Adobe Adds AI Assisted Editor And Prompt-Based Tools To Photoshop

Adobe has rolled out a series of updates to Photoshop that add AI-driven editing tools, a new dedicated interface for prompt-based workflows and several productivity features aimed at reducing manual steps in the creative process.

The updates span lighting controls, natural-language editing, visual markup tools and a beta AI Assisted Editor that gives users an alternative interface for generative tasks.

Light Adjustment Layer

Among the new features is a Light Adjustment Layer, which brings lighting controls including Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites and Blacks into a non-destructive adjustment layer within Photoshop.

The aim is to give users access to Camera Raw-level adjustments without leaving the standard Photoshop layers workflow.

Instruct Edit With Masks

Instruct Edit with Masks, powered by Adobe’s Firefly Image 5, allows users to describe edits using text prompts rather than manually selecting every area to be changed.

The tool is designed to understand the full context of an image, meaning users can issue instructions such as opening closed eyes or placing a hat on a specific person without needing to mark every edit area precisely. Unmasked areas remain untouched, which Adobe says is intended to protect elements like faces, logos or brand assets.

Markup

A new Markup feature lets users draw directly on an image to communicate edits visually. Users can select areas to recolour, sketch arrows to indicate position or brush in rough shapes to suggest new elements.

The feature is designed to reduce the ambiguity that can come with text-only prompts by giving the AI model visual cues alongside written instructions.

AI Assisted Editor

The AI Assisted Editor, now available in beta, introduces a dedicated interface with a natural-language prompt bar alongside generative tools powered by AI models.

The editor includes several tools: Prompt to Edit for transforming images using natural language; Remove Background for erasing backgrounds and refining edges; Generative Expand for extending image dimensions; a Remove Tool for eliminating unwanted objects; Generative Fill for adding, replacing or removing content via text prompts; Generative Upscale for increasing image resolution; and AI Markup for annotating images to guide edits visually.

For users who prefer to remain in the standard Pro Editor, Prompt to Edit is also available directly in the Pro Editor’s Contextual Task Bar. From there, users can transform an entire image using prompts without needing to make a selection first. Each result is saved as a generative layer in the layer stack, keeping edits organised and non-destructive.

Dynamic Text And Stock Panel Integration

Photoshop’s Dynamic Text feature has been extended to support custom shapes and paths, allowing text to adapt automatically along curves and freeform layouts without manual reformatting.

A new Stock Panel Integration also puts more than 900 million Adobe Stock assets into a dockable panel inside Photoshop, letting users discover, preview and use assets without switching out of their workflow.

Two Approaches To Editing

The updates reflect Adobe’s approach of offering both traditional precision tools and prompt-based workflows within a single application, rather than requiring users to choose between the two.

Users working in the Pro Editor retain access to layer-based controls and manual tools, while the AI Assisted Editor provides a separate space for those who want to work primarily through natural-language prompts.

Last Updated on August 28, 2026 by Nick Ross