coding or developer handoff required.
Export as a single file: Package your entire interactive animation (including all states, transitions, and logic) into one dotLottie file that works seamlessly across web, iOS, and Android.
Reduce development time: Designers can now prototype and ship production-ready interactive animations independently, eliminating back-and-forth with developers.
Created with State Machines in LottieCreator
State Machines are available now in Lottie Creator for all users.
FROM OUR FRIENDS @ MINDSTREAM
Choose the Right AI Tools
With thousands of AI tools available, how do you know which ones are worth your money? Subscribe to Mindstream and get our expert guide comparing 40+ popular AI tools. Discover which free options rival paid versions and when upgrading is essential. Stop overspending on tools you don't need and find the perfect AI stack for your workflow.
Interested in sponsoring our newsletter? Book an ad here.
FREELANCING
🌐 Contra releases “Community”
This week, Contra launched its "Community Feed," transforming the freelance platform into a creative social network that blends portfolio sharing, collaboration, and commission-free work opportunities.
The new feed positions Contra as a professional alternative to X (Twitter) specifically designed for creatives, competing with Dribbble and Behance while maintaining its marketplace functionality (and competing with Upwork and Fiverr).
Contra is a commission-free freelance platform where 1M+ independent professionals connect with clients and keep 100% of what they earn — no platform fees, no middleman cuts.
With the Community Feed, you can now:
Share your work publicly: Post case studies, projects, and insights that showcase your skills and attract potential clients, building your brand beyond a static portfolio.
Discover and connect: Browse work from verified creatives, get inspired by real projects, and connect directly with other independents and companies looking to hire.
Earn commission-free: Unlike traditional freelance platforms, Contra doesn't take a cut—you keep 100% of what you earn, with transparent tools from proposal to payout.
Build discoverability: Every post increases your visibility within the network, helping clients find you organically rather than competing in a crowded marketplace.
The Community Feed is available now to all Contra users.
You can watch Contra's full livestream announcement event where they unveiled the community feature here.
FROM OUR FRIENDS @ SUPERHUMAN AI
Go from AI overwhelmed to AI savvy professional
AI will eliminate 300 million jobs in the next 5 years.
Yours doesn't have to be one of them.
Here's how to future-proof your career:
Join the Superhuman AI newsletter - read by 1M+ professionals
Learn AI skills in 3 mins a day
Become the AI expert on your team
Interested in sponsoring our newsletter? Book an ad here.
OTHER STORIES
Everything else in creative news 🗞
Google Opal is now available to 15 new countries, including Canada, India, Japan, and South Korea.
Canva now lets you create, edit, translate, and preview full designs directly inside ChatGPT.
Canva has launched five new free, multilingual Design School courses, with certifications available starting October 30.
Figma is rolling out “Connectors” in Figma Make, allowing you to connect to various apps, including Notion, Linear, and Asana.
Figma now allows you to publish Figma Make projects to GitHub.
Figma now allows you to create FigJam diagrams directly from ChatGPT.
Figma’s official MCP server now supports Google Gemini and OpenAI Codex (Atlassian is coming soon).
Figma’s Governance+ add-on now lets enterprises enforce policy agreements and support multiple identity providers.
xAI released “Imagine v0.9,” a new video generation model with major upgrades in visual quality, motion, audio generation, and more.
ElevenLabs released “ElevenLabs UI,” an open-source components library for AI audio & voice agents.
v0 launched “v0 for Students.”
v0 now allows you to edit images in Design Mode.
v0 now supports “Custom Instructions,” allowing you to use preset instructions like “Be Concise” and “Plan Mode,” or create and apply them on demand.
Midjourney is increasing the number of styles in its Style Explorer by another 10x.
KREA AI released an iOS app.
Pika released “Predictive Video,” allowing you to type a quick thought and have Pika fill out the rest — from the script, to soundtrack, to lighting, action, and more.
LottieFiles released new Motion Presets in Lottie Creator.
Topaz Labs released “Preserve Faces” in Bloom, allowing you to upscale your images while keeping expressions and facial details intact.
Descript added Claude Sonnet 4.5 and a new model picker to Underlord.
Contra and MagicPath are hosting a challenge with $10,000 in prizes.
Rive is introducing a $9/month “Cadet” plan starting October 20 that makes exporting paid while keeping creation free.
Rive launched some “Data Binding” quality-of-life updates, including: Preview Toggle and Instance Tree.
Play now supports the new SF Symbols Draw On & Off animations.
Udio released a new “Voice Blending” tool and “Udio Playground.”
Spline now allows you to easily place any logo or vector shape over any image, plus generate variations of existing images.
Bezi launched “Pages,” a context layer that feeds game knowledge into its AI to better understand and assist development.
Restream now allows you to move your Studio countdown anywhere on your screen.
Jitter released “The Track,” a new template pack for sport and fitness brands.
Cap released v0.3.72 with upgrades to its new recording picker, auto-zoom, and Windows encoding fixes.
Cap now allows you to change settings organization-wide, or for an individual cap link.
VEED added support for OpenAI’s “Sora 2” AI video model.
Filmora added support for “Nanon Banana” in Filmora.
Freepik added support for “Sora 2,” now available to all premium users.
FLORA added support for OpenAI’s “Sora 2” AI model.
*Some links in this newsletter may be from sponsors or affiliates, which means we might earn a commission if you make a purchase.
