Remove goes local

Adobe Photoshop 27.7 adds an on-device AI model option for the Remove tool. After the model download, object removal can run locally without cloud processing. You can download, cancel, or remove the model whenever you want, and Photoshop checks hardware compatibility automatically before it starts. You can also switch between cloud and on-device processing.

In the on-device Remove workflow, Photoshop exposes a Device option for generative AI processing, and the model download is roughly 5 GB. If the Device option stays unavailable, the documented behavior is that the system does not meet the minimum requirements for the model. The net effect for artists is simple: you get a loacl option for Remove when you cannot, or do not want to, round-trip to the cloud.

So far no information if that still uses AI-credits in one way or another.

Boards, now with fewer copy-pastes

Photoshop 27.7 tightens integration with Firefly Boards in a few practical places. You can share any Photoshop document directly to Firefly Boards, either by creating a new board or adding to an existing one, from the Share panel and the Export menu.

Firefly Boards also appears as a destination inside the Variations panel for moodboarding and comparing AI-generated variations. When you generate image variations with Ideate in Firefly Boards, you can open those variations in a preconfigured Board layout for further exploration and iteration. New guided workflows target moodboards and visual concepts, branding and marketing assets, and social media content.

Credits and account controls move into the room

Photoshop 27.7 expands access to premium generative AI features for eligible subscribers. Existing generative credits can now be used across both standard and premium generative AI features. Photoshop also adds a Unified Account Menu in the Edit workspace, where you can view and manage account and subscription details, plus generative credits.

Small workflow fixes that add up

Save for Web gets a modernized interface intended to match the rest of Photoshop more closely. File handling and preferences get two quality-of-life toggles. You can open JPEG files as a regular layer instead of a locked background layer. You can also create new documents without a default background layer, starting with a transparent canvas.

Under the hood, the internal Metrics module is refactored to focus on heavy-use metrics, with the stated goal of reducing telemetry overhead and improving responsiveness during normal operation. Canvas HUD diagnostics move out of the canvas context area and into the View menu.

Fix-wise, Photoshop addresses a customer-reported issue where Hue and Saturation ranges did not update when selecting a prominent color preset from the Properties panel. On Windows, it also fixes an inability to launch versions 26.2 and 25.12.1 simultaneously. The Open JPEG without Background layer preference now defaults to off to avoid confusing existing users, and the Learn More URL in the generative credits quota exhausted notification is updated.

What to test before you bet a deadline on it

On-device Remove changes performance, storage, and review habits in a way that only shows up in your own shot types, textures, and delivery constraints. Test new builds and new AI paths before you roll them into production, especially if you need strict repeatability across machines and artists.

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/desktop/whats-new/photoshop-on-desktop-release-notes.html

The post Adobe Photoshop 27.7 runs Remove on device first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the tool: Wacom Art Pen 2 is a rotation aware stylus for Intuos Pro, Cintiq, and MovinkPad Pro 14, with app support in Photoshop, Illustrator, Clip Studio Paint, and Krita.

The twist you actually use

Barrel rotation sounds like a party trick until you map it to something that pays rent. The Art Pen 2 sends rotational angle data, so supported brushes can react to how you twist the pen in your hand. That lets you change stroke width and character by rotation alone, closer to how a flat brush, chisel marker, or calligraphy nib behaves. This is not a new concept in digital art, but it has been oddly rare in modern stylus lineups. The practical win is fewer mode switches. Instead of bouncing between brush presets, you keep one tool and steer it with your wrist.

Specs that matter, not vibes

The pen uses battery free EMR and includes three buttons. Pressure goes up to 8,192 levels, with tilt support. There is a built in nib holder in the barrel that stores three spare nibs, so you can swap tips without digging through your desk drawer of tiny regrets.

There are three newly developed nib types: Art Pen 2 Carbon Shaft POM Nibs, Art Pen 2 POM Nibs, and Art Pen 2 Felt Nibs. The pen ships with a Carbon Shaft POM nib installed. The nibs are exclusive to the Art Pen 2 and do not interchange with Pro Pen 3 nibs. The pen also skips interchangeable button plates, grips, and balance weights.

If you relied on modular pen bodies, this is a hard line. If you only care about a stable feel and consistent response, fewer moving parts can be a feature.

Compatibility is specific, and that is good news

On hardware, the pen lists support for MovinkPad Pro 14, Intuos Pro models PTK470, PTK670, and PTK870, plus Cintiq 16 DTK168, Cintiq 24 DTK246, and Cintiq 24 touch DTH246. Cintiq Pro models DTH172, DTH227, and DTH271 are slated for support later this year.

On software, barrel rotation support depends on the app. Listed support includes Adobe Photoshop 2026, Adobe Illustrator 2026, Clip Studio Paint v4.1 or later, with v4.3 or later on Android, and Krita 5.2.14 or later. Some other apps also support barrel rotation, and more app support is planned.

Price, availability, and the fine print

The Art Pen 2 lists at $99.95 on the official store page. Availability is described as “soon”. Wacom positions this as a return of a rotation sensitive pen the community asked for.

As always, test new input gear and driver combinations before you roll them into production. Brush engines, driver updates, and app versions can interact in fun ways that only reveal themselves at 2 a.m. on delivery week.

Where this lands for post, VFX, and realtime artists

Whether that is worth it depends on your apps, your devices, and how much you already built your muscle memory around rotation driven brushes. The good news is that the compatibility lists are concrete, and the nib ecosystem is clearly separated from the Pro Pen 3 world, so you can plan purchases without guessing.

https://estore.wacom.com/en-us/wacom-art-pen-2-acp70000dz.html
https://community.wacom.com/en-us/art-pen-2/

The post Wacom Art Pen 2 does a barrel roll first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

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.

Adobe Turntable spins into Illustrator

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.

https://firefly.adobe.com/ai-assistant

The post Adobe updates Photoshop and Lightroom first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the tool: Autograph is a 2D plus 3D compositor with a USD core, can hook into Maxon Studio and Red Giant, and imports SVG from Adobe Illustrator and Figma plus PSD from Affinity and Adobe Photoshop.

Free now, with a catch that is not scary

Maxon has released Autograph 2026.0.0 and made it free for anyone with a (free) MyMaxon account. The same release adds native integration with Maxon Studio for searching, navigating, and applying Red Giant effects, and it adds full OpenFX support for third-party plugins. Pricing beyond that free individual access is not specified yet.

The Autograph pitch in plain production terms

Autograph is a motion graphics and compositing application that mixes a layer-based timeline with a 3D mode for manipulating 3D assets. Think Nuke met After Effects at the Flame Birthday party, and they got drunk.

From the left..

The new kid on the block!

The timeline includes a standard layer stack and a dope sheet, then it switches into a 3D workspace when you need to push assets around in depth.

Autograph also promotes a responsive design workflow aimed at delivering multiple resolutions and aspect ratios from a single project file. Autograph calls these “responsive-design compositions”. Elements can be positioned relative to frame dimensions so one project can render multiple aspect ratios without duplicating layouts.

