Adobe’s Upcoming AI Chatbot Can Edit Your Photos for You in Photoshop

At this point, nearly everyone is aware of artificial intelligence (AI). AI technology is everywhere, heavily featured in the latest smartphones and apps. Photographers are well aware of AI thanks to AI-powered photo editing tools and in-camera AI-based autofocus tech. But what about “agentic AI?” This refers to conversational AI that can help users solve problems, and Adobe is all-in on it.

As Adobe explains in a newly published blog post, the company is excited by agentic AI and its implications for creative workflows.

“At Adobe, our approach to agentic AI is clear, and it mirrors our approach to generative AI: The best use of AI is to give people more control and free them to spend more time on the work they love — whether that’s creativity, analysis or collaboration,” says Ely Greenfield, CTO of Adobe’s Digital Media business.

Greenfield, doubling down on Adobe’s commitment to the power of human imagination, contends that while not creative, AI agents can help creative people do better work. For more beginner users, such as those just getting their feet wet in a tool like Adobe Express or Photoshop, agentic AI could replace boilerplate templates and help users access the right tools for the job quicker and with less friction. For professionals, agentic AI can streamline tedious tasks that waste time (and cost money).

“We envision many ways that AI agents can help you work more efficiently and raise the bar of what you create,” Greenfield says. “… What if Photoshop gave you suggestions for making your image pop — then carried out those actions for you, at your direction, with just a click?”

Adobe’s blog post outlines some agentic approaches in popular Adobe apps, including Acrobat, Express, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Creative Cloud at large.

For photographers, Adobe says it has already built a strong foundation for agent-driven workflows within Photoshop.

“For instance, last year we introduced Distraction Removal, which analyzes an image to find distractions like poles, wires and people in the background and can remove those distractions for you with just a click,” Greenfield says.

At Adobe MAX London later this month, Adobe will fully unveil the debut of what will eventually become its first creative agent in Photoshop with an all-new Actions panel. Adobe believes that with the aid of agentic AI, Photoshop will be able to analyze a photographer’s image and instantly recommend “smart, context-aware edits.”

“Want a more dramatic sky? Photoshop could not only spot the opportunity to improve your image but also take the action for you with a single click, while keeping you in control,” Greenfield writes. “We also envision you being able to use natural language to access more than 1,000 one-click actions in Photoshop.”

While having quicker and more direct access to useful photo editing tools is appealing to many users for a range of reasons, Adobe says agentic AI is about much more than just faster edits. The company also believes that agentic AI can be instrumental in educating its users and helping people learn more ways to improve their photos inside Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop, while not Adobe’s most complex software, can have quite a steep learning curve. Adobe has worked to flatten that curve in recent years through enhanced tutorials and more educational resources, but Adobe believes agentic AI in Photoshop is its best educational effort yet.

“This is all part of our vision to build the most creator-friendly approach to AI in the industry,” says Adobe.

As for Premiere Pro, the newly released Media Intelligence in Premiere Pro, which automatically analyzes and understands the audio and video contents of clips inside Premiere pro to enable robust natural-language searching, is a sign of things to come.

“This is only the beginning — we’re working on agents that understand all your media and that you can direct to take actions like developing a rough cut. The hardest part of the editorial process is often simply getting started. Finding the best shots in mountains of footage and combining them in a way that tells a coherent story is daunting,” Greenfield explains. “While AI can’t replace human creative inspiration, with your input it can make some educated guesses to help you get your project off the ground.”

Adobe believes “agentic AI will act as a powerful force multiplier for creative professions.” Users won’t need to wait long to see if these aspirations are well founded, as more information will be shared at Adobe MAX London later this month.

Image credits: Adobe