![The image features a stylized logo with the word "transcriptive" centered in bold black and red. The letters "t" and "[ ]" are creatively highlighted. Beneath, the words "rough" and "cutter" are connected by a directional arrow, symbolizing a dynamic process.](https://i0.wp.com/digitalproduction.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ts-rough-cutter-black.webp?resize=110%2C110&quality=72&ssl=1 "the image features a stylized logo with the word transcriptive centered in bold black and red the letters t and are creatively highlighted beneath the words rough and cutter are connected by a directional arrow symbolizing a dynamic process digital production")
For those who don’t know the tool: Photoshop and Lightroom sit at the image edit and photo finish end of the pipeline, with ideation support via Firefly Boards and automation via Firefly AI Assistant under Creative Cloud.
Rotate Object goes GA, keeps edits non destructive
Adobe moved Rotate Object from beta to general availability in Photoshop. The tool targets a familiar pain point: matching a cutout element to a new perspective without rebuilding the thing from scratch.
Rotate Object lets you tilt, spin, and recomposite an object from new angles in real time while keeping the workflow non destructive. The feature runs as a guided transform, with on canvas controls and additional rotation values available in a properties panel, and it can be reopened to refine the rotatoin later.
The promise here is speed, not magic. You still need a decent selection and clean edges to get something usable, and you still need to evaluate artifacts against your actual plate.
Layer Cleanup tries to fix the mess we all made
Layer Cleanup arrives in Photoshop after being previewed at Adobe MAX in October. It renames layers and removes empty ones to declutter complex files, aiming to make handoff and collaboration less painful once a file grows past the point where any human remembers what Layer 143 copy 9 actually contains.
In practice, this is less about creativity and more about reducing the tax of working in large PSDs. If you move between artists, teams, and companies (And even different industries), layer names matter. If you move between yesterday and today, they also matter, because who knew there’d be a nother set of notes from the “Art” Director.
Firefly Boards plugs ideation into the edit loop
Firefly Boards now integrates with both Photoshop and Lightroom, aiming to cut the app switching between early concept and final execution. Firefly Boards is a visual workspace for rapid ideation, including mood boards, storyboards, and pitch materials, with an emphasis on gathering references, organising generations, and keeping direction in one place before you commit to a heavy edit.
The integration pitch focuses on moving smoothly from early concept to final output without breaking flow. That reads like workflow glue rather than a single feature, which is sometimes the stuff that saves actual time in a real porject, before you give the files to the actual artists.
Lightroom gets search, presets, and speed
Lightroom picks up Improved Search that lets you find photos by describing what you want in your own words. The update also adds new film inspired presets for a nostalgic look, alongside performance upgrades that include faster Assisted Culling and up to 5x faster interactive slider performance. There is also support for all Sony A7V formats listed in the release notes provided. If you shoot high volume and live on quick selects, faster culling and faster sliders can matter more than any single new creative knob.
Firefly AI Assistant enters public beta
Adobe also pushed Firefly AI Assistant into public beta. The assistant runs inside Firefly and uses a chat interface where you describe an outcome and the assistant orchestrates multi step workflows across Creative Cloud apps including Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere, and more.
Eligibility for the beta rollout is tied to Creative Cloud Pro or paid Firefly plans, and the beta includes complimentary daily generative credits for use with the assistant during the rollout.