On the feature list side, Autograph describes itself as a tool for motion graphics, VFX and compositing, plus 2D and 3D projects. So, eveything Comp. It also sports a GPU-powered engine and extensible capabilities as part of how the tool approaches performance and expansion.

OpenUSD 3D inside a compositor timeline

Autograph includes an integrated 3D workspace powered by OpenUSD. The 3D space blends with the 2D workflow and supports extruded vector shapes and text, using compositions as textures, and compositing with multi-pass renders inside the same application.

That same 3D space is useful for motion designers who want depth, lighting, and dimensional design without moving to another application, and for 3D artists who want to streamline texture creation and final composite across the broader toolchain.

Plug-ins, Studio integration, and the new OFX door

Autograph 2026.0.0 introduces full OpenFX support. That matters if your shop already lives and dies by OFX (because, why wouldnt it…), or if you want a compositor that does not treat third-party effects as an afterthought.

The release also adds native integration with Maxon Studio. The stated goal is quick search, navigation, and application of Red Giant effects from inside Autograph. Capsules are explicitly not available in Autograph yet.

One naming change also comes with the re-release: Instancer has been renamed to Cloner, aligning naming with Cinema 4D terminology. The Sources do not list additional feature renames beyond that one.

System requirements and supported platforms

Autograph 2026.0.0 supports Windows and macOS. On macOS, the supported versions listed are macOS 15 Sequoia and macOS 26 Tahoe, and the supported hardware requirement listed is Apple Silicon M1 or better, with 16 GB of memory.

On Windows x64, the supported operating systems listed are Windows 10 version 22H2 and Windows 11. The minimum CPU requirement listed is a 64-bit Intel or AMD CPU with AVX2 support. The minimum GPU requirement is either an NVIDIA GPU from the Maxwell generation or newer with at least 4 GB of VRAM, or an AMD RX 570 or RX 580 with 4 GB or 8 GB, or a discrete GPU with at least 4 GB VRAM and support for OpenCL. The memory requirement is 16 GB.

Test new tools and updates before you put them into a production-critical pipeline!

https://support.maxon.net/hc/en-us/articles/26689114527388-Autograph-2026-0-0-April-15-2026

The post Maxon Autograph 2026 is here first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the site: FippedNormals is/was a CG store for assets and training you use alongside Blender, ZBrush, Unreal Engine, and the Substance 3D tools, when your pipeline needs fewer guesses and more ready-to-ship bits. Also Plugins, Tutorials, 3d-Printfiles and much more.

The dates you need on your calendar

The FlippedNormals Marketplace will stop accepting new orders on March 31, 2026. After that, purchases are done. Access to previously purchased files stays available until April 30, 2026. After that date, marketplace files will no longer be accessible. Creator payouts have a final date too. The last creator payout happens on April 15, 2026.

April 30, 2026 is also tied to creator operations, because the Creator Dashboard shuts down on the same day customers lose access to file hosting. If you bought something in the past, invoices matter. An invoice was emailed after every purchase, and it should be in the email inbox used at checkout. You can keep what you have locally forever, but you need to get it locally first. Treat April 30, 2026 as a hard donwload deadline, not a friendly suggestion.

What is actually shutting down

This is a shutdown of the marketplace, not a blanket disappearance of everything connected to it. The official plan is a smaller, more focused reboot that pivots away from running a broad storefront with thousands of creators. The new website is planned to focus on FlippedNormals Exclusives and FlipBox.

Why it is happening

The reason given is simple and painfully familiar to anyone who has ever stared at an infrastructure bill and then stared at their revenue chart. Expenses increased significantly over the last years while earnings decreased. Salary reductions were also mentioned as part of efforts to keep things going.

A key detail here is that revenue from FlippedNormals Exclusives was used to keep the marketplace afloat during that period. That combination of higher operating costs, lower earnings, and internal cost cutting still led to the conclusion that the marketplace model was no longer sustainable. If you are reading this as a warning label for other niche CG storefronts, resist the urge to generalize. The only confirmed facts here are the reasons described for this specific shutdown, not the whole sector.

What customers should do right now

Log in, open your library, and pull down everything you have paid for to local storage before April 30, 2026. If your workflow spans multiple machines, back up like you mean it. Put a copy on a second drive. Put another copy wherever your studio keeps long-term project archives. If you rely on invoice PDFs for accounting, store those alongside the content so future you does not have to play detective.

If you depend on the platform for recurring downloads during a production, plan to stop depending on it before the cutoff. The last thing you want is a late-night render emergency that turns into an “amrketplace is gone” surprise.

There is also a specific path for owners of exclusives content. If you purchased FlippedNormals Exclusives on the current marketplace, there is a process to move them to the new site once it launches.

That process requires contacting support after the new site is live, using the support email address. A 100 percent promo code is described as the mechanism to migrate courses to a new account. One more detail that will trip up anyone on autopilot: you will have to make a new user account for the new site as part of that migration flow.

What creators should expect

If you sell on marketplaces, you already know the question creators ask first: what about payouts. The official timeline includes a final creator payout date of April 15, 2026. That is presented as the last payout event. There is also an operational cutoff on April 30, 2026, when the Creator Dashboard shuts down.

If you are a creator and you have analytics, product files, thumbnails, descriptions, license text, or customer support notes you rely on, assume you need to export whatever you can before that dashboard goes dark.

The new site focus, as described, narrows the catalog to FlippedNormals Exclusives and FlipBox. That is a very different value proposition from a wide creator marketplace, even if the UI ends up sleeker. If your pipeline planning relies on “I can always re-download that later,” change the habit. This event is a reminder that availability is a feature you only notice once it is gone.

https://help.flippednormals.com/article/130-flippednormals-marketplace-closing-down-faq

The post FlippedNormals Marketplace closes March 31 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the case: This lives in the subscription plumbing behind Creative Cloud plans used by Photoshop and Acrobat, right where creatives meet billing screens and regret. A proposed stipulated order filed by the U.S. Department of Justice would resolve a federal case over online subscription enrollment and cancellation practices. The total settlement value is $150 million.

The proposed order requires a $75 million civil penalty payment to the Department of Justice. It also requires $75 million in free services for qualifying customers. The case also named two employees, Maninder Sawhney and David Wadhwani, and the proposed order would resolve the case against them as well. Court approval still matters here. The proposed order only takes effect if the court enters it (As far as we understand it – I am NOT a lawyer and not even a US Citizen – take all of this with a muntainsized grain of salt!)

What the government said went wrong

The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The legal hook is the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, often shortened to ROSCA. ROSCA generally requires clear disclosure of important subscription information and simple ways to cancel.

The allegations centered on two themes. First, important information about subscription plans, including Early Termination Fees, appeared in fine print and inconspicuous hyperlinks. Second, subscribers faced cancellation flows described as convoluted and inefficient, with unnecessary steps, delays, unsolicited offers, and warnings.

