DriversRecommendedOutdated drivers can make a good PC feel brokenScan driver issues before chasing fixes manually.Scan NowOctober DealsAmazon USOctober deal check: compare before you payAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.Check DealsPC HealthRecommendedCrashes, freezes, slowdowns? Check your PC nowSpot repairable issues before they interrupt work.Check PC×
Skip to content
ThatPainter
Adobe Express

Adobe AI assistants let you edit images in Photoshop and Express with prompts

Adobe now offers prompt-driven editing in Photoshop and Express, but the assistants differ in scope, availability, precision, and credit rules.

By ThatPainter Team Updated 7 min read
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

ThatPainter is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More

Yes—Adobe now offers prompt-driven image editing in both Photoshop and Adobe Express. Photoshop’s AI Assistant focuses on photo editing, while Express’s AI Assistant combines image changes with layouts, templates, text, assets, and other design tasks. Both experiences are still beta-oriented, and access, supported platforms, and usage limits vary.

That makes them useful additions to Adobe’s editors—not replacements for selections, masks, layers, retouching, or careful design review.

What’s actually slowing this PC down?

Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
#1 Best Overall
Xencelabs Pen Display 24, Drawing Tablet with 4K Screen Monitor, 99% Adobe RGB Graphic Drawing Display with 40 Customizable Quick Keys, 2 Battery-Free Pens, 8192 Levels Pressure for Win/Mac/Linux
  • Carefully Designed Pen Display: Features Exceptional glare reduction and superior clarity in brightly lit environments. The Super-AG Etching allows for users had to glide smoothly along the surface of the screen. With meticulously tuned and adjustable pressure curves and 3g initial activation force.
  • Brilliant Color Performance: This 4K UHD IPS screen with resolution of up to 3840X2160 and 1.07 billion colors. This display offers Adobe RGB 99.43% (coverage), 96.11% coverage of DCI-P3, and is also Panton & SkinTone validated. Can be hardware calibrated with internal 2 calibration slots.
  • 2 Battery-free Digital Pens: Comes with two battery free digital pens for different preferences. 3 Button Pen v2 + eraser and Thin Pen v2 + eraser. 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, 5080LPI pen resolution, tilt recognition. Delivers a similar drawing feel to traditional media.
  • Increase Productivity: 3 Device Control Buttons: Settings Panel, Pressure Curves, Virtual Tablet to switch displays. As well as the Included Quick shortcut with integrated OLED display lets you see the button assignments on glance. The shortcut keys give you 5 sets of 8 keys – a total of 40 programmable functions per application, includes physical dial offers 4 function modes that can be used for zooming, rotation, brush size, and other functions. Also comes with a clip to move to desired location on the display. Or take off to use in various positions suited for the user.
  • Ergonomic Modern Design: This new display has a simple but well thought out design that is comfortable for hours of use and can adapt to the creators' preferences. Quiet fan-less performance during your creative time comprised of a magnesium alloy back housing to dissipate heat. Draw easily on the edge-to-edge glass and adjust seamlessly with a one hand with the included Tilt-stand with a one maneuver from 16 to 72 degrees. The Pen Display 24 covers all productivity needs, delivers on comfort with adaptable solutions and workflow.

What Adobe has actually launched

There is not one universal “Adobe AI editor.” Adobe currently has several related experiences:

  • Photoshop AI Assistant: a public beta on Photoshop web and mobile that can perform image edits or explain how to make them.
  • Adobe Express AI Assistant: a beta feature for eligible desktop users that can edit images and broader designs.
  • Firefly AI Assistant: a wider conversational interface intended to access creative skills across Adobe’s ecosystem.
  • Adobe apps in ChatGPT: a separate integration in which users can invoke Photoshop or Express from ChatGPT by naming the app and describing an instruction.

The in-app Photoshop and Express assistants should therefore be understood as conversational layers over existing editors. They can orchestrate several actions, but conventional tools such as Photoshop Generative Fill, Generative Expand, Generative Remove, and background tools remain important when a task needs precise control.

Photoshop AI Assistant: prompt-based photo editing

Adobe announced the Photoshop AI Assistant public beta on March 10, 2026. The announcement covers Photoshop on the web and mobile; it should not be read as confirmation that the same assistant is available in every desktop Photoshop release.

You can describe edits such as:

  • Removing unwanted people or objects.
  • Changing or replacing a background.
  • Adjusting lighting.
  • Changing colors while retaining texture.
  • Adding an object to a particular area.
  • Cropping or reframing an image for a specific use.
  • Applying a visual treatment such as a soft glow.

