Latest Adobe Update Brings AI-Driven Features for Even Faster Editing and Curation

Adobe has launched a major Creative Cloud update today. And, as we’re used to by now, it has added more AI-driven features to Lightroom, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe Firefly. The focus is on speed, precision, and enhancements that should help you move from concept to final product even faster. So, let’s see what’s new.

Lightroom Gets Smarter with Scene Detection and One-Click Cleanup

If you use Lightroom on mobile or web, you can now access new Quick Actions that deliver AI-assisted edits.

One of the latest tools is Scene Enhance, specifically designed for landscape photography. It detects elements like sky, water, and ground, then applies selective edits to each component.

Also new is the Reflection Removal tool, now available across Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and Adobe Camera Raw. This feature eliminates glass reflections. So, I guess we can finally replicate the ND filter in post (I wonder how successfully, though). Adobe promises that you can fine-tune the effect and achieve natural-looking results. I’ll make sure to test it out if I ever manage to find some photos I took through a glass at a museum. In the meantime, you can see Adobe’s demo:

If you edit photos of people more than you do landscapes, Lightroom introduces Distractions Remove. It automatically finds and removes individuals who aren’t central to the photo. It’s a one-click cleanup solution that retains full user control for refinements. Again, something that could be worth testing out… perhaps with some photos with exes in them. :) Although, I’m pretty sure Adobe imagines this tool as a perfect one to use for tourist photos in crowded places.

Both people and reflection removals are nested under the Remove tool, or just hit Q while editing:

[Related Reading: How to remove people from travel videos and photos without editing]

The upcoming features also include AI filters that help you curate images (every concert and event photographer’s nightmare). It highlights the photos it thinks are the best, using factors like subject clarity and open eyes.

Photoshop Upgrades Text and Selection Features

Photoshop is also getting some new features, and Adobe is focused on typography in the latest update. The new Dynamic Text system auto-adjusts text to fit within any shape or bounding box and provides detailed controls for word spacing and alignment. This should speed up layout design without sacrificing precision.

Selection tools also get a boost through cloud processing. The updated Select Subject and Remove Background options now offer higher accuracy, even with complex edges like hair or textured backgrounds.

[Related reading: Photoshop Finally Arrives on Android – Here’s What You Need to Know]

Illustrator and Firefly Add AI Creativity and Speed

Illustrator and Firefly also get some new stuff in the latest update. In Illustrator, the new Generative Expand tool uses Adobe Firefly’s Vector Model to seamlessly enlarge vector graphics and artboards. Adobe promises style-consistent and fully editable results.

Performance upgrades include real-time rendering of transformations and a fivefold speed increase for the most-used effects like Drop Shadow and Outer Glow. An improved Pencil Tool now offers live previews and dynamic curve smoothing.

Adobe Firefly introduces Boards, a creative workspace for generating and organizing text, images, and video content. It supports model integration from Google, OpenAI, Luma AI, and others, allowing users to switch models within the canvas easily — no extra logins required.

Pricing and Availability

All updates are already available for Creative Cloud Pro subscribers. My Lightroom was updating as I was writing this article. And if you’re not already an Adobe subscriber, you can explore the plans here.

---