Adobe has released a number of AI-driven features for Photoshop, and the latest update focuses on making image editing faster, more intuitive and more accurate. The new tools will reduce the number of manual steps needed for common editing tasks and give users more control over how artificial intelligence changes their images.
The update also includes several AI-based tools for natural language editing and background removal, lighting adjustments, image expansion and upscaling. Adobe also has been experimenting with a new interface for users that would rather describe their changes in simple language rather than navigate through a number of Photoshop tools and menus.
What is most impressive is the AI Assisted Editor, currently in beta. A user-generated editing experience for Photoshop, by which users can edit the same pictures with natural language prompts. Instead of manually selecting something, re-setting a few settings and using a number of tools, users can simply describe the result that they want and Photoshop will get it.
The AI Assisted Editor combines existing and new capabilities in one place. Prompt to Edit, Remove Background, Generative Expand, Remove Tool, Generative Fill and Generative Upscale are some of the tools. By combining these tools into an AI-focused workflow, Adobe wants to make Photoshop more accessible to people who don’t know about its extensive range of professional editing controls.
Another important addition is AI Markup, which is more illustrative to convey the instructions to Photoshop’s AI. Users can draw directly over an image to indicate the area that needs improvement. For instance, they can circle an object, draw an arrow toward a certain portion of the picture or sketch what they want added or modified.
This could be particularly helpful when a text-based prompt is not sufficient to provide input on the location of an intended edit. Users can simply use a markup to direct Photoshop's AI to the appropriate area without having to work on the selection themselves.
Adobe is also developing Instruct Edit with Masks, powered by Firefly Image 5. The feature is designed to understand the context of an image while applying an instructed change to a specific area. Users do not have to make a detailed selection on each part of the image.
For instance, a user might ask Photoshop to open the closed eyes of a person in a photo or to add a hat to a specific person in the photo. The AI knows the subject matter and makes the requested change while leaving unrelated parts of the image unchanged. Such tools would be useful for portrait and object editing that is much less time-consuming.
Lighting adjustments are also being improved with the introduction of a Light Adjustment Layer. The layer provides exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites and blacks controls. Most importantly, these adjustments are non-destructive and can be changed or reversed without changing the overall picture.
The update also extends Photoshop’s capabilities beyond AI-generated image modifications. Adobe is adding Dynamic Text, Shapes and Paths to text to automatically adapt to custom shapes and paths. For designers working on posters, advertisements, social media graphics and other creative projects where typography needs to follow specific visual structures, it can be useful.
Another great addition is Stock Panel Integration, which allows Adobe Stock assets to be integrated directly into Photoshop. Adobe claims the integration will bring in more than 900 million Adobe Stock assets from within the application. That would mean designers don’t need to leave Photoshop to search for stock images and other creative objects for their projects.
Although more AI is being used in Photoshop, Adobe has not removed the old Photoshop workflow. All those who still prefer the Pro Editor can still use the familiar editing environment. Adobe is also offering Prompt to Edit through Photoshop’s Contextual Task Bar so that users can add AI-assisted editing to their workflow without having to learn the new interface entirely.
The recent update reflects Adobe’s larger quest to adopt generative AI to professional creative software but keep the precision and flexibility of Photoshop at the heart of it. Rather than replacing traditional editing with AI, the new features enable users to do more of the repetitive or complicated work.
For professional photographers, graphic designers, content creators, and casual users, the combination of natural language instructions, visual markup, intelligent masking and non-destructive lighting controls can greatly simplify everyday editing. As AI-driven image tools become more and more capable, Photoshop’s new features show how traditional creative software is evolving to workflows where users can tell Photoshop how to achieve their objectives and AI will do much of the technical work.
