Photoshop 26.8, released on June 17, 2025 (aka Photoshop 2025.6), brings practical enhancements to text handling and image file compatibility, with small but measurable improvements for compositors, matte painters, and layout artists.

Auto-adjusting typography with Dynamic Text

Text layout gets a logic boost: with Dynamic Text, text layers now resize and reflow automatically when you adjust their bounding box. This includes real-time updates to size, spacing, and layout—intended for use in templates, posters, and graphics with strict dimensional requirements. Multiple fonts and styles inside a single block are supported, but typographers beware: Adobe still hasn’t enabled leading control.

To activate it, just use the Type tool and draw a text box. It behaves like it always should have.

Cloud for cutouts

For Select Subject and Remove Background, you can now optionally switch to a cloud-based processing mode for better results around hair, transparency, and other fiddly details. This is set via Preferences > Image Processing > Select Subject and Remove Background. Results are reportedly sharper around complex edges—but test this before committing to new matting workflows.

File format upgrades: AVIF and JPEG XL

Photoshop now supports AVIF and JPEG XL formats for opening, editing, and saving. These modern codecs support native HDR, broader color depths, and efficient lossy/lossless compression—ideal for web-bound renders or game textures needing smaller footprints.

Requirements and pricing

Photoshop 26.8 requires Windows 10+ or macOS 12.0+ and remains subscription-only. Prices start at US $239.88/year for the Photography Plan or US $263.88/year for a standalone license. As always, production pipelines should validate the new features before incorporating them into daily workflows—especially if automation is involved.

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Official feature summary // Photoshop desktop June 2025 release

The post Adobe ships Photoshop 26.8 — Text now bends to your will first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Günter Hagedorn.

Adobe has rolled out the latest version of its powerful image-editing software, Photoshop 26.5, and it’s all about optimizing your workflow. This update isn’t packed with radical changes, but it does boast a sleek redesign of the Adjustment Presets layout. Say goodbye to clutter and hello to a new tabbed interface that not only looks fresh but also makes navigating through your presets as easy as pie—assuming the pie is very well organized and labeled, of course.

Redesigned Adjustment Presets

The redesigned layout features new icons that help you quickly identify adjustments, which means no more squinting at tiny thumbnails. It’s like they’ve added a touch of clarity to your editing palette, allowing you to focus on what really matters: creating stunning visuals. This workflow update aims to streamline your post-production process, giving you more time to get lost in the creative abyss of your next VFX masterpiece or game design wonder.

For more information about Adobe Photoshop, check out the official website.

The post Adobe Photoshop 26.5: New Tool first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Günter Hagedorn.

After seven years in the development barrel, GIMP 3.0 has finally rolled out, introducing a range of features aimed at streamlining image editing workflows. The open-source editor now includes non-destructive editing for frequently used filters—allowing changes at any time without compromising the original image data. These filters come with real-time, on-canvas previews, giving users immediate feedback without constantly toggling through dialog boxes or menus.

The file format support has been broadened: PSD export now offers better compatibility, potentially smoothing collaboration with Adobe Photoshop users. There’s also support for BC7 DDS files, useful for artists dealing with texture-heavy workflows, particularly in real-time graphics or game development.

GIMP’s paint tools have also learned new tricks, automatically expanding layers as needed during the creative process—no more mid-brush interruptions for layer resizing. For those managing complex projects, layer multi-selection is now a thing: multiple items can be moved or transformed at once, cutting down on repetitive micro-management.

Text lovers will note enhancements in the text editing department: outlines, shadows, and bevels can now be applied directly to text, while retaining the ability to adjust font and styling on the fly. Also improved is the color management, positioning GIMP 3.0 closer to workflows that demand precision in color grading and finishing.

The user interface has undergone a significant overhaul with the transition to GTK3, resulting in better UI scaling on HiDPI screens and improved support for tablet input. This update also introduces a CSS-based theme system, encouraging users to create custom themes more easily. Additionally, GIMP 3.0 now runs natively on Wayland, offering more flexibility in various operating environments.

For a comprehensive overview of GIMP 3.0’s new features and to download the latest version, visit the official GIMP website. As always, a reminder: just because it’s shiny and new doesn’t mean it’s ready for your next client deadline—test thoroughly before committing it to production.

More on the release and its impact on post-production workflows? We’ve covered that over on Digital Production—including thoughts on whether GIMP 3.0 has aged like wine… or vinegar.

The post GIMP 3.0: Free Image Editor Gets Non-Destructive—and a Bit Fancy first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

In nuce: The Image Creator is now available in selected countries via the Microsoft Bing internet search engine – and will soon also be made available for the Microsoft Edge web browser. This is according to a post from 20 October this year on the Microsoft Bing blogs. Image Creator is a tool that uses the artificial intelligence of Dall-E 2 to create images based on text input (also known as prompts in technical jargon). Image Creator is comparable to the text-to-image AI Stable Diffusion, which Digital Production reported on 6 September this year.

Image Creator in Microsoft Bing

In toto: According to the blog post, Image Creator allows you to create images based on textual input. The post continues: “Simply enter a description, for example contextual information such as location, art style or type of activity, and Image Creator creates matching images.” The post also states that it has always been possible to search for images on the Internet using Microsoft’s search engine – but Image Creator now also makes it possible to generate customised images.

Image Creator in Microsoft Edge

How does it work? Image Creator can be selected via the Microsoft Bing sidebar. The 40-second video above demonstrates how Image Creator can work. In the application example, a user called Adam Curtis gives his friends a status update via a social network – which reads: “I’ve found my dream home!” In the text input field, the user right-clicks to open a drop-down menu where he selects the “Binge Image Creator” option. The sidebar then opens, where the user types into an input field what the dream house should look like (in the example it is the prompt: “Watercolour of a house on a hill overlooking a beautiful ocean with the setting sun”) – after which several images are created according to the user-defined specification. The user now selects the image they like best and posts it on their profile.

Click further: Image Creator can be accessed via bing.com . There are also tips and tricks on how to use it. The aforementioned blog post alsooffers tips on which commands are suitable for achieving a particularly good result in the image display.

The post Generate images with the text-to-image AI Dall-E 2 in Microsoft Bing! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Darktable 4 is released – the free software with which users can edit and manage (RAW) image files. Darktable 4 is available for Windows, Max and Linux. According to developers, the successor Darktable 4.2 will be released by the end of the year.

What does Darktable 4 have under the bonnet? We take a look at the sparkling features of the latest version of the image editing and management software.

• Revised user interface: The display of all modules has been standardised
• Define target colour: For colour and exposure adjustment (useful if users want to adjust colour and brightness reproduction between several images in parallel)
• Filmic function in version 6: If users change the brightness of a colour, the selected saturation value is retained
• Improved white balance
• Improved reconstruction of highlights
• Improvements regarding colour and exposure correction
• Overall, Darktable 4 should be more performant

Click further: Interested parties can find out everything else about Darktable 4 in the corresponding blog entry or the release note.

The post Available free of charge: Darktable 4 released! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.