Adobe adds dedicated AI interface to Photoshop with visual markup tool

Adobe has released a heavy AI update for Photoshop that introduces an optional workspace called AI Assisted Editor. The new interface groups all of the program’s AI features into a single toolbar and is offered as a beta-only option, allowing longtime users to stay in the classic workspace if they prefer.

The most prominent addition is a feature called Markup, which lets users draw directly on an image to tell the AI what to change. Instead of typing a textual prompt, users can paint areas for recoloring, sketch arrows to indicate desired placement, or outline rough shapes that suggest new elements. Adobe says this approach is intended to shorten the loop between intent and execution, especially for tasks that are hard to describe in words, such as precise object positioning or localized color changes.

At the same time, Adobe has updated the Instruct Edit with Masks capability so that masks can be edited via natural-language prompts. According to the company, the new Firefly Image 5 model “understands the full context of the image,” eliminating the need to manually mask every area to be edited. Example use cases include opening closed eyes in a portrait or placing a hat on a subject’s head—operations that previously required precise manual masking.

The AI Assisted Editor is currently available in beta for Photoshop users as a separate option rather than a forced replacement. Adobe has not published comparative benchmarks for Firefly Image 5 against previous generations or competing models, nor has it clarified whether processing occurs locally or in the cloud. The practical question remains whether the advertised contextual understanding holds for complex lighting, crowded compositions, or other challenging scenarios, beyond the ideal conditions shown in the demos.