Giving most of the world’s photographers the power of AI

Ben Wodecki, Jr. Editor

May 25, 2023

3 Min Read
Adobe

At a Glance

  • Adobe is using its Firefly AI models to power new generative AI tools in Photoshop called Generative Fill.
  • Users can generate content from natural language prompts with images containing trace marks called Content Credentials.

Adobe’s Firefly AI models are coming to Photoshop, a move that will imbue generative AI capabilities to the image-editing software used by most of the world's photographers.

Firefly will power a new Photoshop feature called Generative Fill, which can create images to embed in photos with a mere text prompt. Users can also type prompts in natural language to edit the images. The feature automatically matches the perspective, lighting and style of the images.

The new feature is being released in beta via the desktop version of Photoshop before being made generally available in the second half of 2023. Generative Fill is also available today as a module within the Firefly beta app.

Giving the masses AI image editing tools

Adobe Photoshop is the internet’s most popular image editing tool. Figures from Statista place it as having the largest share of the computer graphics and photo editing software market. And according to Adobe, Photoshop is used by over 90% of the world’s creative professionals.

But giving wider access to such a tool comes when AI is being used in images that have fooled millions on social media.

Just this week, an image circulating on Twitter showing an explosion near the Pentagon was found to be fake, an AI-generated image that forced authorities to come out to deny such an event happened. It also caused a brief dip in the stock market.

To address such misuse, Adobe said Generative Fill works with Content Credentials, which the company said is akin to “nutrition labels” for digital content. Content Credentials remain associated with content wherever it is used, published or stored. The technology was developed by the Content Authenticity Initiative, which Adobe founded, and recently surpassed 1,000 members.

Latest in a long line of Adobe AI

Generative Fill marks Adobe’s first Creative Cloud application to receive a Firefly integration.

Firefly, first showcased in mid-March, encompasses a variety of AI models applicable to various use cases, including image generation and improved mask creations.

Before Firefly, Adobe's software already included a variety of AI features such as Neural Filters in Photoshop and Content Aware Fill in After Effects. Several of the company’s AI services are powered by Sensei, a set of generative AI services.

Omdia AI analyst Mark Beccue said Firefly's addition to Photoshop represents "a natural, logical fit."

"The use case, to use AI to assist in creative and design workflows, is a very sound one, with lots of potential Return on Investment (ROI) for users in terms of gained efficiency and speed," he said.

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"Adobe has been embedding AI tech into Photoshop for a few years now. Their legacy in AI and ability to leverage Firefly is going to strengthen their core Creative Cloud and Digital Cloud products and make them tough to compete against," Beccue added.

Adobe describes its latest adoption as “the world’s first co-pilot in creative and design workflows” – channeling Microsoft's own fondness for using the name 'copilot' for its own AI productivity tools.

To support its AI work, Adobe recently struck a deal with Nvidia to co-develop generative AI models. The pair will focus on models to integrate into applications, like Photoshop. The models will also be made available through the new Nvidia Picasso cloud service for broad reach to third-party developers.

About the Author(s)

Ben Wodecki

Jr. Editor

Ben Wodecki is the Jr. Editor of AI Business, covering a wide range of AI content. Ben joined the team in March 2021 as assistant editor and was promoted to Jr. Editor. He has written for The New Statesman, Intellectual Property Magazine, and The Telegraph India, among others. He holds an MSc in Digital Journalism from Middlesex University.

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