Hello fellow creative nerds,
Today I’m diving into the latest from Adobe Photoshop at Adobe MAX 2025, and yes, it’s a game changer for anyone who loves to tinker, iterate, and push pixels.
Here’s what stood out and how I’m thinking of applying it to art licensing and product concept work.
What’s new
- Photoshop now supports partner models alongside Adobe’s own, so you can pick from options like Firefly, Google’s Gemini-style models (codenamed Nano Banana), and others, giving you more creative options.
- Harmonize intelligently merges two images and automatically corrects lighting, shadows, and tone, making compositing much easier.
- Generative Upscale sharpens low-res images, improving quality and making them suitable for larger prints.
- Improved Remove Background handles tricky edges and semi-transparent objects more precisely.
- Actions Update gives a curated list of tailored adjustment suggestions, providing creative guidance as you edit.
- File and Asset Management (“Project – file”) organizes and shares assets across teams and devices more efficiently.
- AI Assistant in Photoshop (beta) allows you to speak or write native-language prompts, such as renaming all layers or reviewing a design and suggesting improvements. Beta sign-up is open.
- ChatGPT integration with Photoshop and Express lets you generate template ideas in ChatGPT and export them into Adobe tools without leaving the chat.
Why this matters for my world
These updates mean I can mock up ideas faster, test variations, and seamlessly composite licensing proofs. Generative Upscale lets me turn low-res sketches into high-quality, print-ready assets. The AI assistant can batch rename layers when preparing licensing files, saving time and effort.
What I’m going to try first
- Use Harmonize to combine a Lake Michigan beach scene with a tandem bike silhouette and see how it handles the lighting blend.
- Try Generative Upscale on older illustrations too low in resolution for home decor products.
- Sign up for the Photoshop assistant beta and test a prompt such as, "Review this illustration of beach reading and suggest three color harmonies for a fall product."
- Use ChatGPT → Express flow to generate a social media mockup and export into Photoshop for final touches.
Bottom line
Photoshop is evolving from a powerful pixel editor into a smart creative partner. The combination of generative AI, automation, and native-language controls frees up time for idea generation and less manual work. Download your Photoshop AI Toolkit to speed up edits, harmonize images, and make AI your creative partner.
