On Tuesday, Adobe introduced new Firefly tools for Photoshop and Illustrator, providing graphic designers with enhanced capabilities using the company’s proprietary AI models. These new features allow creative professionals to generate AI-crafted textures or images quickly through simple prompts, saving valuable time compared to manual creation.
As Adobe emphasizes its commitment to AI, it navigates concerns from some loyal users who feel apprehensive about this technology. Firefly was trained on the work of many creative professionals, and Adobe compensates its Adobe Stock photographers and illustrators with an annual bonus for this contribution. To address these concerns, Adobe claims it is adopting a “creator-friendly approach” by offering Creative Cloud customers a limited number of generative credits each month at no extra cost.
“This is all value that’s baked into their Creative Cloud plan,” stated Deepa Subramaniam, Adobe’s VP of product marketing, in an interview with TechCrunch. “We just want to put this technology in the hands of our users, so they’re very generous credit limits.”
New Tools for Illustrator
Illustrator is introducing a new tool in beta called “Generative Shape Fill,” which allows users to enhance shapes with textures and details through text prompts or style references. This feature is powered by an updated beta version of Adobe’s Firefly Vector model, also released on Tuesday. In a demonstration, Adobe Creative Cloud Evangelist Paul Trani showcased how the feature includes sliders for adjusting the amount of detail added by the user. Illustrator’s capability to edit these AI-generated details distinguishes it from most other AI image generators.
New Tools for Photoshop
For Photoshop, Adobe is expanding access to Firefly’s text-to-image generator, enabling users to create AI-generated images within the application by simply pressing “Generate Image” and describing their desired outcome. This tool is powered by Adobe Firefly’s Image 3 Foundation model and was previously available only in beta.
Customer Adoption and Financial Returns
Despite not charging a premium subscription for generative AI, unlike some competitors, Adobe is still benefiting financially. In its latest earnings call, the company reported that customers are upgrading to more expensive plans to gain additional generative credits for Firefly. (One generative credit equals one generation for other AI tools.) Since its launch in March 2023, Adobe reports that Firefly has generated over 9 billion images.
Additional Illustrator Features
Illustrator also includes new features that do not rely on generative AI. The new Dimension Tool allows users to calculate the lengths and angles within an image. The beta tool Mockup lets users place a logo on any product image realistically, expanding beyond its previous limitation to a set of predetermined images. The Retype feature enables Illustrator to recognize fonts, match them, and apply them elsewhere.
Additional Photoshop Features
In Photoshop, new tools like the Selection Brush Tool and Adjustment Brush Tool are now generally available, aiming to simplify repetitive tasks in the pixel-based workspace.
Adobe’s latest updates reflect its ongoing efforts to integrate AI seamlessly into its creative tools, enhancing functionality while addressing the concerns of its user base.
