How to Use AI in Photoshop (and Is Photoshop AI Free?)
Here's how to use AI in Photoshop, from Generative Fill to the AI Assistant and Generative Upscale, what it costs in Adobe's generative credits, the free ways to try them, and a free AI Photoshop alternative that runs in your browser.
PhotoQuill is a free photo editor in your browser with AI built in: type instructions to its AI assistant, generate images with GPT Image and Nano Banana, remove backgrounds and erase objects, all on editable layers with PSD export.
Try PhotoQuill's AI Free →The editor is free with no account. AI tools need a free Google sign-in and use credits: 10 on signup plus 5 every day.
Understanding the Photoshop AI Workflow
Adobe's integration of AI relies heavily on their Firefly generative models. These features are baked directly into the latest versions of the Creative Cloud suite. Here is the standard workflow if you are already a paying subscriber:
- Selection: Use a tool like the Lasso (L) or Object Selection to highlight an area on your canvas.
- Contextual Taskbar: Once a selection is made, a floating taskbar appears containing the "Generative Fill" button.
- Prompting: Click the button and type a descriptive text prompt (e.g., "A vintage red sports car"). Leave it blank if you want the AI to simply remove an object and seamlessly blend the background.
- Generation: The software sends your image data and prompt to Adobe's cloud servers. It returns three variations for you to choose from.
The process is powerful, but it has costs: a large desktop install, a computer with enough memory to run it smoothly, an internet connection for every generation, and a recurring subscription that many freelancers and casual users find hard to justify.
What's in Adobe Photoshop's AI Photo Editor?
Generative Fill is only one part of it. As of late 2026, these are the main AI tools in Photoshop:
Generative Fill, Generative Expand and Partner Models
Generative Fill adds, removes or replaces content inside a selection, and Generative Expand extends the canvas with new content. Besides Adobe's own Firefly model, the model picker offers partner models such as Google's Nano Banana and Black Forest Labs' FLUX, which use more credits per generation. See how to use Nano Banana in Photoshop.
Remove Tool and Select Subject
The Remove tool erases distractions as you brush over them, and Select Subject or the Object Selection tool makes a mask in one click. Selection tools only analyze the image, so they don't use generative credits.
AI Assistant: Type Instructions
Yes, you can type instructions into Photoshop's AI. Adobe announced an AI Assistant in October 2025, and since March 2026 it has been in public beta in Photoshop on the web and mobile: you describe an edit in plain language, such as removing a background or changing colors, and it carries out the steps. AI Markup lets you draw on the image and add a prompt for a specific spot.
Generative Upscale
Photoshop does have AI upscaling. Generative Upscale, in the Image menu, uses Topaz Labs technology to enlarge small or cropped images up to 4K. Because it regenerates detail, fine details can change slightly, so compare the result with the original.
Is Photoshop AI Free?
Not fully. Photoshop itself needs a paid Creative Cloud plan, although Adobe usually offers a short free trial. Inside Photoshop, generative features such as Generative Fill and Generative Expand draw from a monthly allowance of generative credits, and most standard generations use 1 credit each. AI tools that only analyze your image, such as Select Subject and Object Selection, don't use credits.
There are a few free ways to try Adobe's AI:
- Adobe Firefly's free plan gives a limited number of generative credits, which expire a month after they are granted.
- Photoshop in ChatGPT, launched in December 2025, lets you edit an uploaded image with prompts and sliders using an Adobe account. Some generative features still need a paid plan.
- The Photoshop free trial unlocks the full app for a short period.
A Free AI Photoshop Alternative: PhotoQuill
If you want Photoshop-style editing with AI but no subscription, PhotoQuill runs in your web browser and opens and saves PSD files with layers, masks and blend modes. The editor is free and needs no account. AI features use credits: new accounts get 10 free credits plus 5 more every day, and paid plans cover heavier use.
Zero Friction Access
There is no installer. Open the free AI photo editor in Chrome or Edge and drag your existing PSD files onto the canvas; they open with their layers, masks and blend modes.
AI Tools Without a Subscription
Generate images from a prompt, remove backgrounds, erase or replace objects, and restore old photos. Sign in with Google the first time you use an AI tool. Fast models cost 1 to 7 credits per image, so the free daily credits cover a few quick generations; larger models such as Nano Banana and bigger jobs need a plan or a top-up. There is no AI upscaler yet.
Local WebGPU Performance
AI generation runs in the cloud, but everyday editing (brush strokes, layer blending, masking) runs on your own graphics card with WebGPU. That keeps large documents responsive, and your non-AI edits never leave your device.
Type Instructions to an AI Assistant That Works in Layers
Like Photoshop's AI Assistant, PhotoQuill's AI assistant takes plain-language instructions, such as resizing, brightening or adding a title, and applies them right away, with an undo button for each step (each message costs 1 credit). It can also build a poster from a prompt as separate, editable layers, split a flat image into a layered PSD, and regenerate any single layer. See how to get a layered PSD from AI and how to convert an image to PSD with layers.