Adobe updates Photoshop and Lightroom object selection in MAX

The annual Adobe MAX conference is in full swing, and this year’s biggest updates are in AI and automation, as well as many improvements to Photoshop’s AI-based masking features, as well as a few legacy Photoshop features introduced in Lightroom.

Photoshop Desktop’s big leap is an enhancement to the Object Selection tool that’s more accurate (especially in tricky cases like fine hair) and is now able to automatically recognize a wider range of objects, including sky, buildings, water, plants, and more. e. different types of floors and ground (e.g. mountains, sidewalks, streets).

It is even capable of disassembling individual elements of complex objects, such as a person holding a surfboard.

Adobe then paired this tool with Content-Aware Fill for one-click smooth removal. Simply select an object with the tool, then press Shift + Delete, and Photoshop not only removes the object from the image, but replaces it with an AI-generated background to match the image, all in one fell swoop.

Lightroom and Lightroom Classic are also getting masking updates, though they focus on bringing Photoshop’s existing selection and masking features to Adobe’s dedicated platform for photography.

The Select People tool will automatically select all the people in the image, creating specific masks for both individuals and groups. What’s even more impressive, you can then detail each mask to select body parts such as facial skin, body skin, eyes, teeth, lips, hair, and more.

Adobe

But what about more diverse types of photographic objects? The new Select Object tool will select any part of a photo for a mask as soon as you rough paint it or select a rectangular box. Essentially, you tell Lightroom which rough part of the image to look at, and it calculates the boundaries of the object you’re talking about to create a mask.

Finally, if you want to select everything else in the photo, you can now select the background with the one-click tool, saving you the extra step of selecting an object and then inverting.

These aren’t the only Photoshop options that appear in Lightroom. Content-Aware Remove is now available in Lightroom, including mobile versions, so you can remove blemishes or background elements and the app will do its best to fill in the gap properly.

Adobe’s other big move at MAX this year is cloud collaboration. It introduces a beta version of Photoshop’s Share to View feature, which allows creatives to share links to specific versions of designs for viewing, with any comments appearing directly within the Photoshop app.

Meanwhile, a partnership with RED and Fujifilm will allow future cameras to upload files directly to the cloud without the need for additional hardware, so that photos and videos can be viewed and manipulated remotely without the camera operator having to pause shooting.

Want to try some of the new features? Be sure to check out our guide to the different versions of Photoshop first or our ranking of the best photo editing apps to see what the competition is up to.