The Early Termination Fee point matters to artists because it tends to surface only when a project wraps, budgets tighten, or a studio pipeline shifts. That is exactly when a cancellation flow becomes part of production reality, not just a legal footnote.

What changes the proposed order requires

If the court enters the order, the required changes focus on disclosure timing and exit friction. Any Early Termination Fee and how it is calculated must be clearly disclosed before enrollment. That disclosure must happen before customers get locked into a subscription that can trigger the fee.

There is also a requirement tied to longer free trials. For any free trial lasting longer than seven days, customers must be reminded before the trial converts into a paid subscription that includes an Early Termination Fee. The order also requires easy ways to cancel subscriptions. The thrust is simple: if a subscriber can sign up without needing a scavenger hunt, they should be able to leave without one too.

These requirements land squarely on the unglamorous screens that most product teams treat as a footnote. For working post and VFX artists, those screens are still part of your toolkit because they decide whether an account can be trimmed cleanly during downtime or whether a production ends with finance drama.

What the company said it will do

Adobe said it finalized a settlement agreement that ends the litigation filed in June 2024 related to disclosure and subscription cancellation practices. The statement said it disagrees with the government’s claims and denies wrongdoing.

It also said it agreed to provide $75 million worth of services for free to customers that qualify, and that it will proactively reach out to affected customers once the appropriate court filings are made and accepted. The statement also said it agreed to a $75 million payment to the Department of Justice.

Why this hits creatives where it hurts

This story is not about a new brush engine or a faster render. It is about the moment you try to leave a plan. Subscription software sits in the same mental bucket as storage. You only notice it when it fails, when it fills up, or when it refuses to let go. For artists, that moment often arrives between gigs, at a studio wrap, or after a toolchain change.

Products like Photoshop and Acrobat get mentioned in the underlying enforcement action because they are part of the broader subscription universe in question. That matters because these are daily drivers across design, editorial, previs, and deliverables.

If the court enters the order, the practical impacts will show up in enrollment screens, trial conversion reminders, and cancellation user experience. Those are the touchpoints that determine whether a subscription feels like a utility or like a trap with a user interface.

The legal frame in plain English

ROSCA is a US federal law that targets certain online sales tactics and requires clear material terms and express informed consent in covered scenarios. It is part of the broader consumer protection toolkit used by the Federal Trade Commission. The enforcement action here used ROSCA as the named statute and targeted both disclosure of material terms and cancellation mechanisms.

There is no need to be a lawyer to understand the production takeaway. If a tool’s checkout flow hides costs behind links and the off ramp feels like a puzzle, regulators now have a well established playbook to challenge that pattern under existing law.

What is still not spelled out

The public settlement materials describe the $75 million in free services for qualifying customers, but they do not specify which services, which plans, or which product bundles will be included. They also do not spell out the exact criteria that define qualifying customers. There is also no public schedule in the materials for when customers will be contacted beyond the note that outreach follows court filings being made and accepted.

What to do with this information in a pipeline context

If you manage seats for a team, this is a reminder to treat subscription lifecycle as part of pipeline hygiene. Procurement, offboarding, and account access are as real as colour management and version control.

If you are an individual artist, the practical watch items are the upfront fee disclosures, the free trial conversion reminders for trials longer than seven days, and the ease of cancellation requirement. Those items are the ones that affect how risky it feels to try a short-contract plan.

As always, new tools and innovations should be tested before use in production, and that includes billing flows and cancellation paths, not just features and performance. Two things can be true at once. A creative app can be excellent, and the subscription experience around it can still need guardrails. The settelment and its required changes target that second part.

And if you have ever had to schedule time to cancel something the same way you schedule a render, you now have a fresh reason to keep screenshots of signup terms in your project folder, right next to the license keys and the delivery checklist. Yes, that sounds ridiculous. So does a canclelation flow that needs more endurance than a night shift.

// Settlement and injunction details, $75 million civil penalty, $75 million free services, cancellation and disclosure requirements, named employees, court filing and date
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/adobe-agrees-150-million-settlement-and-injunction-resolve-alleged-violations-restore-online

// Company statement on finalizing settlement, denying wrongdoing, $75 million free services, $75 million payment, outreach after court filings
https://news.adobe.com/news/2026/03/adobe-statement

// FTC action filed June 2024 and allegations about fees and cancellation hurdles
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/06/ftc-takes-action-against-adobe-executives-hiding-fees-preventing-consumers-easily-cancelling

// ROSCA statute reference
https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/statutes/restore-online-shoppers-confidence-act

// Case docket reference
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68860528/united-states-v-adobe-inc/

The post Adobe settles US case over cancel terms first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the tool: Dither Boy is a standalone dithering app that sits alongside Photoshop, Affinity Photo, and even MS Paint, and exports PNG, SVG, JPEG, and MP4. It also lives alongside sibling tool Flareware.

A rewrite, not a patch

Dither Boy version 6 is a complete rewrite of the app. Every part of the software got redone, changed, or optimized, including areas that behave similarly to earlier versions. The update targets faster iteration in the viewport. Algorithm browsing can now be stepped through with arrow controls, and common tweaks like brightness, contrast, saturation, midtones, and highlights are designed to update faster while you work. Blur and the D noiseise control can take longer to refresh because they are heavier effects combined with the rest of the stack.

There is also a new playback and update behavior control at the bottom of the viewport with three modes labeled full, live, and still. In a debounce style mode, the viewport waits until you stop moving a slider before it updates, which aims to help on older machines or when other heavy apps are open. That setting also appears in the settings area.

Updating and support without spelunking

Version 6 introduces a new update path tied to a web account. Signing into the website account and opening orders reveals a refresh software button that checks whether download links have been updated, then provides the new link when a newer version exists. The older update flow still exists inside the app. The help menu includes check for updates, which asks for your info to retrieve the update.

Color workflows move into the app

Version 6 expands the palette system with a source palette category intended to keep the colours of the original image closer to the output. Multiple options exist inside that category, and a complete option is presented as a strong starting point for retaining source colours.

Once you start from those source colours, the palette remains editable. Individual swatches can be adjusted,d and the image remaps live while you work. The broader palette system still includes importing and exporting palettes and allows editing colour depth and other related controls.

Controls previously handled in a companion palette app named Color Cat have been migrated into the main app interface in version 6. The companion tool may return in the future. // Not independently verified at press time.

There is also a quality-of-life feature for palette shuffling. Each swatch has a lock toggle. When you lock a color, then shuffle, that locked swatch stays while the rest randomize. The same lock and randomize idea applies to adjustments. You can lock an adjustment and randomize others.

Effects become a stack you can reorder

The effects workflow in version 6 shifts from a set of toggles to an add system. A plus control adds an effect by choosing it, rather than enabling everything at once. The stack is reorderable. Effects can be moved up or down in the pipeline and the viewport updates to reflect the new order. This ordering also interacts with animation.

