Photoshop is very heartfelt, allowing you to combine multiple images into one project. So it's not at all surprising to see that in this age of generative AI, this core photo editing activity has gained an AI-powered boost.
Harmonize is the latest Photoshop beta feature. Named after the harmony process of photographs, the tool helps you seamlessly match images to your project by blending objects naturally against the background. Use AI to create new lighting environments, such as coloring and shadow adjustments. With one click on the Harmonize button, Photoshop creates a kind of invisible layer, applies it to the image, and blends in almost perfectly with the rest of the project without destroying either image. The shots before and after are dramatic, aiming to cut down the rigorous, detailed-oriented editing process to just minutes.
An example of what the Harmonize tool can do. The original headshot (left) is lit to create a fully reliable shot (right).
Photoshop users took a peek at the tool when it was just a research concept for the Adobe Max Creator Conference last fall. At the time, I spoke with Adobe Applied Research Scientist Mengwei Ren. Mengwei Ren, one of the lead engineers on the project, spoke about what the tool has potential for Photoshop users. Now that this feature has made its official beta debut, I followed up this month.
Old editing issues, new AI tricks
After a “very shocking” positive response from Max's live audience, in Len's words, she and the Photoshop team worked on refinement of the tool. The beta tool is now spurred by Max and is the culmination of years of machine learning and imaging work.
“We tried to solve that in a number of ways,” Ren said. “We started by just trying to re-rated the face, and then we tried another model to add only the shadows, because at one point, Gen AI technology is really evolving.
This is part of what currently powers the Harmonize Tool.
For months after MAX, the team has enhanced the tool's resolution to get high quality output, creating more accurate controls to provide pixel-level alignment to users, and extending the training dataset to allow the tool to create accurate lighting conditions for the image. (Adobe's AI User Guidelines and Conditions state that it does not train customer content, and that the model is trained on licensed content such as Adobe Stock and Public Domain content.)
Stephen Nielson, Senior Director of Product Management at Photoshop, told CNET that faster, smoother synthesis was something the Adobe team has been working on for nearly a decade. Previous eras function to improve selection and background removal tools and set the foundation for harmony. Generated AI technology has been able to attract all the different pieces of the puzzle and make it available for people to use.
“Many people talk about poor photoshop, a lot of that has to do with how well they suit the lighting, tones and shadows. This makes it easier to achieve a really fast, efficient, and truly excellent compound,” Neilson said.
Like other beta tools, Harmonize is not perfect, especially when AI is involved. Future work will focus on maintaining a higher level of quality when used with more complex objects, such as human faces. Preserving facial identity is “the hardest thing to solve,” Neilson said.
“Expectations, especially from professional users, are professional commercial results. In many cases, you can get it depending on the assets you are in harmony. In some cases, you need to do more work to improve the output.” “I know there are a few. [use cases] We need to continue to optimize and improve. ”
Currently, you will need to use a beta desktop app or a web app to use any of these new AI tools. The Harmonize feature is available further from the Photoshop iPhone Mobile App. Adobe subscription plans, including Photoshop, start at $20 per month.
read more: Photoshop generation AI was taken for spin. These are prominent tools
Examples shown in Adobe Max 2024. Neither of these images were originally found here. Using a harmonization tool, the lighting is adjusted for seamless visual consistency.
Photoshop AI in 2025
Harmonize is the latest step in Photoshop's longer AI journey. Two other Gen AI changes for Photoshop users are upgrades to the new Generation Upscaling Tool and its Generation Removal feature. Upscaling is a common generation AI process that improves existing images, such as by clarifying and adding details. In this case, the Photoshop tool promises to increase image resolution up to 8 megapixels. More pixels means that the image must be sharper and clearer.
The newly updated deletion tool should be more accurate when selecting objects to erase, and the affected area should be blended seamlessly for cleaner final editing.
The goal of adding AI to Photoshop is to enhance work rather than replaceable, not human editors, Nielson said. However, many creators worry about the development and deployment of generated AI, from suspected copyright infringements taking place during model training to concerns about AI slop filling online space and job security.
For more information, see Premiere Pro and Adobe's new Indigo Camera App's first AI feature.
