On its Max virtual conference, Adobe announced updates to its products. From Photoshop to Illustrator and Premier Pro, many of the updates are powered by AI.
Adobe users should already use Adobe's AI in one way or another through the many features found in Photoshop.
From Select Subject, Object Selection Tool, Content-Aware Fill, Curvature Pen Tool, many of the font features, and more, are all powered by Adobe's Sensei AI technology.
Adobe's goal with AI is to "systematically replace time-intensive steps with smart, automated technology wherever possible."
In a blog post showcasing how capable its Photoshop has become with AI, Adobe said that:
"These new features, added to the already robust Adobe Sensei AI and machine learning features you rely on every day, make Photoshop the world’s most advanced AI application for creatives. This smart use of technology enables you to work faster than ever before so you have way more time to be creative."
First of, Adobe Photoshop comes equipped with Neural Filters, Sky Replacement, the new Discover panel, and two new Refine Edge Selections improvements. These tools are all built on artificial intelligence.
Neural Filters is a breakthrough in AI-powered creativity, capable of reimagine filters and image manipulation inside Photoshop.
"This first version ships with a large set of new filters. Many of these filters are still in the beta quality state. We’ve decided to ship them to you now so you can try them out and give feedback and help shape the future of AI in Photoshop. Neural Filters is part of a new machine learning platform, which will evolve and get better over time – expanding on what’s possible exponentially," said Adobe.
Neural Filters come with Skin Smoothing and Style Transfer. Additionally, Adobe has also released 6 ‘beta’ filters.
One of which, is the Smart Portrait filter.
This filter uses AI to allow users transform a person's age, expression, pose, colors and more.
As for the Sky Replacement feature, Photoshop uses AI to intelligently separate the sky from the foreground, allowing users to create beautiful and dynamic skies in just a few clicks.
For example, users can quickly change the sky from a bright afternoon to sunset, very quickly.
Users can even zoom in and select a section of sky, or move the sky around to find the right configuration of clouds or color (or planets) they want.
The update introduces Photoshop with about 25 sky presents.
"Sky Replacement is a huge time saver for our customers; especially those retouching landscape, real estate, wedding and portrait photography. The sky’s the limit!" wrote Adobe.
Then there is the Discover panel. Loaded with tools and tips, it is meant to help users work faster.
"It uses AI to deliver recommendations based on you and your work and includes one-click actions to speed you to results. This is a great new tool inside Photoshop where we will continue to add AI capabilities that enhance your experience with the product," Adobe said.
And as for the Object Aware Refine Edge and Refine Hair, the features use AI to further improve selections that include tricky subjects like hair or complex backgrounds.
These improvements should certainly make the already-powerful and capable Photoshop, a more versatile tool.
Adobe is far from the only company using AI for filters and photo-editing capabilities. But Adobe in using a novel combination of segmentation algorithms and generative adversarial networks (GANs), sets a goal to accelerate users workflow.
In other words, Adobe aims for speed.
Adobe wants to make time-consuming processes, more easy to even the most average Photoshop users.
Previously, users may not be able to produce realistic-looking results due to the limitation of their Photoshop knowledge and skills. By offloading the work to AI, users can free themselves from the "mundane, non-creative tasks and focus on what matters most – your creativity."