Adobe is doubling down on AI in Photoshop. On Monday, the firm revealed that it was adding several key feature upgrades to its marquee image editing software. And these include the Generative Upscale, Harmonize, and a reengineered object removal tool. The newly introduced features, utilizing Adobe-proprietary Firefly AI models, are aimed at assisting photographers, designers, and content creators to work more effectively. Isn’t that exciting for all the design lovers out there?
According to Adobe, the enhancements are already available in Photoshop desktop and web beta. Many people around the world have already started giving it a go. The new Harmonize tool will also appear on the recently released Photoshop iOS app through an early access program.
AI Takes Center Stage
With AI powered editing tools increasingly altering creative sectors, Adobe is working hard to protect Photoshop’s position as the leading digital design platform. The latest changes are aimed at decreasing manual work, boosting visual accuracy, and expanding Photoshop’s usability for both personal and professional use cases.
“We have spoken with thousands of designers, photographers, and creative professionals to understand what slows them down,” said Shambhavi Kadam, Senior Director of Product Management for Photoshop.
“These features target the friction points and help automate time-consuming tasks.”
One of the notable features is Generative Upscale, which utilizes AI to boost lower-resolution photographs to 8 megapixels. According to Adobe, the tool restores tiny details and improves quality, particularly in older or compressed photos. Because of this, it’s great for recovering old photos, printing images for social media, and preparing content for cross-platform use.
For users already experimenting with AI-based editing, this feature comes on the heels of Adobe’s Photoshop Beta App launched earlier this year, which introduced the first generation of Firefly-powered tools to a broader user base.
Previously teased as Project Perfect Blend in 2024, the new Harmonize feature addresses one of the most challenging tasks in image compositing making inserted objects match the environment. Photoshop now uses the Firefly model to automatically modify lighting, color tones, shadows, and visual contrast when users add objects, like a couch or plant, into a background. During a live demonstration, different household objects were placed in a room with neutral lighting. Harmonize swiftly adjusted the warmth and shadows to make a blue chair look natural in the scene when it was dropped into it.
Harmonize simplifies tasks that previously required a series of manual edits. It detects inconsistencies in texture and tone and applies corrections in real time. “Harmonize is about context-aware editing,” said Joel Baer, Director of Product Management at Photoshop. “We are teaching Photoshop to see and think like a designer.”
Object Removal Gets Smarter
A long-standing issue among Photoshop users artifact heavy backgrounds following object removal is addressed by another update. Instead of evaluating and producing pixels based on the full scene, the new object removal tool just looks at the area around the selected object. Cleaner, more accurate fills are the outcome of this.
For example, in a demo shown by Adobe, the earlier version of Photoshop replaced a removed bowl of Pico de Gallo with a green patch. The updated algorithm, by contrast, seamlessly filled the space with the original background, preserving the scene’s integrity. Adobe’s move to refine this feature responds directly to feedback from users who found the generative fill tool too aggressive or inconsistent when dealing with complex backgrounds.
Flexible Firefly Versions and Improved Collaboration
Besides its three significant updates, Adobe is also providing users with more control over the AI tools themselves. The users are now able to choose between the versions of the Firefly model they wish to use when making edits. This can be of help to creators who might want to use older versions in some workflows or visual styles.
Photoshop is also enhancing teamwork areas. A new interface to manage the assets enables creators to store, organize and collaborate on projects in a single place. This is especially important for agencies and design teams managing large-scale projects.
Adobe’s push to embed generative AI into its core products comes amid increased competition in the design software space. Tools like Canva, Figma, and Runway ML have also embraced AI features for real time image enhancement and manipulation.
With Microsoft also integrating Firefly into its suite of applications, the AI-driven creative tool market is becoming more integrated and less platform-specific. Adobe’s challenge is to innovate without alienating long-time professionals who prefer manual precision. For now, Adobe appears to be balancing automation and customization well. Creatives can toggle AI outputs, fine-tune them manually, or revert to traditional tools as needed.
Availability and Future Outlook
All three new features Generative Upscale, Harmonize, and Object Removal are available in Photoshop beta for desktop and web. Harmonize is also available on the iOS app for users enrolled in Adobe’s early access program.
The company has not yet confirmed when the features will move out of beta, but based on prior launches, general availability is likely by late 2025.
Adobe has been consistent in its messaging AI will enhance creativity, not replace it. With Firefly, it is betting that faster, smarter tools will allow creators to focus on higher-level storytelling and design thinking rather than tedious image correction. As Photoshop changes and becomes into a more intelligent platform, these features could become standard for everyone from professional editors to casual users.
