How to Generate AI Images in Photoshop using Adobe Firefly

Download the PDF: How to use Generate Image AI in Photoshop

Written by Steve Patterson.

One year after introducing the world to Generative Fill, Adobe has once again added powerful new generative AI features to the Photoshop beta. One of those new features, and the one we’ll look at in this tutorial, is Generate Image.

Generate Image uses Adobe Firefly to generate an entire AI image from scratch directly from within Photoshop, and it brings with it most of the options found in the text-to-image module on the Adobe Firefly website, including the options to match the look and style of a reference image and apply different effects.

And because Generate Image uses the new Firefly Image 3 model for better quality and higher resolution, it can create images up to 2048 x 2048 pixels, a big jump from the 1024 x 1024 pixel limit of Generative Fill.

Which Photoshop version do I need?

For now, Generate Image is only available in the Photoshop beta. It was added to the beta in version 25.9.0, released at the end of April 2024

You’ll need an active Creative Cloud subscription to use the Photoshop beta, and you can install it from the Creative Cloud Desktop app. If the beta was already installed, make sure to update it before you continue.

Let’s get started!

Download this tutorial as a print-ready PDF!

How to use Generate Image in Photoshop

Here’s my step-by-step guide on how to use Generate Image in the Photoshop beta to generate a new AI image from scratch.

Step 1: Create a new Photoshop document

If you’re on Photoshop’s Home Screen, click the New file button to create a new Photoshop document.

Clicking New file on the Home Screen.

Or from Photoshop’s main interface, go up to the File menu and choose New.

Going to File > New.

Either way opens the New Document dialog box.

Set both the Width and Height of the document to 2048 pixels since that’s the resolution limit for the new Firefly Image 3 model that the Photoshop beta is using.

Setting the Width and Height to 2048 pixels.

Leave all other options at the defaults and click the Create button.

Clicking Create.

The new Photoshop document appears.

The new document.

You can zoom in on the canvas if needed by going up to the View menu and choosing the Fit on Screen command.

Going to View > Fit on Screen.

Step 2: Choose Generate Image

There are three places to access Generate Image in the Photoshop beta.

If the Background layer is selected in the Layers panel, you’ll find a Generate Image button in the Contextual Task Bar.

The Generate Image button in the Contextual Task Bar.

You’ll also find a new Generate Image icon at the bottom of Photoshop’s toolbar.

The Generate Image icon in the toolbar.

And there’s a Generate Image command under the Edit menu in the Menu Bar.

Going to Edit > Generate Image.

Whichever one you choose opens the Generate Image dialog box, which brings over most of the options from the text-to-image module on the Adobe Firefly website.

The new Generate Image dialog box in the Photoshop beta.

Step 3: Enter a prompt to describe the image

Start by entering a prompt to describe the image you want to generate.

If you need inspiration, click on any of the sample images along the right to display the prompt that was used to create it (along with other options that were used like the content type, the reference image and any effects, all of which we’ll cover in a moment).

Choosing a sample image on the right displays its prompt on the left.

For my prompt, I’ll keep things simple and enter a closeup of a small colorful bird perched on a branch.

Entering a prompt.

Step 4: Choose the content type

Below the prompt box is the Content Type option where you can choose either Art (for a more creative result) or Photo (for a more photorealistic image). Or you can choose neither and Photoshop will choose one for you based on your prompt.

I’ll choose Art.

Setting the content type for the image.

Step 5: Click Generate

Below Content Type is the Style section. Here you can choose a reference image to have Photoshop match its colors and its overall look and feel. And you can add one or more effects to the image.

But we can always try different style options after the image is generated. For now, all we really need is our prompt. So click Generate to see what Photoshop comes up with.

Clicking the Generate button.

Photoshop sends the image over the internet to the Adobe Firefly servers, just like when using Generative Fill. It can take 10-15 seconds for the results to appear, and you’ll see a progress bar while you wait.

The familiar generative AI progress bar.

Step 6: Choose a result or click Generate again

With Generate Image in the Photoshop beta, you get three results to choose from (the Adobe Firefly website generates four results).

Here’s my first of the three results.

One of the three results from Generate Image.

