When it comes to professional photo editing, it's hard to ignore Adobe Photoshop. It's been practically the 'industry standard' for many years. However, Photoshop is now quite different from before, as Adobe continuously adds new AI tools that make photo editing more accessible to beginners.
While Photoshop was previously considered too complex for beginners, many AI features have now significantly shortened the learning time. Users can create images, enlarge frames, remove objects, or change backgrounds with just a few simple prompts.
Personally, I'm just a curious Photoshop beginner, but after trying out quite a few different creative AI tools—from AI for photos to AI for videos—I was quite surprised by how AI in Photoshop actually works. This article compiles the best AI tools to try for beginners.
Of course, AI in Photoshop won't be suitable for everyone or every project. But if you're new to photo editing or don't know which AI tool to start with, this is a pretty good place to begin.
Create AI images in Photoshop.
The Adobe Firefly AI image generation model currently exists as a standalone application, and is also integrated directly into Photoshop so users can utilize it directly in their image editing workflow.
If you're using a newer version of Photoshop, you can open your project and find the ' Generate Image ' option on the contextual taskbar . Alternatively, you can go to the Edit menu > Generate Image or click the image icon with the light beam in the left-hand toolbar.
Then simply enter the prompt describing the image you want to create, select a style, add a reference image if needed, and press Generate .
An interesting feature is that Photoshop creates many different variations for users to choose from. You can switch between versions using the arrow buttons on the taskbar at the bottom.
When writing prompts, don't hesitate to be detailed. The most important elements should be placed at the beginning of the prompt so that the AI can prioritize processing them more accurately.
If the results aren't satisfactory, you can open the preview window to adjust the prompt or change the reference image. There are also options to remove the background or generate a similar image.
There's a practical lesson to be learned: if you've edited the prompt too much and the image still doesn't turn out as you'd like, sometimes you should rewrite the prompt entirely from scratch instead of continuously generating it hoping the AI will 'figure it out on its own'.
How to use the generator AI tools in Photoshop
In addition to creating new images, Photoshop now offers many AI generative tools for directly editing the image you're working on. The most notable of these are Generative Fill, Generative Expand, and Generative Remove.
Generic Fill
Generative Fill is almost like a 'mini AI image generator' inside Photoshop and is currently one of the most widely used AI features.
This tool allows you to select any specific area in an image, then input a prompt for the AI to automatically generate new content for that area.
You can enable this feature by going to Edit > Generative Fill . Then, use the selection brush to select the area where you want to add content, type "prompt," and press Generate.
For example, you can add trees to empty spaces, create more objects on the table, or even change the entire photo composition without manually drawing or layering.
Generative Expand
Generative Expand is particularly useful when you need to expand the image frame.
If you've ever encountered a situation where an image is too small to post as a story, thumbnail, or banner design, this tool will help 'expand' the canvas and then let the AI automatically create additional content that fits the original image.
To use it, simply select the crop tool, drag the canvas to the desired size, and then press Generate. You can let the AI automatically guess the expansion or type in the prompt to create new scenery.
This is one of the most stable tools in Photoshop AI, especially when resizing images for various aspect ratios.
Generic Remove
While Generative Fill is used to add content, Generative Remove is like a powerful 'AI eraser'.
This tool can remove objects from photos without ruining the surrounding background. For example, it can remove people who accidentally appear in travel photos, power lines, signs, or other distracting details.
There are two ways to use it. The first way is to select the object using the Object Select Tool and then use Generative Fill with the ' remove ' prompt.
The second method is to directly use the Remove Tool in the Spot Healing Tool to paint over the area you want to remove. The AI will automatically fill in the background as naturally as possible.
Generative Remove works particularly well with simple 'photobomb' objects and saves a lot of time compared to traditional clone stamps.
Some other AI Photoshop tools worth trying.
In addition to the three well-known generator tools, Photoshop also has many other interesting AI features.
Sky Replacement
Sky Replacement is a fairly well-known tool for replacing the sky in Photoshop.
You can go to Edit > Sky Replacement and choose presets like sunset, blue sky, or more dramatic sky styles. Then, adjust the brightness and lighting to make the image look more natural.
This feature works very well with some landscape photos, but it's not always perfect. Some photos have beautiful blends, but in other cases, the results look a bit 'artificial'.
Generate Background
Generate a background is especially useful for product photos or photos where you need to highlight the main subject.
After uploading the image to Photoshop, you can use Remove Background to separate the subject, then select Generate Background to have AI create a new background behind it.
Simple color or patterned backgrounds often produce better results than cityscapes or overly complex spaces — because those scenes sometimes still look a bit 'AI'.
In addition to the features mentioned above, Photoshop also includes Neural Filters, the Curvature Pen, and many other AI tools for advanced photo editing. Adobe is also expected to continue adding more new AI features this year.
Photoshop's AI toolset generally works quite well, but it's important to understand what each tool is designed to do.
For example, Generative Expand is very powerful for resizing images, while Generative Remove is extremely useful for removing unwanted objects. Meanwhile, tools like Sky Replacement are quite dependent on the specific image.
You don't necessarily need to use AI for every Photoshop project. But in many cases, AI really helps make the photo editing workflow faster and much more beginner-friendly.