Named effects called out for stacking include Epsilon Glow, JPEG Glitch, and Chromatic Aberration. Blur and sharpen are also described as post processing effects within the stack. The official product description states the app includes 63 dithering algorithms and supports stacking and reordering effects. Marketing claims appear in official copy around exclusivity and uniqueness of algorithms. Treat those as marketing claims, not measurable guarantees.

Animation arrives without needing a video file

Version 6 adds animation inside the app. You can animate from a still image without importing a video file, while video import remains supported. There are two ways to switch a still workflow into animation mode. One is a file menu option called convert to animation. The other is a still toggle near the bottom controls that switches you into animation mode. In animation mode, a timeline appears at the bottom of the interface.

Playback offers a quick mode and a rendered mode. Rendered mode loads frames for accurate playback and can display a settings changed warning because frames need to be prepared. Playback can also be set to looped. Animation is created by adding an animation layer, then selecting a category and property to animate. Adjustments are one such category, including brightness. An animation layer defines a from value and a to value, and offers ease methods including ease in, ease out, and linear. Multiple animation layers can be sequenced on the timeline to build a loop.

When a property is animated, the matching control becomes locked in the panel to prevent manual edits from fighting the animation. Exporting an animation is handled through an export video action, which processes frames and renders a video from the animated still image plus the active settings and effects stack.

Temporal Variation and better video handling

Version 6 introduces a new animated effect called temporal variation. It applies animated noise patterns to the input image, and nine controllable patterns are described. This effect is positioned as inspired by retro screens. Live video playback and preview are also added to the app in the 6.0 update as a free update.

Pricing and licensing

Pricing for Dither Boy is listed at £45.00 on the official product page, with an original price shown as £60.00. Delivery is an instant download access after checkout, also it is just one purchase that includes all future updates and no subscription is required.

If you ship animations or shortform clips, run a quick test suite before you commit. Try your typical content, your typical resolution, and your typical export formats, then review the results in the exact viewers and encoders your pipeline uses. That kind of boring discipline saves you from exciting surprises in prodcution.

https://studioaaa.com/product/dither-boy/

The post Dither Boy 6.0 brings animation and video polish first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Rotate Object is now available in the Photoshop beta. The feature is designed to quickly transform a 2D object on a pixel layer into a rotatable 3D image, so the object can be rotated from different viewpoints to help match perspective and depth. The beta build called out alongside the feature is Version 27.5.0 20260311.m.3453.

How the workflow behaves

Rotate Object starts with a familiar setup: open or place an image, then select a pixel layer that contains the object you want to rotate. Duplicating the layer gets recommended because the selected layer converts into a Rotate Object layer.

From there, the entry points described are Free Transform with Cmd+T or the Edit menu path: Edit> Rotate Object. The feature can also be triggered from the context bar via a Rotate object button. After the conversion step completes, the rotated result initially appears as a low-resolution preview. Once rotation is finished and you select Done, the result gets upscaled with added details.

Rotation controls and where they live

Rotate Object exposes multiple control routes while you are in rotation mode. The described options include sliders in the Contextual Task Bar, on-canvas blue controls you can drag, right-click drag for unconstrained on-canvas rotation, and numeric entry via the Properties panel. Once you accept a rotation, the feature also supports an Edit rotation step for changing the rotation and then accepting again.

https://twitter.com/icreatelife/status/2032099581291348034

Credits and usage costs

Rotate Object uses Generative Credits in the beta. The stated cost is 20 Generative Credits for the feature, with the first three tries not deducting credits. The announcement also notes that 20 credits are deducted only on the first rotation.

Blending the rotated result back into the comp

A suggested next step after rotating is using Harmonize to blend the rotated object with the background. The feature callout positions Rotate Object within a larger composite workflow: rotate for perspective first, then blend for cohesion. In practical terms, that means Rotate Object aims to reduce the number of times you have to rebuild a cutout just because the angle feels wrong, while still staying in a layer-based 2D pipeline.

Beta reality check

Rotate Object is explicitly presented as a beta feature, and the feedback loop is built into the beta app experience via the beaker icon and Beta feedback area. The flow described for feedback includes selecting whether Rotate Object feels ready for a non-beta release and optionally leaving comments.

Notes for production teams

Rotate Object has a clear promise: keep your existing 2D asset workflow, but let a single layer behave like it can spin, tilt, or dolly for a better perspective match. That makes it easy to see why it fits into daily comp cleanup, especially when an element needs a subtle angle correction without a full rebuild.

Still, treat it like any new beta capability. Test it on representative assets, validate the upscaling step against your delivery requirements, and watch how credit costs behave across iterations, because hte billable reality shows up fast when a workflow becomes habit.

// Rotate Object beta announcement and workflow steps
https://community.adobe.com/announcements-698/rotate-object-is-now-available-in-beta-1553466

The post Adobe ships Rotate Object in Photoshop beta first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Adobe has introduced three new adjustment layers to Photoshop: Clarity, Dehaze and Grain. These controls were previously available only through Camera Raw and the Camera Raw Filter. They are now accessible as standard, non-destructive adjustment layers within the main Photoshop layer stack.

According to Adobe, the new layers behave like other adjustment layers. They can be masked, reordered, blended and revisited at any time without altering the underlying image data. This brings parity between Camera Raw based workflows and traditional Photoshop compositing, reducing the need to commit early to contrast or texture decisions.

Clarity adjusts midtone contrast, Dehaze targets low-frequency contrast loss caused by atmospheric scatter, and Grain applies a controllable film-style noise pattern. Adobe does not specify whether the underlying algorithms are identical to those in Camera Raw, only that the controls are now natively available in Photoshop.

Generative tools move to higher resolution

Adobe has updated several Firefly-powered features in Photoshop, including Generative Fill, Generative Expand and the Remove tool. Output resolution has been increased to up to 2K. Adobe states this results in sharper detail, fewer visible artefacts and improved alignment with text prompts.

The company also highlights improvements to Reference Image support. When a reference is supplied, the generative system is intended to better preserve object identity, including scale, orientation, lighting, colour and perspective. Adobe positions this as a way to reduce iterative prompting when compositing generated elements into existing plates.

Dynamic Text enters beta

A new Dynamic Text feature, currently labelled as beta, allows users to transform text layers into predefined shapes such as circles, arcs and curves with a single action. The text remains editable and automatically conforms to the chosen shape without requiring manual path creation.

Adobe frames this as a productivity feature for layout and graphic design tasks. The company does not indicate whether the system supports custom shapes or whether it exposes underlying typographic controls beyond the provided presets. As a beta feature, behaviour and availability may change.

Availability and platforms

These updates are available now in Photoshop on desktop. The improved generative tools are also available in Photoshop on the web. No changes to pricing or subscription structure are mentioned. Photoshop remains available exclusively via Adobe’s subscription model.

As with all new or updated tools, Adobe recommends testing features in non-critical projects before integrating them into production workflows. New tools and innovations should always be validated in real-world conditions before use on actual client work.

