Bad lighting is, traditionally, one of the gaffs that, if not done in camera, is hard to correct with software. But Photoshop is introducing a tool that will allow creators to relight an image by dragging a virtual light around the scene, including adjusting color and position.
During Adobe Max, the software giant announced several updates across Creative Cloud and Firefly, including several updates to the longstanding Photoshop. Along with an AI tool to relight an image, Photoshop also gained generative restyle and updates to its existing remove tool, along with a slew of new beta features.
Photoshop Relight
The new relight tool operates in its own non-destructive layer, which allows photo editors to go back and continue adjusting the lighting effects after making other changes. A virtual light is added to the scene, and photo editors simply drag it around the image to adjust the placement of the light.
Inside the Properties panel, creators can use a set of sliders to further adjust the light. Here, creators can adjust the color of the light and intensity. Photoshop also allows creatives to adjust the size of the light as well.
The relight tool allows for adding up to three different light sources to the scene.
Generative Restyle
The second major update arriving in Photoshop 2027 is generative restyle. Like the relighting tool, this adjustment is layer-based, which allows creators to come back later and make further adjustments.
Generative restyle, as the name suggests, re-generates the image in a different style. In a demonstration, Joel Baer, the Director of Product Management for Photoshop, showed how the tool could be used to adjust a landscape to look like it was shot at golden hour.
Inside the properties panel, editors can adjust the restyle using an adjustable slider.
“Creatives love control, they love precision, and they love to edit. Photoshop is delivering on those in a big way with this Max release,” Baer said.
Remove now works on shadows and reflections without a selection
Also announced during Adobe Max, Photoshop’s existing Remove tool also got a refresh. Adobe says that the tool is now more adept at removing elements associated with an object, including the object’s shadows and even reflections.
Previously, Photoshop recommended selecting everything with the Remove tool, including the object’s shadows and reflections. Now, the Remove tool will work to remove those related elements even when just the object is selected.
Adobe Creative Agent
Across several Creative Cloud apps, Adobe launched Creative Agent, an AI agent that carries out tasks. That rollout includes Adobe Photoshop.
Adobe Creative Agent is designed to handle busywork, but can also be used as a learning tool, such as asking where a tool is located or how to complete an edit in Photoshop.
A new space just for an AI Assistant
Photoshop’s AI Assistant will be integrated into a new AI-first workspace that Adobe says offers a simpler user interface for creators looking to work with natural language prompts. Creators can leave the AI-assisted Editor mode at any time to go back to the full suite of Photoshop tools.
A long list of new beta features, including adjusting camera angles
A handful of beta features are also rolling out for public testing, including a tool to use adjust an image’s camera angle. The Camera Angles beta, Adobe says, allows users to explore different viewpoints of the image by interacting with the canvas.
Another generative tool is Generative Recompose, which will allow users to adjust an image’s aspect ratio and reposition elements from the image.
Also coming to beta is a timelapse tool designed to allow creators to share a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process. That could be a useful tool to give photographers another way to share behind-the-scenes videos of their work, along with being a tool for transparency.
In addition, Photoshop’s beta rollout includes a tool to remove atmospheric effects like lens flare and haze, a tool to help designers create mockups, and a tool for converting a flattened graphic, such as a flyer or PDF, into editable layers.
I’m in Miami, Florida, this week covering all the biggest photo-related announcements from Adobe this week. Watch for additional insight, hands-on demos, and sneak peeks at what Adobe is working on behind the scenes as Adobe Max unfolds November 10-12.
You may also like
Take a look at the best photo editing software
