Adobe Photoshop Gets a Dedicated AI Toolbar and a Smarter Way to Edit Without Typing

Key points

• Adobe launched a beta "AI Assisted Editor" view for Photoshop that collects every AI feature into a single toolbar.
• A new markup tool lets users draw directly on a photo to show the AI what to change, no text required.
• Adobe's Firefly Image 5 model, the AI engine that generates and edits images inside Photoshop, can now read the full context of a photo so users no longer have to mark every area manually.
• Features like opening a subject's closed eyes or adding a hat can now be triggered with a plain-English description.

Adobe is pushing a significant update to Photoshop, and if you have ever found its AI features scattered and hard to find, the headline change is simple: they are all moving into one place.

The new "AI Assisted Editor" is an optional interface, launching in beta, meaning it is available for early testing but not yet the default experience. It puts tools like the prompt-based image editor, a background remover, and an AI image extender, software that stretches a photo beyond its original edges, into a single toolbar. You do not have to go hunting through menus.

What does the drawing tool actually let you do?

The markup feature is the most practical addition here. Instead of typing a description of what you want changed, you draw on the image itself. Sketch an arrow to move something. Brush over a patch of sky to suggest a new colour. Circle a figure to flag it for editing.

For anyone who has ever struggled to put a visual idea into words, that is a meaningful shift. The AI reads your scribbles as instructions.

How is the AI smarter about reading a whole photo now?

Adobe says its Firefly Image 5 model, the underlying AI that generates and edits images inside Photoshop, now understands the entire scene in a photo, not just the piece you highlight.

Previously, a feature called Instruct Edit with Masks, which lets you edit a selected region of a photo using plain-English prompts, required you to manually identify every area you wanted to touch. Now you can simply type something like "open the eyes" or "add a hat", and the AI works out which parts of the image need to change on its own.

For photographers retouching portraits or designers adjusting product shots, that cuts several steps out of a routine task.

What does this mean for ordinary Photoshop users?

If you use Photoshop regularly, the beta update is worth trying now. The consolidated toolbar alone reduces the friction of finding tools that were previously spread across different panels and menus.

The smarter editing, reported first by The Verge AI, is still in beta, so expect occasional rough edges. Adobe has not announced a date for these features to move into the main, stable release of Photoshop.

For casual users who open Photoshop occasionally to fix a photo, the drawing-based markup tool is probably the most accessible addition. It removes the need to learn prompt-writing, which takes practice to do well.

Common questions

Do I need a paid subscription to use these AI features?

Is the AI Assisted Editor replacing the normal Photoshop interface?

No. Adobe describes it as optional. You can switch to it or stay with the standard layout as you prefer.

Will these features work on older or lower-powered computers?

Adobe has not published specific hardware requirements for the beta. AI-assisted tools generally need more processing power than basic editing, so older machines may run them slowly.