Photoshop can either apply an edit or, where the option is presented, provide step-by-step instructions. The latter is particularly useful when you want to learn the underlying Photoshop workflow rather than accept an automatic result.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

AI Markup and voice input

Photoshop web also includes AI Markup in the contextual task bar. Draw over the area you want to change, then add a prompt. For example, mark the sky and write, “Add distant snow-capped mountains.” This is more reliable than asking an assistant to infer the target from the whole image.

Supported Photoshop mobile experiences also accept voice requests, allowing you to describe an edit instead of typing it.

Rank #2
Wacom Cintiq Pro 22, Drawing Tablet with 4K 120 Hz Touchscreen & ProPen 3
  • Customizable Display: Graphics tablet features 8 ExpressKeys, adjustable on-screen menus, and improved multi-touch and pen gestures; ideal for creative professionals like graphic designers
  • Remarkable Pen Performance: Pro Pen 3 features 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, 3 side switches, customizable pen grips, and adjustable weight and center of balance
  • Vibrant Color Display: Windows and macOS tablet features professional-quality Ultra HD 4K display and showcases a refresh rate of 120Hz allowing for near-zero latency
  • Tablet with Easy Stand: Adjust this professional arts tablet to your comfort level with the Easy Stand, which offers a fixed angle height; attach the pen tray to the display to personalize even more
  • Includes: Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 digital drawing pad, Pro Pen 3, 2 extra grips, 3 extra button plates, balance piece, 10 replacement nibs, nib remover, USB-C cable, AC adapter, power cord, start guide

Useful Photoshop prompts

  • “Remove the people in the background and keep the main subject unchanged.”
  • “Replace the cloudy sky with a warm sunset, matching the existing light.”
  • “Brighten the subject’s face without overexposing the background.”
  • “Change the blue jacket to dark green while preserving its texture.”
  • “Make this image suitable for a square social-media profile picture.”
  • “Show me the steps to create a soft portrait glow instead of applying the edit automatically.”

Adobe’s research describes the assistant’s automatic and instructional modes in more detail in its Photoshop AI Assistant research article.

Adobe Express AI Assistant: edit images and designs

Express takes a broader approach. It can modify content inside an image, restyle a photo, or change a design containing images, text, layouts, colors, fonts, layers, and multiple assets. That is why a prompt may affect the surrounding composition rather than only the pixels in an uploaded photograph.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Adobe’s documented examples include:

  • “Create a studio-style product photo.”
  • “Replace the gray blazer with a red jacket.”
  • “Fix the layout.”
  • “Adjust the audio in my video.”

How to access Express AI Assistant

  1. Open the Adobe Express homepage on desktop.
  2. Turn on AI Assistant Beta.
  3. Describe the design change, image edit, or restyling request.
  4. Review the result and continue with manual editing if needed.

Adobe’s current overview describes access for eligible individual Free and Premium accounts on desktop. Teams, Enterprise, and Education accounts are not supported in that documentation. Availability is limited and gradually rolled out, so seeing “coming soon”—or not seeing the toggle at all—does not necessarily indicate a technical problem.

The documented supported languages are English, French, German, Japanese, Hindi, and Brazilian Portuguese.

Photoshop versus Express

Photoshop AI Assistant Express AI Assistant
Best for Photo editing, retouching, localized changes, and learning Photoshop workflows Social posts, flyers, thumbnails, marketing graphics, and quick design production
Where Photoshop web and mobile public beta; voice input on supported mobile experiences Desktop Express beta with limited rollout
Control More suitable for selections, masks, layers, compositing, and precision work Faster, simpler design editing across layouts and assets
Targeting AI Markup in Photoshop web can identify a specific region Prompt-driven actions can affect an image or the wider design
Account access Depends on supported Photoshop surface and account Adobe documents individual Free and Premium eligibility, not Teams, Enterprise, or Education

Choose Photoshop when the final image must withstand detailed inspection or fit into a layer-based workflow. Choose Express when the job is a finished piece of visual communication rather than a carefully constructed composite.

How to write prompts that work

A useful prompt follows this pattern:

Action + target + desired result + constraints + what to preserve

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Rank #3
Sale
XP-PEN Artist12 11.6 Inch FHD Drawing Monitor Pen Display Graphic Monitor with PN06 Battery-Free Multi-Function Pen Holder and Glove 8192 Pressure Sensitivity
  • Universal Compatibility: It's compatible with Windows 7/8/10/11, Mac 10.10 or later, Linux. Compatible with Photoshop, Illustrator, SAI, Painter, MediBang, Clip Studio, and more. It's ideal for digital drawing, animation, sketching, photo editing, 3D sculpting, and more (XP-PEN Artist12 drawing tablet must be connected to a computer to work).
  • 11.6 HD IPS display: Artist12 drawing tablet is the XP-PEN’s latest smallest 1920x1080 HD display paired with 72% NTSC(100%SRGB) Color Gamut, presenting vivid images, vibrant colors and extreme detail for a stunning display of your artwork. It's pre-installed anti-reflective screen protector already. The slim touch bar can be programmed to zoom in and out, scroll up and down. Its 6 shortcut keys are customizable, XP-PEN driver allows the shortcut keys to be attuned to other different software
  • Battery-free stylus with a digital eraser at the end: XP-PEN advanced P06 passive pen was made for a traditional pencil-like feel! Featuring a unique hexagonal design, non-slip & tack-free flexible glue grip, partial transparent pen tip, and an eraser at the end! Delivering technical sense, high efficiency, with a fashionable and comfortable grip, and there are 8 replacement pen nibs included with the multi-function pen holder
  • XP-PEN Artist12 drawing tablet with screen is ideal for online education and remote work. Set the Artist12 drawing screen as an extended display when working from home, visually present your handwritten notes on the screen directly. Teachers and students can write and edit complicated functional equations with ease. It's compatible with XSplit, Zoom, Twitch, Microsoft Teams, ezTalks Webinar, Idroo, Scribbiar, wiziQ, and more
  • XP-PEN provides a one-year warranty and lifetime technical support for all our drawing pen tablets/displays. Register your XP-PEN Artist12 drawing tablet on xp-pen web to apply for an ArtRage 5, openCanvas, or Explain Everything. Your laptop/desktop needs to have HDMI and USB-A ports available for the connection, or you need an extra converter(such as Thunderbolt to HDMI, depends on what ports that your laptop/desktop has) for the connection

For example:

“Replace the gray blazer with a red jacket, preserve the person’s pose and facial features, and match the original lighting.”

Be specific about:

  • The target: name the object, person, background, or region.
  • The result: describe the replacement, adjustment, crop, or style.
  • Lighting and perspective: ask the change to match the source image.
  • Boundaries: say what must remain untouched.
  • Output requirements: include a format, aspect ratio, or intended platform when relevant.

For a complex job, request one change at a time. A short, constrained prompt is usually easier to diagnose than a paragraph asking for ten unrelated edits.

What is free—and what is not?

Adobe’s allowances are product-, plan-, action-, model-, region-, and date-dependent. “Free” does not mean unlimited.

Photoshop

Adobe’s March 2026 announcement said that free Photoshop users on the web and mobile could start with 20 free generations. It also described unlimited AI Assistant generations for paid Photoshop web and mobile subscribers through April 9, 2026. That promotion was time-limited and should not be treated as a continuing entitlement.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Express

According to Adobe’s Express AI Assistant FAQ, eligible Free users receive a limited daily allotment of free generations. Some actions do not consume those daily generations, including ordinary prompting, layout edits, color adjustments, image replacement, manual editing, and modifying content within an existing image.

Actions Adobe lists as consuming free generations include image generation, “Generate similar,” template generation, object removal, object insertion, Expand-based resizing, and rewriting. Premium users receive monthly generative credits and premium assistant features such as Resize, subject to the current plan terms. Check Adobe’s current Express plan page before making a purchase or promising a free workflow.

Rank #4
XPPen Artist Pro 27 (Gen 2) Drawing Tablet with Screen | 27Inch 4K 120Hz for Professional Artists, Animators Graphic Designers | Calman Certified Color Accuracy | X3 Pro with Tilt Support
  • Stunning 27-Inch 4K Display for True-to-Life Color: This professional graphics tablet features a stunning 27-inch 4K (3840x2160) 120Hz display with 99% Adobe RGB, ΔE<1 color accuracy, and Calman certification. AG+AF coating reduces glare, while full-lamination minimizes parallax. Perfect for illustrators reviewing animation details or photographers editing high-res images—ensuring every stroke matches your creative vision
  • X3 Pro Stylus Delivers a Natural Paper-Like Feel: Our advanced drawing tablet with pen includes the upgraded X3 Pro chip stylus with 16,384 pressure levels and tilt accuracy. Featuring 0.4mm precision, felt nibs, and an ergonomic silicone grip, it delivers a true paper-like feel—ideal for 3D sculptors in Blender or concept artists creating intricate designs
  • Multi-Touch Control for Intuitive Creation & Navigation: This versatile art tablet features multi-touch support for Windows 10+ and macOS 12+ with customizable touch zones and gestures. Reduce reliance on shortcuts as you navigate timelines, pan, and zoom prototypes effortlessly—enhancing workflow efficiency for video editors and UI/UX designers
  • Complete with Wireless Shortcut Keyboard & Calibration: Turn this digital drawing pad into a productivity powerhouse with its included wireless shortcut keyboard and XPPen ColorMaster one-click calibration. Multi-function keys support rapid display switching—ideal for game developers testing assets across screens or architectural designers comparing CAD model
  • Universal Compatibility for Seamless Cross-Platform Work: This professional tableta gráfica is compatible with Windows 7+, macOS 12+, Android 10.0+, ChromeOS 88+, Linux, and major software like Photoshop, Blender, and Clip Studio Paint. Perfect for freelance animators switching setups or design teams collaborating across different operating systems—your workflow stays uninterrupted
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

Which models power Express?