// Adobe blog announcement on new Photoshop features
// https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2026/01/27/new-photoshop-innovations-provide-creative-pros-more-control-realism-precision

The post Photoshop gets less destructive and slightly less vague first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

The Boris FX Optics 2026 update refines the user experience and adds several new ML-powered filters. A major new addition is the Photoshop Plugins Panel, a dockable workspace inside Photoshop that lets users browse, apply and adjust Optics filters without leaving the host interface. This streamlines workflow by putting Optics tools alongside standard Photoshop tools. New filters include DeNoise ML, UpRes ML, Depth Map ML and Face ML.

The DeNoise ML filter uses deep learning to reduce unwanted noise while retaining detail, useful for low-light or high-ISO images. The UpRes ML filter uses a trained ML model to upscale images while preserving structure and fine detail, useful for printing, cropping, or restoring old photos.

Depth-Aware and Facial Masking

The Depth Map ML tool analyses an image and produces a depth-based mask distinguishing near and far areas. That mask can then be used to selectively apply blur, colour correction or other adjustments according to depth, for example to simulate depth-of-field or separate foreground from background.

The Face ML mask automatically detects facial regions such as skin, eyes, lips, and mouth, and isolates them into distinct masks. This allows targeted retouching or selective colour adjustments without manual masking. It is particularly useful for portrait work and composite touch-ups. Masks created by Depth Map ML or Face ML can also be used as input sources for other filters, meaning users can chain effects such as depth-based blur or targeted colour correction.

Creative Updates: Sapphire + Particle Engine Enhancements

The update includes refreshed effects from Sapphire (v2025.5) integrated into Optics. Among the new creative tools are PixelSort, a glitch-style pixel sorting effect, and VHSDamage, which simulates analogue tape artefacts such as scanlines, noise and colour degradation.

These add modern, stylised looks beyond standard photo corrections. Additionally, the bundled particle engine Particle Illusion has been updated to v2026, with improvements in animation, camera control and an expanded emitter library. This offers more flexibility for creating smoke, dust, light-particles or abstract effects directly inside Optics.

What This Means for Post-Production Workflows

For photographers, retouchers, matte-painters and artists working in Photoshop or Lightroom, the 2026 upgrade means more of the workflow can happen inside one app: from denoising and upscaling to depth-aware masking, facial retouching, stylised looks and particle effects. The integrated panel helps avoid context-switching and may reduce export/import overhead.

For VFX and compositing artists, Depth Map ML and Face ML offer fast, per-image masking without manual rotoscoping, useful for look-development, concept visuals or quick editorial tasks. The updated Sapphire effects and particle tools expand the creative toolset for stylised or hybrid photographic/CGI work. As always with new tools or effects, test results on real images and evaluate artefacts before using in final deliveries.

Boris FX Optics 2026 is available as a subscription or a perpetual licence. The subscription costs 6 € per month or 66 € per year and includes both the standalone application and multi-host support for Photoshop and Lightroom. A perpetual licence is also offered at 112 €, providing a one-time purchase option for users who prefer to avoid ongoing payments. All versions include the same feature set and access to updates within the 2026 release cycle.

The post Optics 2026 Adds AI-Driven Masks, Upscaling & Depth Tools first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

The use of artificial intelligence in Adobe Photoshop is being increasingly expanded by developers. In the past, the Adobe Photoshop-AI model “Firefly” took centre stage. Two further models have been available in the beta version of the programme for a few weeks now:

• Flux.kontext Pro from Black Forrest Labs
• Nano Banana from Google

Both models have so far been able to prove their efficiency, which is impressively demonstrated by many examples on the Internet. Changing people’s clothes or manipulating the scene view are just two examples. In Photoshop, they are activated via the options in the context-sensitive taskbar. This works after selecting the entire image or an area. In contrast to Firefly, Photoshop only produces one result with the two new models.
Apart from the familiar use cases, the AI provides support when working on projects in the areas of graphic design, matte paint or concept art.

Transforming scenes in Photoshop

The use of stock photos in productions is a normal process. The same motif at a different time of year or day is usually not available. This is where Nano Banana from Google can help. It allows the scene to be quickly adapted to the production management’s specifications. This is achieved with a simple prompt. In the example, a night scene is created from an existing recording:

Turn in a night scene

The method allows the uncomplicated creation of material for virtual TV sets or documentaries.

Transforming Text in Photoshop

“Flux.kontext Pro” is known for changing text in photos without manipulating the font or changing the character of the overall impression. The artist then corrects errors in product designs with just a few mouse clicks. A time-consuming subsequent photo shoot is not necessary. Alternatively, product names with different international designations can be created for motion graphics. These can be used flexibly later in production.

Both steps described with light and fonts can be combined. In practice, it has been shown that changes to the text with the Black Forrest AI should be performed in the first step. Then the lighting of the scene is changed with Google Nano Banana. The results are usually more realistic in this order and errors are avoided.

Photoshop-AI: Quick merging of motifs and objects

Matte painters and concept artists save a lot of time by using AI. Buildings can be inserted into landscapes or objects integrated into existing scenes in no time at all using text input – a single prompt is often enough.
However, the results are not always satisfactory, as the nano-banana model often automatically generates architectural suggestions. Significantly better results are achieved if you use a reference image. This is loaded into a new layer while the selection tool is used to define the target area in the background. If the background layer is active, it is then inserted via the context bar with the prompt:

Place the castle from Layer [Layer name]

If the first attempt fails, you can modify the prompt and possibly add further instructions such as “set on the mountain top”. The AI will then position the object better.

Inline prompts are available when inserting with Nano Banana. These are text layers with the instructions for working with Nano Banana. They are supplemented by graphics such as arrows and frames in a separate layer. These elements help with the exact placement of the object. Only one instruction is then required in the prompt for generative filling:

Complete the prompt in red

In some cases, Nano Banana inserts the prompt text and the corresponding graphic into the result. Then it helps to extend the instruction with “remove the red prompts and elements”.

Context-related fill and replace with Firefly

In Photoshop Beta 27.1.0, Adobe has added the new Firefly model “Fill and Replace (Beta)”. A reference image can be loaded and placed via the context-sensitive taskbar. The function can remove the background in the motif if desired. Free-standing objects with clear edges are ideal for insertion. A clear background usually ensures good results for architectural motifs. Transitions on the ground often need to be reworked, which is easy to do with the existing mask. Any remaining errors can then be corrected with a brush.

Conclusion

Numerous image manipulations are possible with the new AI models in Photoshop Beta. However, the results are not always optimal. In these cases, it helps to work in iterations and approach the final result step by step. This method leads to success in most cases. A reminder: depending on your subscription, it can become costly quickly.

The new technology is a useful tool for quick results. However, Photoshop-Ai cannot replace creativity or the experience of the artist. Rather, it helps to build up a project and can make the work process more efficient.

The post Photoshop AI in practice first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Jörn-Erik Burkert.

