Adobe’s new photo editor looks even more powerful than Google’s Magic Editor
Adobe MAX 2023 is less than a week away, and to promote the event the company recently published a video teasing its new “object-aware editing engine” called Project Stardust.
According to the trailerhas the ability to identify individual objects in a photo and immediately separate them into their own layers. Those same objects can then be moved or deleted on the screen. Selection can be done manually or automatically via the Remove Distractions tool. The software seems to understand the difference between the main subjects in an image and the people in the background you want to get rid of.
What’s interesting is that if you move or remove something, no hole is left behind. The empty space will most likely be filled by a generative AI model. Additionally, you can clean up any remaining evidence from a deleted item. In the sample image, Adobe erases a suitcase being held by a female model and then proceeds to edit her hand so that she is holding a bouquet of flowers instead.
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The same technology can also be used to change clothes in photos. A yellow down jacket can be changed into a black leather jacket or khaki pants into black jeans. To do this, users must highlight the garment and then enter what they want to see in a text prompt.
AI editor
Functionally, Project Stardust works similarly to Google’s Magic Editor, a generative AI tool present in the Pixel 8 series. This tool allows users to highlight objects in a photo and move them in any way they want. It can also fill in gaps in images by creating new pixels. Stardust, however, feels much more capable. The Pixel 8 Pro’s Magic Eraser can fill in gaps, but neither it nor Magic Editor can generate content. Additionally, Google’s version requires manual input, while Adobe’s software does not.
Seeing these two side by side, we can’t help but wonder if Stardust is actually powered by Google’s AI technology. Very recently, the two companies announced that they have partnered “to offer a free three-month trial of Photoshop on the web to people who purchase a Chromebook Plus device. Perhaps this “partnership” goes much deeper than free Photoshop, given Stardust’s similarity to Magic Editor.
Upcoming unveiling
We should mention that Stardust isn’t perfect. If you watch the trailer, you’ll notice some mistakes, like random holes in the leather jacket and strange curves around the flower model’s hands. But perhaps what we’re seeing is Stardust in its early stages.
There’s still a lot we don’t know, like whether it’s a standalone app or whether it will be housed in Photoshop, for example? Will Stardust be released in beta first or will we get the final version? They will all likely be answered on October 10, when Adobe MAX 2023 launches. Additionally, the company will showcase other “AI features” coming to “Firefly, Creative Cloud, Express and more.”
Be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best Photoshop courses online for 2023 if you’re considering learning the software but don’t know where to start.