Photoshop can now use third-party AI for Generative Fill. But what is each model best for, and when should you switch from Firefly to Nano Banana or Flux?

Adobe Firefly is behind a number of key Photoshop updates – but a key change for the photo editing giant in 2025 is the ability to choose third-party AI models. Photoshop now allows users to use Nano Bana Pro or Flux.2 AI image generators instead of its own Firefly for Generative Fill. But that, of course, begs the question – when should photo editors use a third-party AI model?

I directed exactly that question to not just a Photoshop expert but Adobe Photoshop’s Senior Director of Product Management, Stephen Nielsen. Here’s when (and why) photo editors may want to try a third-party AI.

Adobe Firefly

Best for: Commercially-safe AI

Adobe Firefly has a key feature for creators: it’s built on licensed content, not photos scraped from the internet. That makes Firefly safe for commercial use, Adobe says.

Firefly is the safer choice – and the more ethical option for creatives, as many generative AI platforms do not share where the training data comes from. There are a number of lawsuits and legal questions surrounding AI and what constitutes fair use for training data.

Photoshop’s third-party AI models are also considered a premium generative AI feature, whereas Firefly is considered a standard feature. That means that, depending on what subscription you have, you may have to purchase extra generative credits to use the third-party models, where some standard generative credits are included in some Adobe Photography plans.

Nano Banana and Nano Banana Pro

Best for: Legible text and signs, understanding instructions

AI image generators are notoriously bad a generating text, but Google’s Nano Banana Pro shows significant improvement. For editors who need to generate text, Nano Banana may spit out the most usable options.

Nano Banana Pro is also able to understand instructions. Firefly wasn’t built to use instruction verbs like “change this to that” in the prompt, so using those types of prompts can introduce unintended errors. Editors using prompts with instruction verbs may want to experiment with Nano Banana inside Photoshop.

Flux.1 and Flux.2

Best for: Realism, maintaining image “identity,” understanding instructions

Black Forest Lab’s Flux AI models are known for realism, and that can extend into Photoshop’s Generative Fill. Editors may also want to experiment with the Flux models for maintaining “identity” or keeping more of the original intact and staying in line with the original image.

Like Nano Banana Pro, Flux models' training allows them to handle instruction verbs in the prompt better than Firefly at times.

Currently, third-party AI models are only available in Generative Fill inside Photoshop. Third-party models are available by using the drop-down menu next to the prompt text box in the Contextual Task Bar. Third-party AI model support was introduced in October 2026, and a software update is required for those running older versions of the software.

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