Battle Axe has released Overlord 2.6, expanding its well-known Illustrator-to-After Effects bridge into Photoshop territory. The update introduces a direct Photoshop connection, enabling the transfer of native PSD layers, including text, masks, gradients, and layer styles, into After Effects as editable AE layers ready for animation.

Until now, After Effects users importing Photoshop files were confined to flattened or grouped layer structures. Overlord’s new system translates Photoshop data into true layer objects, retaining editable text and design attributes.

More Than a Patch

Version 2.6 also adds an image scale selector, giving users control over how imported imagery is sized during transfer. Battle Axe has rewritten the messaging system, lifting the image transfer ceiling from 16 MB to 265 MB, and redesigned the application interface. Preference handling has been moved to the app itself for faster response. Other interface adjustments include a Figma panel redesign, now hiding settings behind a gear icon.

Maintenance and Hotfix

A follow-up build, Overlord 2.6.1, was issued the next day to fix a bug that caused a blank app panel for new users. The changelog also lists fixes for Illustrator and Figma panels, resolving issues with paragraph alignment, linked file handling, and text justification.

What It Means for Production

Overlord has long served as a time-saver for motion designers bridging design tools and After Effects. The Photoshop connection extends this to one of the most common layout sources in VFX and motion pipelines. As with all major workflow updates, studios should test version 2.6 thoroughly before deploying in production to verify compatibility with existing projects and AE builds.

The post Photoshop Joins Overlord 2.6 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Adobe has officially released Photoshop 27.0 for desktop (October 2025). The update introduces new AI-assisted features, according to the company’s release notes. The version succeeds Photoshop 26.11 from September 2025.

Harmonise: automatic light and colour blending

Photoshop 27.0 adds a Harmonise feature designed to blend the lighting, colour and shadows of inserted elements into a background image. Adobe describes it as a tool for “realistic composites”. The function appears to rely on generative analysis similar to Generative Fill, but uses existing image data rather than AI-synthesised pixels. Adobe provides no technical breakdown of the underlying algorithm. Its stability and precision in high-resolution or 16-bit linear workflows remain unverified at press time. Note: Harmonize is a standard feature and consumes 5 credits per generation

Generative Upscale – Topaz inside Photoshop

The update introduces Generative Upscale, a new enlargement tool “powered by Topaz Labs”. It is intended to produce sharper, cleaner upscales than standard bicubic or Preserve Details 2.0 interpolation.

No latency or GPU-use metrics are published, and Adobe does not specify which Topaz model is integrated. Professionals familiar with Topaz Gigapixel AI will likely expect similar results but should confirm bit-depth and colour-space handling before production use. As like all the other AI features, this requires Credits, but the price structure confused us. Have a look for yourself here: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/apps/generative-ai/generative-credits-faq.html

Selectable AI partners in Generative Fill

Photoshop’s Generative Fill feature now supports partner AI models. Users can choose from multiple providers instead of the single Firefly model previously used. Adobe positions this as giving “more creative control”, but names or specifications of those partner models are not disclosed.

Until full model documentation appears, the provenance and licensing of AI-generated pixels remain opaque — relevant for studios with legal compliance requirements.

Firefly video generation

Adobe extends Firefly integration to include video generation from Photoshop assets. Users can now “generate videos with Firefly using Photoshop assets”, according to the release notes. The workflow steps are not fully detailed; the documentation does not state whether this function launches the Firefly web interface, exports image sequences, or renders directly from Photoshop. Functionality is therefore not independently verified at press time.

Adobe Stock access and cloud export

Version 27.0 introduces direct Adobe Stock browsing within Photoshop, reducing context switches to the browser. Users can drag licensed images directly into the canvas. The new cloud export function enables saving Photoshop assets directly to Adobe’s cloud storage, ostensibly improving collaboration between desktop and web versions. File-version control and metadata retention are not described, and the downloadable amount is determind by ones subscription.

Non-destructive colour and vibrance adjustments

Adobe adds new adjustment layers for Colour and Vibrance, offering non-destructive control over saturation and tone. While these parameters existed in previous versions, the new layers let colourists and retouchers modify them in a more modular way, comparable to Curves or Levels adjustments.

Smarter Select Subject and Remove Background

Adobe claims improved accuracy and speed for the Select Subject and Remove Background tools. No benchmark data accompany this statement. In practice, artists should re-evaluate masking accuracy on hair, transparent fabrics and edge blends before trusting the update in production composites.

What remains unclear

At press time, Adobe has not published a changelog covering bug fixes, performance metrics, or system requirement changes for version 27.0. The Helpx page lists new features but omits revision numbers, GPU driver requirements and compatibility notes for plug-ins or scripts. There is no explicit mention of changes to the PSD/PSB file format or to Smart Object behaviour, both common sources of incompatibility in new major versions.

Impact on production

Photoshop 27.0’s most relevant additions are Harmonise and Generative Upscale. Both could reduce time spent matching inserts or preparing source plates, provided their results are deterministic and colour-accurate, and you have enough credits remaing in your account.

However, the update introduces new AI dependencies (partner models, Firefly video, and Topaz integration) which could affect reproducibility and licensing. Studios operating under strict data-protection or content-authenticity guidelines should verify output provenance before deployment.

Testing should focus on:

• Round-trip fidelity with After Effects, Nuke and Resolve.
• Bit-depth and colour-management in the new adjustment layers.
• Automation scripts referencing Photoshop version numbers.
• Plug-in compatibility, particularly GPU-accelerated filters.

Recommendation

Install Photoshop 27.0 on a non-critical workstation first. Run controlled tests on your core image sequences and plug-ins. Verify that file I/O, bit-depth handling and scripting APIs behave identically to 26.x before rolling out studio-wide.

As always, version numbers are less important than stability. A feature labelled “Generative Upscale” might save you hours or cost them if colour shifts go unnoticed. Innovations should always be tested before use in production environments.

The post Photoshop 27.0: Now with Harmonise, Upscale & Firefly Video first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

The September 2025 update of Adobe Photoshop (version 26.11) is modest in scope but introduces a structural change: cross-app cloud projects. Alongside that, Adobe has added Firefly asset import and vector rendering for CJK text. The typography and Firefly updates are clear feature upgrades. The cloud projects, however, touch the way teams manage and share assets across applications.

From Libraries to Projects: what changed?

Creative Cloud has offered “Libraries” for years: shared collections of colours, brushes, symbols, and logos. Libraries are lightweight, designed to pass assets around quickly. But they do not handle project-level structure or permissions.

Photoshop 26.11 introduces cloud projects as containers for multiple file types and assets across Illustrator, Photoshop, and Adobe Express. Unlike Libraries, cloud projects can: Group full files (not just swatches or elements) into a single unit. They also can Assign user roles: editors can change content, while commenters can only review and annotate. So to Keep project-wide organisation, rather than loose collections of items.

In essence, a cloud project is Adobe’s attempt at a collaborative folder, integrated directly into Creative Cloud apps.

