Photoshop is getting a new dose of generative AI, Adobe announced Tuesday. Three new Firefly-powered editing tools are rolling out now, including a new photo harmonization tool, a new upscaling feature to make images sharper and updates to its AI eraser.
Adobe users got a sneak peek at the harmonize tool at last fall’s creator conference, Adobe Max, when it was known as Project Perfect Blend. Adobe Applied Research Scientist Mengwei Ren told CNET at the time that the tool uses AI to create new lighting conditions without changing or destroying the underlying image.
«It’s generating some lighting effects but preserving the identity, the structure and faces. We don’t want to change anything dramatically,» said Ren. The AI creates a new lighting, matching the coloring and shading of the original environment, and it’s applied as a kind of invisible layer over the existing object in a matter of minutes. It dramatically cuts down the time it would take to manually edit each object in a composite image.
Two other gen AI changes coming for Photoshop users are a new generative upscaling tool and upgrades to its generative remove feature. Upscaling is a common generative AI process that improves an existing image; in this case, the Photoshop tool promises to boost image resolution up to 8 megapixels. More pixels means your imagery should be sharper and clearer. The updated remove tool should be more precise for you to use when selecting objects you want erased, and the affected area should blend more seamlessly for a cleaner final edit.
Read More: I Took Photoshop’s Generative AI for a Spin. These Are the Tools That Stuck Out
The new features are rolling out now to Photoshop users. You’ll need to use the beta desktop app or web app to use the three new AI tools. The harmonize feature is additionally available through the Photoshop iPhone mobile app. Adobe subscription plans that include Photoshop start at $20 per month.
Adobe is well into its AI era, and this week’s drop is just the latest in the company’s effort to integrate generative AI across its editing software suite. Photoshop has a lot of AI, including its popular generative fill, expand and remove tools. Its proprietary family of Firefly AI models also let paying subscribers generate images and video clips, now with audio.
Many creators are worried about the development and deployment of generative AI, from the alleged copyright infringement taking place during model training to the AI slop filling online spaces and job security worries. Adobe’s AI user guidelines and terms say it doesn’t train on customer content, and its models are trained on licensed content (including Adobe Stock) and public domain content.
For more, check out the first AI feature in Premiere Pro and Adobe’s new Indigo camera app.
