Home > Apps

Adobe Firefly vs. Photoshop Beta AI – how do they compare?

Adobe Firefly vs. Photoshop Beta AI: An In-depth Comparison
Last Updated on July 3, 2023
Adobe Firefly vs. Photoshop Beta AI – how do they compare?
You can trust PC Guide: Our team of experts use a combination of independent consumer research, in-depth testing where appropriate - which will be flagged as such, and market analysis when recommending products, software and services. Find out how we test here.

Generative AI has been creating waves in the creative industry, promising to revolutionize the way creators work. At the forefront of this innovation are Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI, two powerful tools designed to empower creativity and streamline workflows.

Adobe dominated the digital creativity era far before the Photoshop Beta AI. Many enthusiasts and professionals appraise its use due to its wide range of tools to bring life into their artistic vision. However, as the AI era advances, adobe continues to push its limits beyond its boundaries of creativity and innovation. 

Before you compare Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI with each other, it is necessary to determine and understand the user’s requirements.

In this blog post, we delve into the unique features of these platforms and compare them head-to-head to understand their potential and their impact on the creative process.

Photoshop Beta AI: Increases Your Creativity with AI

Adobe Firefly vs. Photoshop Beta AI – how do they compare?

Photoshop Beta AI represents the next step in the evolution of Adobe Photoshop, a stalwart in the field of digital image editing. The key development in this version of Photoshop is the introduction of Generative Fill, a feature powered by generative AI models.

In addition to the Generative Fill feature, Adobe Photoshop has also introduced new tools to accelerate everyday creative workflows. These include Adjustment Presets, which are filters that help you preview and change the appearance of images to achieve a distinct look and feel.

The Remove Tool, an AI-powered feature, allows users to replace unwanted objects in an image simply by brushing over them. The Contextual Task Bar is an on-screen menu that recommends the most relevant next steps in several key workflows, making common actions more easily accessible.

Adobe has also significantly improved the Gradients feature, which now includes on-canvas controls for precise real-time adjustments and a live preview that shows how changes affect your image.

Like Firefly, Photoshop Beta AI is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, ensuring a seamless workflow across various creative tasks.

Generative Fill

The Generative Fill feature is powered by Adobe Firefly, a family of creative generative AI models, which was launched six weeks before the announcement. Firefly quickly became one of Adobe’s most successful beta launches, with beta users generating over 100 million assets. 

It’s important to note that this feature is currently in beta and is not available for commercial use, people under 18, or available in China, and works with English-only text prompts. 

Adobe Firefly: A Creative Revolution

Adobe Firefly vs. Photoshop Beta AI – how do they compare?

Launched as a beta version, Adobe Firefly quickly gained traction and has been utilized to generate over 100 million assets to date.

This generative AI service distinguishes itself by generating commercially viable, professional quality content directly from creators’ existing workflows. Using Firefly, you can extend your creative possibilities by adding content, removing or replacing parts of an image, or even extending the edges of an image.

Firefly operates in real-time and utilizes a unique dataset that includes Adobe Stock images, publicly licensed content, and other public domain content without copyright restrictions. This ensures a broad range of possibilities for your creative process, whether it involves digital media, illustrations, or text effects.

Firefly seamlessly integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud apps, providing a cohesive and unified creative experience. It utilizes Adobe Stock Images, leveraging a vast library of high-quality visuals to create unique and compelling content.

Adobe Firefly vs. Photoshop Beta AI: A Comparative Analysis

While both Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI are powerful tools that utilize generative AI, their approach to the creative process is distinct. Firefly focuses on image generation through text prompts, creating visuals from textual descriptions. On the other hand, Photoshop Beta AI enhances the existing capabilities of Photoshop, introducing AI-powered features like Generative Fill to aid in the image editing process.

Both platforms offer impressive integration within the Adobe Creative Cloud ecosystem, although their specific tools, such as ‘adding’ tools and ‘lasso’, may differ. When it comes to handling variations and illustrations, Firefly’s focus on generative models provides a unique edge, while Photoshop Beta AI leverages its established toolkit to deliver robust and precise editing capabilities.

Collaboration and Integration: Adobe Firefly vs. Photoshop Beta AI

Both Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI offer various collaboration and integration features. Firefly, for instance, works well with other Adobe tools such as Premiere Pro, enabling you to create stunning visual effects for your videos.

On the other hand, Photoshop Beta AI provides enhanced collaboration features that allow multiple users to work on a project simultaneously.

Stable Diffusion in Adobe Firefly

Stable Diffusion is a key aspect of Adobe Firefly’s capabilities. This feature allows Firefly to create smooth, natural transitions between different elements in an image, enhancing the overall quality and realism of the final product. This is particularly useful when extending the edges of an image or when adding new elements into an existing scene.

Extending Your Creativity with Templates and Fonts:

Both Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI extend your creative capabilities by offering a range of templates and fonts.

For example, Firefly can utilize the templates in Adobe’s Creative Cloud libraries, allowing you to quickly start a project with a professionally designed layout.

Similarly, Photoshop Beta AI also offers a variety of templates and a vast collection of fonts that you can use to add unique text effects to your projects.

How do Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI Enhance the Creative Process for Professionals?

For professionals in the creative industry, both Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI offer transformative benefits. They streamline the ‘Midjourney’ of the creative process, which often involves the tedious task of translating an idea into a visual representation. By allowing natural language input to guide the creation process, they save time and effort, allowing creators to focus more on ideation and less on execution.

Moreover, as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, subscribers can seamlessly switch between these platforms and other apps in the suite, enhancing productivity and workflow efficiency.

Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative: A Shared Commitment

As for Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), it was announced with The New York Times Company and Twitter at Adobe MAX 2019. The CAI aims to develop an industry standard for digital content attribution to ensure trust and transparency online.

The initiative seeks to address the lack of transparency in digital content, where it can be difficult to discern who has altered content and what changes have been made. The goal of the CAI is to enable creators to identify themselves and the level of modification of their media.

FAQs

Are Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI Available for Commercial Use?

Adobe Firefly is not yet available for commercial use, while Photoshop Beta AI is.

What is the main difference between Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI?

Adobe Firefly is a design tool focused on AI-powered art generation, while Photoshop Beta AI is a feature-rich image editing software.

Can Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI be used together in a design workflow?

Yes, Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI can complement each other in a design workflow. You can generate art in Adobe Firefly and then import it into Photoshop Beta AI for further editing and refinement.

Are there any limitations to consider when using Adobe Firefly or Photoshop Beta AI?

Adobe Firefly may have a learning curve due to its unique art generation features, while Photoshop Beta AI requires some familiarity with image editing concepts. Additionally, certain advanced editing features may be more robust in Photoshop Beta AI.

Can I transfer my projects between Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI seamlessly?

Yes, you can transfer your projects between Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI. You can export your artwork from Adobe Firefly in a compatible format and import it into Photoshop Beta AI for further editing.

Conclusion

Adobe Firefly and Photoshop Beta AI have their advantages and drawbacks. As discussed above, Firefly has expertise in bringing in newer ideas and inspiration for designers in their projects. However, on the other hand, Photoshop Beta AI brings in its intelligence in organizing and refinement of the design. That is why the choice to choose between whether one depends mostly on the end user and his preference.

Designers who seek novel ideas and inspiration may see Adobe Firefly as a valuable addition to their creative needs. On the other hand, those interested mainly in editing and task manipulation may see Photoshop Beta AI as a blessing in disguise. So, ultimately, it all depends on the end-user or his preferences and needs.

Maria is a full-stack digital marketing strategist interested in productivity and AI tools.