How to Use AI in Photoshop: The Guide

Photoshop has always been one of those tools that feels like magic - designers, photographers, even people just messing around with memes, all swear by it. But recently, Adobe decided to crank things up a notch with artificial intelligence. And this isn’t one of those background, “oh it’s there but you don’t notice it” features. Nope. AI in Photoshop is basically front row now, changing the way people retouch, edit, and sometimes even dream up an image.

If you’ve been staring at endless tutorials wondering how to actually use this AI stuff without a headache - this walkthrough is meant for you. We’ll look at the practical bits, the oddities, and why people can’t seem to shut up about it.

Articles you may like to read after this one:

🔗 Best AI tools for graphic design
Top AI-powered software to enhance and streamline graphic design.

🔗 Top free AI tools for graphic design
Create professional designs without cost using powerful free AI tools.

🔗 Best AI tools for designers
Comprehensive guide to the best AI tools for modern designers.

Why Photoshop’s AI Actually Feels Worth It 🖌️✨

Here’s the thing: a lot of “AI tools” get hyped up, but Photoshop’s doesn’t just sit there looking pretty - it solves actual problems:

It saves you time. That power line in the background? Instead of 20 minutes of cloning, AI zaps it out in seconds.
Beginner-friendly. You don’t need years of Photoshop wizardry - AI flattens the steep learning curve.
A spark for creativity. Sometimes you don’t know what you want until the AI throws out a weird option that just clicks.
Professional touch. Used gently, the retouching looks natural - like you spent hours when you didn’t.

Quick backdrop: things like Generative Fill run on Adobe’s Firefly models, and depending on your plan, they cost generative credits [2].

Quick Comparison: Photoshop AI Features 📊

Feature (AI tool)	Who it’s for	Price (roughly)	Why it works (my take)
Generative Fill	Designers, marketers	Comes with plan; uses generative credits [2]	Instantly removes/adds objects - spooky how accurate it is
Neural Filters	Photographers, hobbyists	Included	Changes faces/ages/moods… kinda eerie 😅
Select Subject	Literally everyone	Included	One click, subject isolated, big time-saver
Sky Replacement	Bloggers, realtors	Included [5]	Turns boring skies into movie backdrops 🌅
Content-Aware Fill	Old-school loyalists	Included [5]	Still a classic for gaps and cleanup

Generative Fill: The Star of the Show 🎭

If you’ve scrolled TikTok, you’ve probably seen this: someone drags out the canvas and suddenly - boom - more background appears. That’s Generative Fill. Just highlight a spot, type “make it night time” or “drop in a mountain,” and Photoshop whips it up [1].

Try it in 30 seconds:

Select an area.
Head to Edit → Generative Fill (or use that floating Contextual Task Bar).
Toss in a short prompt → Generate → pick a variation (new layer, by the way) [1].

Small reality check: It’s not flawless. You might get five-legged cats or surreal doorways. Still, for teams pumping out marketing variations, it’s basically a lifesaver.

Pro tip: Keep prompts short. “Remove sign,” “add shadows.” Over-explaining usually muddies results.

Neural Filters: Creepy but Handy 🧑➡️👵

Neural Filters can do some wild stuff - smooth skin, swap facial expressions, add color to black-and-white shots. It’s powered by Adobe Sensei, and everything’s non-destructive, so you can tone it back whenever [3].

To test it:

Go Filter → Neural Filters.
Flip on a filter (say, Skin Smoothing or Colorize) and drag the sliders [3].

Important tip: Don’t max out sliders. A light 15–20% tweak looks natural. Full blast looks… wax museum.

AI Selections Done Smarter ✂️

The Select Subject button is kind of a silent MVP. One click, and Photoshop finds your main subject. Of course, refining edges (especially hair) is still tricky - honestly, hair’s always been the enemy [4].

Try it out:

Open image → Select → Subject (or Object/Quick Selection).
Use Select and Mask to tidy up edges [4].

Sky Replacement: Mood in a Click 🌤️

Dragging a flat photo into Photoshop? Swap the sky. AI figures out the horizon, adjusts the light, and matches tones so the new sky doesn’t look slapped on [5].

How to:
Edit → Sky Replacement → pick one of Photoshop’s presets or upload your own sky → fine-tune with sliders [5].

Content-Aware Fill: The Original OG 🕰️

Long before “AI” was trendy, Content-Aware Fill was already working magic. Select a distraction, fill it with nearby pixels, done. Still one of the most dependable fixes for object removal and patch jobs [5].

Steps:
Select area → Edit → Content-Aware Fill → tweak sampling → export to a fresh layer just in case [5].

How People Are Actually Using This 🎯

Marketing teams: Crank out ad variations without endless photoshoots.
Social media folks: Quick swaps and storytelling visuals.
Photographers: Less time retouching.
Small businesses: DIY product shots that look way more pro than they should.

Avoid the Overkill 🚦

AI here works like hot sauce: just enough adds flavor, too much overwhelms.

Keep Generative Fill prompts simple.
Always layer in some manual tweaks for the “human” feel.
Don’t lean on it for everything - your originality still matters.
Duplicate layers before making bold AI edits so you can quickly A/B compare.

Access & Credits: The Boring but Important Bit 💳

Generative tools (like Generative Fill) run on generative credits. Most standard generations cost 1 credit, but depending on your plan, you might get unlimited “standard” ones. Worth checking the fine print on your subscription [2].

So… Should You Actually Use AI in Photoshop? 🎬

Short answer: yes. Longer answer: absolutely yes - but in moderation.

AI isn’t here to replace your creativity. Think of it more as a turbo sidekick. Whether you’re a pro photo editor or just someone fixing awkward family pictures, these tools make the whole process faster, easier, and honestly, more fun.

So next time you see an AI button pop up in Photoshop, don’t skip it. Click it. Play with it. Worst case, you hit “undo.” Best case - you stumble into something you didn’t even know you wanted.