Collaboration: practical gains and limits

For freelancers and small studios, cloud projects could simplify version control. Instead of shuttling Illustrator vectors, Photoshop comps, and Express exports back and forth via email or cloud drives, everything lives in one Adobe-managed container.

For larger pipelines, the situation is less straightforward. Many VFX, post, and design studios already rely on dedicated asset management (ShotGrid, ftrack, or in-house DAMs). These systems support pathing, metadata, and automation in ways Creative Cloud has historically struggled with.

Questions remain open:

• How are conflicts handled if two editors open the same file?
• Does Adobe keep a file history or only the latest save?
• How are large binary files (e.g. layered PSDs >1 GB) treated inside projects?

Adobe has not provided detailed technical documentation on these points. Until clarified, projects should be considered convenience features rather than replacements for established pipeline tools.

Permissions: useful, but basic

Role-based access in cloud projects is limited to two tiers: edit and comment. Unlike enterprise DAM systems, there is no granular control over layers, linked assets, or export rights. For example, a user with “comment” rights cannot modify a PSD, but they can still see full-resolution assets. This may raise concerns in projects with strict confidentiality requirements. For teams needing more controlled distribution (for instance, advertising agencies under NDA), traditional controlled file-sharing may remain preferable.

The Firefly angle

The new Firefly integration is deliberately narrow. Firefly-generated images can be imported into Photoshop for refinement, but Firefly remains a standalone app. Edits are non-destructive, meaning the Firefly original is preserved while Photoshop creates a modified copy. This workflow may fit well with cloud projects. Teams could keep Firefly outputs and Photoshop refinements in the same shared project container, reducing file duplication across drives and emails. Still, without in-app generation, the workflow remains split across two applications.

CJK text: better previews, fewer headaches

Typography in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) has long been one of Photoshop’s weaker areas. Raster-based previews made text appear jagged and inconsistent, especially when shared across machines. Photoshop 26.11 replaces this with vector-based rendering. On-screen previews should now match Illustrator’s fidelity, giving artists sharper results and reducing misalignment in multilingual layouts. In cloud projects, where documents may be passed between different Creative Cloud versions, this could cut down on errors.

Adoption strategy: cautious roll-out

Photoshop 26.11 is available via Creative Cloud subscriptions at no extra cost. Version rollout may vary by OS and region. For individual users, cloud projects and Firefly import may improve daily efficiency. For studios, adoption should be cautious. Cross-app projects may not play well with custom pipeline scripts or local render automation.

As always: test before deploying to production.

The post Photoshop 26.11: Firefly hops in, CJK text sharpens up first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Adobe brings a fresh wave of innovation to Photoshop – powered by AI for faster, more precise, and more intuitive workflows.

The highlights

Harmonize (Only in the Beta Version): Automatically adjusts colors, lighting, and shadows to new objects – creating seamless composites without manual tweaking.

Enhanced Remove Tool: Removes unwanted objects more realistically thanks to the new Firefly model – fewer artifacts and share-ready results. This is already in the release version and does not use credits.

Generative Upscale (Only in the Beta Version): Upscale images to 8 MP with sharp, detailed results – perfect for print, social media, or giving old files new life.

Gen AI Model Picker: Switch between Firefly models directly in Photoshop to better match your personal style and creative vision. In some cases the old firefly version brings more suitable results.

Projects (Only in the Beta Version): Keep all project files in one place and share with your team easily – goodbye version chaos.

Let’s try!

With these updates, Photoshop is more flexible than ever, helping creatives focus on what truly matters: their ideas. We have tested the new features. Here are some real-world use case.

For me, the most interesting feature is Harmonize. It can save a ton of time adjusting the light circumstances.
It works fine with objects, but with real people it sometimes looks a bit artificial. That is because there is a complete relighting happening, which also includes shadows on the floor. And as the faces are kind of rebuilt it sometimes looks a bit softer like an AI generated picture. But as it is a generated overlay, it often helps to reduce the transparency a bit or erase some parts in the layer mask. For objects like furniture or shiny robots or spaceships it works really fine.

To test the Harmonize feature, I took an exported picture from a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 4k Video, that I filmed at night in my hood in Mannheim. Then I randomly populated it with very different footage that I did cutout with remove background in Adobe Photoshop. These cutouts consist of exported videoframes (me), stock footage from Envato Elements (umbrella / women with can / women in armchair / fire) photos from my Samsung Note 25 Ultra (cart with hat) and Adobe Firefly generated Footage (red race car). The proportions are not perfect, but you get the idea how it affects lightning and shadows. But it is like always. Those tools do the job, but if you want Hollywood, you have to book a real talented editor, that spends plenty of time to make it really believable. Another thing worth mentioning, is that the maximum resolution for the generated content is 1024 x 1024 pixels. And it alway generates the whole picture with a layer mask. That is one of the reasons, why the generated content might look blurry. A workaround can be using the crop tool to only generate the desired area. How this works and some other tricks will be shown in a future workshop.

The new Enhanced Remove Tool improves the workflow for removing unwanted objects. It is a function that also worked before with the generative fill, leaving the prompt field blank. But that often generated unwanted objects. The new tool focuses more on generating what might have been behind the removed object and is already integrated in the release version of Adobe Photoshop.

The Generative Upscale uses AI to enhance the upscaled pictures. It is comparable to the well known and expensive Topaz Photo AI. The results are pretty good, but there’s is no way to change parameters. You just have the choice of upscaling 2, 3 or 4 times and the resolution is limited to 4096 pixels. But it is great having this tool without spending extra money.

With the Gen AI Model Picker you can switch between the different Adobe Firefly models, what brings more possibilities to generate the desired results.

With Projects Adobe integrated a new way of collaborating – and finally in the Photoshop desktop beta! Adobe introduces Projects, a workspace for organizing creative assets in one place. Projects consolidates files previously scattered across drives, streamlines collaboration, and removes the need to send individual assets manually. Teams can now share entire collections, minimizing version confusion and enabling smoother creative workflows by centralizing assets and collaboration.

Share for review: browser‑based feedback link

Photoshop now offers a Share > Share for review option that creates a web link to your document, whether local or cloud. Reviewers can view the file in a browser and leave general or pinned comments. Comments appear in real time inside Photoshop’s Comments panel, accessed via Window > Comments. Reviewers may reply to feedback and the owner can refresh the link to push the latest version. Access control options include “Anyone with link can comment” or “Invited only can comment.” Pins are anchored to canvas areas. The Share panel also supports Invite to edit (for collaborative editing) and Quick export as PNG.

Send to apps: export control from Share panel

A new Send to apps workflow allows users to export images via native apps like Mail, Notes, Slack, or Adobe Lightroom. A gear icon in the Send to Apps panel enables format selection (JPG, PNG, or PSD) and resolution setting (Original or Small). Slack integration requires selecting the workspace on first use to avoid errors. These exports occur directly from the Share panel alongside other options.

See the documentation HERE and more information in this BLOGPOST

The post Photoshop 2025.7 adds smarter Remove, Firefly‑model control, and refined sharing first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Nils Calles.

