From giving your images a glow to opening closed eyes, these Photoshop and Lightroom additions can transform your photo editing

At Adobe Max, the annual gathering of Adobe enthusiasts, the company unveiled exciting new features for its photo-editing software, Photoshop and Lightroom. Among the most notable additions is the Relight tool in Photoshop, previously available only in the Public Beta. This innovative feature allows users to introduce up to three AI-generated light sources and modify their characteristics such as position, color, intensity, and diffusion.

It detects existing light sources in the image and employs them as input for generating new lighting using generative AI. However, it's important to note that this tool only alters the active layer and creates a separate Relight Layer, preserving the original image layer. Generative credits are required to apply Relight, and the feature only functions on Adobe's Creative Cloud subscription plans.

Another significant update to Photoshop is the transition of Generative Restyle from beta to full functionality. This tool enables users to alter an image's appearance through a prompt and fine-tune the results as necessary. The effect is saved as a layer, which can be adjusted to meet individual preferences. Like Relight, Generative Restyle utilizes generative credits, with a cost of 80 credits per use.

In an effort to improve the Remove tool, Adobe has enhanced its capabilities to remove unwanted objects along with their related shadows, footprints, smoke, steam, and water ripples, resulting in a more natural-looking image. This functionality, too, is applied to a new layer, leaving the original image unaffected. Using the advanced Remove tool will cost AI credits, although it is reportedly more affordable than some other new features.

The AI Assisted Editor, which has also left beta, is designed to simplify common editing tasks like object removal. Meanwhile, Lightroom received the Glow feature, which adds soft, cinematic lighting effects to photos. Users can apply these effects through presets, ranging from subtle diffusion to a retro-film style halation. Additionally, Blemish Removal, once a Quick Action in Lightroom's mobile and web versions, is now available in the desktop application, allowing users to remove blemishes with a single tap or fine-tune the outcome to preserve natural skin features.