Photoshop 2027 Adds Layer-Based Relight and Generative Restyle

By Sophie Lindqvist

Adobe announced Photoshop 2027 at Adobe Max, introducing two layer-based AI adjustments—Relight and Generative Restyle—that designers can revisit after making other edits. The announcement also covers AI-assisted cleanup, before-and-after comparison, procedural guidance, and image exploration.

What does Relight change?

Relight adds a virtual light that the user drags into position. The Properties panel exposes controls for color, intensity, and size, and a scene can contain as many as three lights. Designers control both the placement and the visible parameters of each virtual light source.

Generative Restyle regenerates an image in a different style, with a Properties panel slider controlling how far the effect goes. Because Relight and Generative Restyle are layer-based, a designer can return to either adjustment after editing other parts of the composition. Both operations remain available for later refinement.

Adobe also upgraded the Remove tool, which now handles an object’s shadows and reflections in the same operation as the object, rather than requiring separate selections. This reduces the selection work required for cleanup. Quick Compare adds a before-and-after view so designers can inspect edits more easily.

How does Creative Agent change the workflow?

Adobe is rolling out Creative Agent across several Creative Cloud apps, including Photoshop. The company positions the agent for “handling busywork,” and it can answer procedural questions such as where a tool lives or how to complete an edit. The announcement provides neither rollout dates nor task-accuracy measurements.

Photoshop’s AI Assistant also gains an AI-first workspace built around natural-language prompts. The workspace uses a simpler interface than the complete Photoshop toolset, while users can leave it at any time and return to the full toolset. This separates conversational guidance from the conventional editing environment without removing access to it.

Beyond the headline additions, Adobe describes a host of Firefly-based AI updates designed to save time and frames their combined effect as “a full creative studio.” The announcement does not specify general availability, release dates, or performance figures for most features.

Which beta tools address production tasks?

Adobe flags six beta features for designers to try first:

• Editable-layer conversion: A beta tool converts flattened graphics, including flyers and PDFs, into editable layers.
• Mockup creation: A separate beta tool creates mockups.
• Generative Recompose: This feature changes an image’s aspect ratio and repositions its elements.
• Camera Angles: Users interact with the canvas to explore alternative viewpoints of an image.
• Atmospheric cleanup: A tool removes effects such as lens flare and haze.
• Timelapse sharing: A feature creates a timelapse of the creative process for sharing.

The editable-layer converter turns a flattened flyer or PDF into components that can be revised. Generative Recompose changes an image’s aspect ratio and repositions its elements, while Camera Angles turns alternative viewpoints into an interaction on the canvas.

The atmospheric tool removes lens flare and haze, and the timelapse feature presents the creative process for sharing. Adobe labels all six as betas and states no release schedule.

The practical next step is to evaluate these tools on real production files. If Relight and Generative Restyle remain adjustable, Creative Agent resolves routine questions, and the six betas preserve editable control, Adobe can reduce repetitive work without moving decisions away from the canvas.