How to use AI in photoshop?
Open your image, make a selection, and click Generative Fill in the Contextual Task Bar — then pick a model and type a prompt, or leave it blank to remove the object. Each standard generation costs 1 generative credit; Creative Cloud Pro, Firefly, and enterprise Edition 4+ plans include unlimited standard generations (as of 2026-07).
Why — the first-principles explanation
The key to using Photoshop's AI well is understanding what changed and what didn't. Photoshop's old repair tools — Clone Stamp, Healing Brush, Content-Aware Fill — all work by copying pixels that already exist in your image and blending them into the hole. That's why they're brilliant at erasing a blemish on a cheek (the surrounding skin is right there) and terrible at erasing a person standing in front of a bookshelf (the pixels behind them were never photographed, so there's nothing to copy).
Generative Fill breaks that constraint completely. It doesn't copy from your photo — it generates new pixels from a model trained on enormous quantities of images, conditioned on the surrounding context. It can invent the bookshelf behind the person because it has learned what bookshelves look like. That's the entire leap, and it explains where the tool wins: any edit where the needed pixels don't exist in your file. Removing large objects, extending a background beyond the frame, adding something that was never there.
It also explains the failures. Because the model is inventing plausible pixels, it produces plausible nonsense on anything with rules it doesn't reliably know — text on signs, logos, hands, teeth, reflections, and repeating architectural detail. It doesn't know your intent either, so it fills the selection with the most likely thing. That's why selection is the actual skill. A tight selection with a little breathing room around it tells the model where the seams must land; a sloppy one hands it a vague problem and it will solve a different problem than the one you had.
The practical model to hold: Generative Fill is a slot machine you control with selections and prompts. Each pull gives you three variations on a new layer, non-destructively. Professionals don't get one perfect result — they pull several times, keep the best, and often finish the seams by hand with the old tools. The AI does the impossible part (inventing content), and the classic tools still do the precise part.
An example that makes it click
Imagine patching a hole in a quilt. The old way: you cut a piece from the quilt's own hem and sew it in. That works beautifully if the hole is in a plain blue patch — the hem is blue too. But if the hole is in the middle of an intricate pattern, there's nothing on the hem that matches, and your patch looks like an obvious scar.
Generative Fill is a weaver who has seen a million quilts and simply weaves new fabric that continues the pattern. She can fill any hole, of any size, in any pattern. But she's working from memory of quilts in general, not yours — so if the pattern contains lettering, she'll produce something that looks like writing until you lean in and see it's gibberish. That's the trade. Old tools copy your fabric exactly but need matching fabric to exist. The new tool invents anything but sometimes invents wrong. Good editors keep both in the drawer.
How to do it
- Open the image: File > Open. Work on a copy or duplicate the layer — although Generative Fill outputs to a new generative layer, so it's non-destructive by default.
- Select the area you want to change with any selection tool (Lasso, Object Selection, Rectangular Marquee). Include a little of the surrounding area so the model can blend the seams.
- Click Generative Fill in the Contextual Task Bar that appears under your selection.
- Pick a model in the model picker — an Adobe Firefly model or a partner AI model, depending on your plan.
- Type a prompt describing what you want, in plain English. To REMOVE something instead, leave the prompt box empty and just click Generate — this is the most reliable use of the tool.
- Check the credit cost before you commit: hover over the credit consumption indicator next to the Generate/Fill button. Most standard Firefly generations use 1 credit.
- Review the three variations Photoshop returns on the new generative layer. Cycle through them in the Properties panel and generate again if none work — expect several attempts on hard fills.
- Fix the seams by hand. Finish with Clone Stamp or Healing Brush where the blend is imperfect, and inspect hands, text, logos, and reflections closely — those are where generative output reliably breaks.
- Track your balance in the Generative Credit Usage panel inside Photoshop, which shows your plan's features, credit requirements, and remaining credits.