Notice in the Layers panel that we now have a Generative layer which holds the results, just like we would get with Generative Fill. You can tell it’s a Generative layer by the icon in the thumbnail’s lower right.

The new Generative layer in the Layers panel.

To view and compare the other two images, click on their thumbnails in Photoshop’s Properties panel.

Clicking the variation thumbnails in the Properties panel.

Or click the left and right arrows in the Contextual Task Bar to cycle through them.

Clicking the arrows in the Contextual Task Bar.

I like this third result the best.

But if you don’t like any of the images, you can continue generating results by clicking the Generate button either in the Properties panel or the Contextual Task Bar.

The third (and my favorite) of the initial results.

Using Generate Similar

If you really like one of the results, you can use the Generate Similar feature to tell Photoshop to use that result as the base image and generate new results similar to it.

In the Properties panel, hover your cursor over the image thumbnail and click the menu icon that appears in the upper right.

Clicking the menu icon.

Then click Generate similar.

Clicking the Generate similar menu option.

Photoshop will generate three new results similar to that base image. Click the thumbnails to view and compare them.

The three new results using Generate Similar.

Using Generate Similar

If none of the results were what you expected, you can edit your prompt in the Properties panel and then click Generate again. Generally the more detailed you are with your prompt, the better the results will be.

But I’m happy with my result so I’ll leave the prompt the way it is.

Edit your prompt and click Generate if needed.

Step 8: Choose a style reference image

Just like on the Adobe Firefly website, Generate Image in the Photoshop beta lets you completely change the look and style of the results by using a reference image. Photoshop will generate new results that match the colors, the lighting and the overall look and feel of the reference image.

If you are still in the Generate Image dialog box (before generating the initial results), you can click the Reference image option in the dialog box itself.

The Reference image option in the Generate Image dialog box.

Or if you have already generated images like I have here, you can still choose a reference image by clicking the Edit Reference Image icon in the Properties panel.

Clicking the Edit Reference Image icon in the Properties panel.

Then either choose an image from the gallery, or click the Choose image button to upload your own reference image.

I’ll choose one of the watercolor style images from the gallery.

Choosing a watercolor reference image.

Once you have chosen your reference image, click the X icon in the upper right of the dialog box to close it.

Closing the Reference Image dialog box.

Then click the Generate button again.

Clicking Generate to combine the prompt and the reference image.

And here I get three new results matching that watercolor style. Same prompt, but a completely different look thanks to the reference image.

This third variation is my favorite.

The generated result after combining the prompt with a reference image.

You can try out as many reference images as you like. Just click the Edit Reference Image icon in the Properties panel to reopen the gallery, then choose a different one (or choose Replace image to upload your own).

I’ll try this 3D-rendered beach scene image from the gallery.

Choosing a different style reference image.

And here’s one of the three results after clicking Generate. Again same prompt, but a completely different style.

Same prompt, different reference image.

Just for fun, I’ll try one more reference image. This neon image looks interesting.

Trying a third reference image.

And here’s the result, again very different from the previous two even though the prompt was the same.

Same prompt again, different reference image.

Step 9: Add effects

Reference images are not the only way to drastically change the style of the results. Generative Image also includes lots of effects you can apply.

In the Properties panel, click the Edit Effects icon.

Clicking the Edit Effects icon.

The effects are divided into categories (Movements, Themes, Techniques, and so on), and you can combine as many effects as you like. Choose the Popular category to see the effects currently most popular.

I’ll open the Materials category and choose Layered Paper.

Choosing the Layered Paper effect.

Then I’ll open the Themes category and choose Newspaper. I’m going for a very papery kind of look.

Adding a Newspaper effect.

Finally, I’ll open Techniques and choose Double Exposure just to see if it helps blend everything together.

Adding a Double Exposure effect.

The Selected category shows all the effects that will be applied. You can remove an effect by deselecting it.

The selected effects.

I’ll click Generate one last time.

And with my prompt, my style reference image and my three effects all working together, I get this result that I think looks great.

The final Generate Image result.

And there we have it! That’s how to generate entire images from scratch using Generate Image, a new generative AI feature in the latest Photoshop beta.

Related tutorials:

Don’t forget, all of my Photoshop tutorials are available to download as PDFs.