Adobe MAX 2024: Game-Changing Updates to Photoshop and Illustrator

Note: This article was first published on 15 October 2024.

At Adobe MAX 2024, Adobe unveiled major updates to its iconic creative tools, Photoshop and Illustrator. Many of these improvements are built around AI functionality that are designed to deliver greater speed, precision, and creative power, streamlining workflows and giving designers new ways to bring their visions to life.

Ashley Still, Senior VP of Digital Media at Adobe, shared, “The world’s most creative people across industries trust Photoshop and Illustrator to help them realize their visions in stunning and breathtaking ways. We’re thrilled to introduce transformative innovations across our flagship design apps that bring the creative community the most powerful creative tools yet.”

Powerful Innovations in Photoshop

The latest version of Photoshop introduces several cutting-edge tools aimed at improving daily workflows for professionals. A standout feature is the Remove Tool, which now includes Distraction Removal technology. This powerful tool simplifies the process of removing unwanted objects such as people, wires, or cables, significantly reducing the time spent on manual edits. During a demo of this feature at MAX, we noticed that you won’t even need to highlight the area of removal anymore, the tool will automatically identify, remove, and fill in the gaps with a single button.

Another groundbreaking addition is the Generative Workspace (beta), powered by Adobe Firefly. This workspace allows designers to brainstorm, iterate, and refine concepts more quickly than ever before. By offering a space to explore multiple creative directions at once, this feature enables users to experiment with ideas and achieve stunning results faster. 

Photoshop’s integration with the Substance 3D Viewer app (beta) expands workflows even further by allowing designers to incorporate editable 3D Smart Objects into their 2D designs. This functionality offers greater creative flexibility and opens new possibilities for blending 2D and 3D assets.

Additionally, Adobe has made its Generative Fill, Generative Expand, and other generative AI tools, powered by the Firefly Image 3 Model, widely available. These features allow for faster content creation and ideation, enabling users to produce high-quality visuals in record time.

Illustrator Enhancements Boost Speed and Precision

Adobe Illustrator received a series of powerful updates designed to optimize core design tasks. One of the most exciting features is Objects on Path, which lets designers attach, arrange, and move objects along any path with maximum precision. This drastically cuts down on manual adjustments and speeds up the design process.

The Enhanced Image Trace tool has also been improved to convert graphics into vectors more efficiently, making it easier for designers to work with complex illustrations. Meanwhile, the Generative Shape Fill (beta), powered by the Firefly Vector Model, allows users to quickly generate detailed vector shapes by entering text prompts, further streamlining workflows.

The introduction of Mockup in Illustrator is another game-changer, giving designers the ability to create visual prototypes of their artwork on real-world objects like packaging or apparel. This feature automatically adjusts artwork to fit the curves and contours of 3D objects, simplifying the process of creating polished, realistic mockups.

Alongside these creative tools, Illustrator now includes performance improvements like the Enclosed Selection Mode for the Rectangular Marquee tool, the ability to Export as PDF, and Quick Gradient Creation, all of which enhance productivity and ease of use across design workflows.

These latest innovations for Photoshop and Illustrator should be available globally today. Adobe lists more than 100 various updates and improvements across its entire Creative Cloud stack at Adobe MAX; we are only summarising some of the more common features and popular tools. If you’re interested in something specific for a software you use, you can check it out at www.adobe.com.

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