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.

Sketchsoft has released Feather 1.1, an update to its Photoshop plugin aimed at post-production professionals who like their edges soft—but not too soft. The plugin enables more precise feathering of layers and masks, tailored for VFX workflows where control and consistency matter more than vague promises of “AI magic.”

Feather 1.1 introduces support for mask-based feathering, allowing users to apply custom edge softness directly to layer masks, vector masks, and adjustment layers. This addresses one of the more frustrating limitations of Photoshop’s native tools, which tend to be more interested in feathering your patience than your layers.

Each feathering effect is applied per layer, and yes, that includes Smart Objects and rasterised layers. The plugin now also supports feathering based on layer masks and vector masks—handy if you’re juggling complex layer stacks and would prefer not to go blind doing it.

The plugin has also been given per-layer settings, so no more diving into global preferences like it’s 2007. Settings for each layer include the mask type, feathering radius, and falloff, the latter determining how gradually the feathering fades out (in other words, how mercifully soft your soft edges are).

Real-Time Previews, Minus the Guesswork

New in version 1.1: real-time previews directly inside the plugin panel. Feathering adjustments are now visible immediately, with no need to render or export for a sneak peek. This feature supports zooming and panning, so users can evaluate edge softness across the entire canvas, not just in the dreaded top-left corner.

For users stuck on older versions of Photoshop, good news: Feather 1.1 now supports older Photoshop builds, though Sketchsoft hasn’t specified how far back in time it’s willing to go. Likely not as far as CS6, but enough to keep legacy workflows afloat.

Pricing, Platform, and Production Readiness

Feather 1.1 is compatible with Photoshop 2023 and earlier, though specific minimum system requirements aren’t detailed. Users are advised to consult Sketchsoft directly for compatibility specifics. Pricing? Sketchsoft say 14,99$, permanent license.

Given the specificity of the plugin’s features and its focus on Photoshop integration, Feather 1.1 is likely to appeal to VFX artists, compositors, and post-production professionals who need non-destructive and layer-specific feathering with preview capabilities.

As always: new tools should be tested thoroughly in non-critical environments before being thrown into the fray of live projects. Production artists value stability and predictability over novelty—and rightly so. Feather 1.1 seems promising, but as with all things post-production, verify before you rely.

Get it in the Apple App Store.

The post Feather 1.1: Sketchsoft’s Plugin Now Adds the Missing Softness first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Render compositing in Photoshop just got easier—and cheaper. Post Manager, the long-standing Photoshop add-on designed to manage render passes, is now available for free. Previously a commercial product, this tool offers a robust workflow for integrating multi-pass renders directly into Photoshop, making it a practical solution for VFX artists, compositors, and anyone working with render layers.

Multi-Pass Management Without Tears
Post Manager simplifies the process of organizing, layering, and blending multi-pass renders. For those unfamiliar with the term, “multi-pass renders” refers to individual layers like diffuse, specular, and shadows exported separately from 3D software for more control in compositing. This add-on lets you import these layers into Photoshop in a structured and streamlined manner, preserving your sanity while wrangling dozens of passes.

Why Photoshop Users Should Care
Photoshop isn’t known as the go-to tool for compositing multi-pass renders—After Effects or Nuke typically take that crown. But for professionals who prefer Photoshop’s interface or who work on projects requiring less-intensive compositing, Post Manager bridges the gap. By automating the setup of passes and adjustment layers, the add-on eliminates much of the repetitive manual work.

Key Features
Post Manager supports importing multi-pass render files and automatically organizes them into grouped layers. Each group is labeled according to its respective render pass, and blending modes are pre-set for optimal results. Though you can easily create custom templates. This feature alone can save significant time, especially on projects with dozens of passes, making it easier to iterate quickly and refine visuals without constantly rearranging layers.

Free Doesn’t Mean Limited
While the price tag is now nonexistent, the add-on’s features remain fully functional. This isn’t a “lite” version or a watered-down trial. According to the developers, Post Manager retains all the tools users have come to rely on since its initial release, including its support for standard render passes and flexible compatibility with major 3D software pipelines.

A Nod to Stability and Simplicity
Production artists often complain about tools that look promising but collapse under the weight of their own ambition. Post Manager avoids this trap by sticking to what it does best: cleanly and efficiently managing render passes. While Photoshop may not replace dedicated compositing software anytime soon, this add-on provides a practical option for smaller studios or freelancers balancing tight deadlines and budgets, or working in “Compositing Adjacent” projects, like Visualization (both industrial and architectural) , editorial or marketing.

Fact-Check Before You Leap
As with any new or updated software, test Post Manager on smaller projects before diving into high-stakes work. Stability and integration with complex pipelines can vary depending on your setup. The add-on’s simplicity should appeal to most users, but it’s always wise to check for potential quirks.

How to Get It
Post Manager is now free to download. To learn more or grab the software, visit the official Post Manager page (Registration required). And don’t forget to look at the documentation! RTFM, people!

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Professionals looking for a Photoshop-native compositing solution will appreciate Post Manager’s functionality, especially now that cost is no longer a barrier. Whether you’re testing render passes for a feature film or refining a CGI sequence for a billboard ad, this tool offers a straightforward, stable approach to multi-pass workflows—without burning a hole in your wallet.

The post Free for All: Post Manager Adds Render Compositing to Photoshop first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Adobe has announced a new feature for Photoshop: Live Co-Editing. Currently in beta (Fill in this survey if you want to partake), this functionality allows multiple users to edit the same cloud-based document simultaneously, with changes appearing in real time. It’s like a digital jam session, but without the questionable guitar solos.

Real-Time Collaboration

Live Co-Editing enables teams to work together on a single Photoshop document stored in the cloud. As each user makes edits, others see the changes instantly, streamlining the collaborative process and reducing the need for constant file exchanges. This feature is particularly beneficial for creative teams aiming to enhance efficiency and cohesion in their workflows.

How It Works

To utilize Live Co-Editing, users save their Photoshop documents as cloud documents. They can then invite others to collaborate by sharing access. Once collaborators join, any edits made are visible in real time, allowing for seamless integration of ideas and adjustments. It’s collaboration made easy—no telepathy required.

Availability and Access

Live Co-Editing is available in the beta version of Photoshop. Users interested in testing this feature can access it through Adobe’s beta program. As with any beta release, it’s advisable to use caution and not rely solely on this feature for critical projects until it has been fully tested and officially released. Remember, even the best chefs taste their dishes before serving.

Implications for Creative Workflows

By enabling real-time co-editing, Photoshop aims to meet the evolving needs of creative professionals who require efficient and effective tools for teamwork. However, users should evaluate the feature’s performance and stability within their specific workflows before full integration. After all, it’s best to test the waters before diving in headfirst. For more information and to participate in the beta, visit Adobe’s official Beta Community page.

The post Photoshop’s New Live Co-Editing: Real-Time Collaboration Without the Coffee Runs first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.