Key facts
- To use Generative Fill on desktop: File > Open, make a selection, choose Generative Fill in the Contextual Task Bar, select a Firefly or partner model in the model picker, then enter a text prompt (Adobe, as of 2026-07).
- Most standard generative AI features, including Generative Fill with Adobe Firefly models in Photoshop, use 1 generative credit per generation; hovering the credit consumption indicator next to the Fill button shows the cost in advance (Adobe).
- Creative Cloud Pro, Creative Cloud for enterprise Edition 4 or above, Firefly, and credits plans include unlimited standard generations — except in Firefly Graph, which stays metered (Adobe, as of 2026-07).
- Generative credits work across most Creative Cloud products, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, and Adobe Firefly, and cover image, vector, video, and audio outputs (Adobe).
- The Generative Credit Usage panel in Photoshop shows available generative AI features, credit requirements per feature, and your current credit balance (Adobe).
- Leaving the prompt blank and clicking Generate performs object removal — the single most reliable generative operation, since the model only needs to continue the surrounding scene.
Choosing a tool for your creative workflow?
The answer above explains the concept; this next step helps you choose by job, limits and current terms.
▶ The 60-second explainer (script)
How do you use AI in Photoshop? Open your image, select the area you want to change, and click Generative Fill in the Contextual Task Bar. Pick a model, type what you want — or leave the prompt blank to just delete an object. That's the whole workflow. But here's what makes it powerful, and it's worth thirty seconds. Photoshop's old repair tools — Clone Stamp, Healing Brush, Content-Aware Fill — all work the same way: they copy pixels that already exist in your image and blend them into the hole. That's why they're brilliant at erasing a blemish on a cheek. The surrounding skin is right there. And it's why they're terrible at erasing a person standing in front of a bookshelf — the pixels behind them were never photographed. There's nothing to copy. Generative Fill breaks that limit. It doesn't copy from your photo. It invents new pixels from a model trained on a huge number of images. It can build that bookshelf, because it has learned what bookshelves look like. Think of patching a quilt. The old way cuts fabric from the hem — perfect if the hole is in a plain blue patch, useless in an intricate pattern. Generative Fill is a weaver who's seen a million quilts and just weaves new fabric that continues the pattern. She can fill any hole. But she's working from quilts in general, not yours — so where the pattern has lettering, she'll weave something that looks like writing until you lean in and see it's gibberish. That's the trade, and it tells you exactly where to look for errors: text, logos, hands, teeth, reflections. Two practical things. Selection is the real skill — tight, with a little breathing room, so the model knows where the seams land. And it's a slot machine: you get three variations per pull, on a new layer, non-destructive. Pros pull several times, keep the best, then fix the seams by hand with the old tools. On cost — most standard generations are one credit, and Creative Cloud Pro, Firefly, and enterprise Edition 4 and up include unlimited standard generations. Hover the credit indicator before you click.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
How do I remove an object in Photoshop with AI?
Select the object with a little of the surrounding area, click Generative Fill, and click Generate with the prompt box left empty. Removal is the most reliable generative operation because the model only has to continue the existing scene.
Do generative AI features in Photoshop cost extra?
They consume generative credits — most standard generations use 1 credit each. Creative Cloud Pro, Firefly, credits plans, and enterprise Edition 4+ include unlimited standard generations as of 2026-07. Check the Generative Credit Usage panel for your balance.
Why does Generative Fill produce garbled text or weird hands?
Because it invents plausible pixels rather than copying real ones, and it doesn't reliably know the rules governing letters, logos, fingers, or reflections. It produces something that reads as writing until you look closely. Always inspect those areas.
Is Generative Fill destructive to my original image?
No. It outputs to a new generative layer with three variations you can cycle through in the Properties panel, so your original pixels stay intact and you can delete or remask the result.
Should I still use Clone Stamp and Healing Brush?
Yes. They copy real pixels from your own image, so they're more precise for small blemishes and for cleaning up seams left by a generative fill. The best workflow uses generative AI for the impossible part and classic tools for the finish.