No more learning how to use Photoshop... Adobe's new product is a "radical change" in how we work with photos.
Generative AI has been around for a few years, but we're only now starting to see what it can really do. Adobe announced today the AI-powered Firefly assistant, which is a great example.
Adobe was one of the first big tech companies to use AI in its products, but Firefly goes much further. It lets us get rid of the traditional application interface and use directions and commands instead.
This is why Adobe defines this as "a radical change in how creative work is done," as it removes the barrier of technical knowledge and tedious tasks that have characterized Photoshop and other applications geared towards professionals or enthusiasts until now.
Firefly AI is not integrated into Adobe applications, but it exists as its own interface through which we can ask it to do what we need with our files, including "complex multi-step workflows".
This means that artificial intelligence will be able to use Adobe applications on our behalf, including Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom, Express, Illustrator, and others; rather than having to learn the creation process and how each program works individually, the idea is to focus on the result we want.
At the same time, Adobe is keen to emphasize that the user remains in full control, can follow the assistant's steps, and even stop it at any time to modify it or direct the artificial intelligence towards a different path.
According to Adobe, the result "perfectly reflects your personality," in a clear attempt by the company to move away from so-called "AI-fueled content"—the production of repetitive, low-quality content that has been heavily criticized on social media, particularly regarding the creativity of artists.
For example, we can ask Firefly AI to retouch some close-up photos, and the program will automatically display a range of adjustments it can make, allowing us to choose the one best suited to our idea. We can also review any step of the program and modify aspects like background blurring or cropping if we are not satisfied.
Adobe also believes this tool could be particularly useful for social media, where we can instruct the assistant to enlarge our images and prepare them for sharing on Instagram and other platforms.
Firefly AI is Adobe's first major project involving artificial intelligence agents, which are specialized programs capable of making independent decisions and controlling other applications or systems.
Adobe hopes this will solidify the use of artificial intelligence in the creative sector, as this agent will be able to learn and integrate with our artistic style, unlike traditional image generation methods. Adobe has also added support for Nano Banana, Veo, and other models.