Express documentation says its assistant combines Adobe Firefly and third-party models, then automatically selects a model for the request. Users cannot manually choose the model inside AI Assistant. Adobe identifies partner models including Gemini 2.5 Flash Image and Flux.1 Kontext in its overview.

That means the assistant is not necessarily using an Adobe-made model for every result. Output characteristics, artifacts, restrictions, and consistency may vary by task. For commercial work, review the applicable Adobe terms and the provenance or content-credential information available for the specific workflow rather than assuming all generated results behave identically.

Free tools Windows power users keep installed

One-click scans. No signup required.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

When the result is wrong

The AI Assistant toggle is missing

In Express, confirm that you are using the desktop site, that the account is an individual Free or Premium account, and that the account has entered the limited rollout. If Adobe displays “coming soon,” access is not currently available.

The prompt is rejected

Rephrase it as a concrete design action, identify the target area, and split a complicated request into smaller steps. Adobe says Express does not support every feature and may ask you to rephrase unsupported prompts.

The wrong area changes

Use AI Markup in Photoshop web when available. In conventional Photoshop workflows, make a selection or mask before applying a generative tool. Also state explicitly what must remain unchanged.

The result changes too much

Keep the original, narrow the prompt, and make one alteration at a time. Finish with manual masks, layers, adjustments, or retouching. Do not assume that every assistant operation preserves a fully non-destructive, independently editable history unless Adobe documents that behavior for that operation.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Best Value
Sale
XPPen 15.6" Drawing Tablet with 16384 Pressure Levels Stylus
  • PLEASE NOTE: The XPPen Artist 15.6 Pro needs to connect with a computer to use. You need to use it with your Computer or Laptop. It is NOT a standalone drawing tablet
  • Outstanding Visuals: The immersive 15.6 inch large screen with 1920x1080 p full HD resolution presents your creation in the depth of detail, provides you with clarity to see every detail of your work
  • 8 customized express keys: The Artist 15.6 Pro monitor features 8 fully customizable shortcut keys and puts more customization options at your fingertips to suit you preferred work style, allowing you to capture and express your ideas easier and faster for optimized workflow
  • Full-laminated Technology: XPPen Artist15.6 Pro art tablet is adopting full-laminated technology, seamlessly combines the glass and the screen, to create a distraction-free working environment that's also easy on the eyes
  • Advanced Pen Performance: With up to 16384 levels of pressure sensitivity, the Battery-free Stylus provides you with increased accuracy and enhanced performance to create the finest sketches and lines

The output contains artifacts

Inspect faces, hands, text, repeated patterns, edges, reflections, and shadows at high magnification. A second generation may help, but small defects are often faster to repair manually than to regenerate repeatedly.

An edit uses credits unexpectedly

Check whether the action involved image generation, object insertion or removal, template generation, rewriting, or Expand-based resizing. Those categories may consume allowances even when the initial prompt sounded like a simple edit.

Is Adobe’s prompt editing worth using?

For repetitive edits, quick variations, social content, and users who do not know every Photoshop command, the assistants can remove friction. Photoshop is the stronger choice when precision, localized control, and professional retouching matter. Express is the stronger choice when the image is part of a larger piece of content with text, templates, layouts, animation, or stock assets.

The assistants are less compelling as a reason to buy a subscription on their own. They remain beta or limited-release features, with changing interfaces, staged access, and variable credit rules. Choose Express Premium, Photoshop, Creative Cloud Pro, or Firefly based on the broader workflow you need—not on an assumption that every prompt feature will remain free or unchanged.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Related Adobe AI workflows

Adobe announced a broader creative-agent expansion across Photoshop, Firefly, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, and Frame.io in June 2026. That initiative is related to, but distinct from, the narrower assistants embedded in Photoshop and Express; identical availability and capabilities should not be assumed across those applications.

Adobe also supports Photoshop and Express integrations inside ChatGPT. This is a separate route into Adobe tools, not proof that the in-app assistants have been replaced by ChatGPT. Details are available in Adobe’s integration announcement.

More from the Paint Desk

Recommended PC Tool
Recommended PC Tool
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They SpreadFree repair scan
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You DownFree scan - exact matches

Two free Windows tools

One Free Minute Could Fix That PC

Before you go - each of these free tools takes about a minute and tackles what quietly slows a Windows PC down.

Special offer. View Outbyte info, uninstall instructions, EULA, and Privacy Policy.