Is it time to break up with old Photoshop tools like Unsharp Mask and the Healing Brush? These 7 former favorite Photoshop tools now have faster modern replacements

I’ve been using Photoshop for the better part of two decades – and there have been more than a few occasions where I realized I could have saved a lot of time using a newer tool instead of reaching for my habitual favorites. Sorry, Lasso and Healing Brush, but I think it may be time to go our separate ways.

I recently sat down with Stephen Nielsen, Adobe Photoshop’s Senior Director of Product Management, to talk about the longtime tools that are habitual favorites of longtime Photoshop users – but actually have a modern tool that will often get better results in less time.

Now, these tools do not necessarily need to be replaced 100 percent of the time, but there are a handful of tools inside Photoshop that tend to either get better results, faster edits, or both in a majority of scenarios. (And no, not all of these tools are AI either.)

Here are seven Photoshop tools that you may want to leave in the past.

Unsharp Mask

Try Smart Sharpen, or AI Sharpen instead

Unsharp Mask has been around about as long as Photoshop itself. The tool is actually based on a film developing technique where one image is intentionally blurred, then added to the original with a contrast mask to create a sharper image.

But, Neilson says that, in a majority of cases, Smart Sharpen is almost always better. (Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen). Why? Smart Sharpen looks for the edges and only applies sharpening at those edges. That leads to fewer artifacts and better results, plus there are more sliders for editors to fine-tune the results.

An even more recent tool for sharpening is the AI Sharpen, which is a partner model from Topaz Labs. Photo editors can find this option by going to Filter > AI Sharpen. Unlike Smart Sharpen, though, AI Sharpen will use generative credits.

Magic Wand

Try Select Subject, Select Object or Select Sky instead

Magic Wand is still helpful when you want to select one solid color, but Nielson notes that in most other scenarios, Magic Wand is the long and drawn-out way to make a selection. If you want to select the subject, try the Select Subject by going to Select > Subject.

If the object that you want to select isn’t the subject (or is perhaps only part of the subject, and you don’t want the whole thing), try the Object Selection too – it’s located in the same toolbox as the Magic Wand. Select that tool, then draw a rough box around the object, and Photoshop will detect the edges for you.

Or, if you’re trying to mask out the sky, try Select > Sky instead.

The Lasso tool

Try the Selection Brush Tool instead

Is it time to say “so long, pardner” to the lasso tool? Perhaps, but not because there’s a tool that’s better. There’s a tool that works just like the lasso, but also works as a selection paintbrush: the Selection Brush Tool.

You can find the Selection Brush Tool in the same toolbox as the lasso tool. If you hover over a subject, it will turn pink, and you can click to select it. You can also paint over the area to select. And, you can also use this tool exactly like the lasso and click to outline the area to select – you don’t need to fill in the center, Photoshop will do that for you. So the Selection Brush Tool really has a lasso built in, but does a few other tricks too.

The Clone Stamp, Healing Brush, and Content-Aware Fill (Sometimes!)

Try the Remove Tool instead

There are still several very good use cases for the Clone Stamp and Healing Brush, particularly when working with high-resolution textures, and some uses for Content Aware Fill. These tools aren’t something you need to 100 percent retire, but if you want to remove something from the photo, the newer Remove Tool will work better (and often faster) in many cases.

The Remove Tool is in the same toolbox as the Healing Brush and Clone tool. Once you select it, just click and paint over whatever you want to remove.

If you are Anti-AI, you can still use the Remove Tool. With the tool selected, you’ll see a drop-down box at the top near the options for brush size. Using this drop-down menu, you can choose not to use Generative AI, which will use more traditional algorithms to remove the selected area from the photo.

Upscaling with Image Size

Try using Generative Upscaler

Photoshop’s Image Size tool is still irreplaceable for tasks like making an image more web-friendly, but when it comes to making an image larger, Nielson recommends trying the newer Generative Upscale tools.

These tools are located in Image > Generative Upscale. Here, you can choose from a few different models to add more resolution. The Firefly Upscaler is available to all users, while Topaz Gigapixel and Opaz Bloom are available for premium subscribers.

Bonus: Three more modern tools to try

If you want to tweak color, try the new Adjust Colors Workflow. This (non-AI) tool is located on the Contextual Task Bar. What this tool does is select the six most prominent colors in the image. Then, you can select which color to adjust and use quick-access sliders to adjust hue, saturation, and lightness.

If you are correcting a tilted image or building a panorama, consider using Generative Expand instead of the Content-Aware fill to fill in gaps. You can do this by using the traditional crop tool, but at the top, go to the drop-down box that says Fill and select Generative Fill.

If you aren’t a professional graphic designer, Dynamic Text is a helpful tool for tasks like creating a photo quote for social media and similar projects. Dynamic Text creates a squared-off box of text but automatically adjusts the letter placement and sizes as you drag the corners of the box to fit the space.

Wait, why do outdated tools still exist inside Photoshop?

If tools like Unsharp Mask and the Magic Wand are nearly as old as Photoshop itself and are no longer the best option, why do they still exist? Well, for starters, there can be a few use cases for the longstanding tools, but Nielsen explains that Adobe likes to leave tools in place until they‘ve either been completely replaced or usage is very low.

“Generally, we care a lot about preserving customer choice,” Nielsen said. “This is a huge theme in Photoshop's history, and it's one of the reasons that people turn to Photoshop because there are so many choices and options. We want to preserve customer choice as much as possible. We generally leave tools in place until usage is really low or we can replace it.”

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