Adobe Launches Exciting New Firefly AI Tools for Enhanced Illustrator and Photoshop Experience

Adobe has launched new Firefly tools for Photoshop and Illustrator, enhancing the capabilities of graphic designers with innovative AI features. These new tools enable creative professionals to generate textures and images by simply entering brief prompts, drastically reducing the time spent on design tasks.

As Adobe amplifies its focus on AI, the company navigates a delicate balance with its loyal user base, some of whom feel uneasy about these advancements. Firefly was trained on contributions from numerous creative individuals, and Adobe compensates photographers and illustrators from Adobe Stock with annual bonuses for their contributions. To support its users, Adobe claims to adopt a "creator-friendly approach," providing Creative Cloud subscribers with a limited number of monthly generative credits at no additional cost.

“This value is included in their Creative Cloud plan,” stated Deepa Subramaniam, Adobe’s VP of product marketing, in an interview. “We aim to empower our users with this technology, offering generous credit limits.”

Illustrator introduces a beta tool called “Generative Shape Fill,” enabling users to enhance shapes with textures and details using text prompts or style references. This feature leverages an updated beta version of Adobe’s Firefly Vector model, which was also released on the same day. In a demonstration, Adobe Creative Cloud Evangelist Paul Trani showcased how users can adjust detail levels with sliders. Once Firefly generates the enhancements, Illustrator allows users to refine them, setting it apart from conventional AI image generators.

For Photoshop users, Adobe is rolling out the Firefly text-to-image generator, now available broadly. By clicking “Generate Image” and providing a description, users can create AI-generated visuals directly within the application. This feature operates on Adobe Firefly’s Image 3 Foundation model, which previously existed in beta.

While Adobe does not impose extra charges for generative AI features like some competitors, it is still seeing positive results. During the latest earnings call, the company reported that customers are opting for higher-priced plans to access additional generative credits for Firefly. Since its launch in March 2023, Firefly has produced over 9 billion images.

In addition to generative AI features, Illustrator has received several enhancements. The new Dimension tool enables users to measure lengths and angles in their designs. The beta tool, Mockup, now allows users to seamlessly place logos on any product by simply uploading an image, moving beyond its previous limitation of predefined images. Additionally, the Retype feature in Illustrator can identify fonts, match them, and make them available for use elsewhere.

Photoshop is also introducing new tools to enhance productivity. The new Selection Brush and Adjustment Brush tools are designed to simplify repetitive tasks, making the editing process even more efficient.