Whats NEW in Photoshop 2026

Well, it's that time of year again. It's

the big Adobe conference, Adobe Max. Uh,

happens every fall and along with that comes new versions of the software along with new features and also new people to say that some feature has been around for some amount of time in some other program. So, if you want to learn what's

program. So, if you want to learn what's new inside of Photoshop, you're in the right place. If you're going to complain

right place. If you're going to complain in the comments about something, go somewhere else because because nobody here wants to read it. But, uh, a couple things to know as we get started here.

So, it's called Photoshop 2026. Okay,

just know that when you go in your Adobe Updater, you might see version 27. Okay,

the version, the internal version.

There's always one number more. I don't

know why, but that's just the way it works. But you want to install Photoshop

works. But you want to install Photoshop 2026. There might be options to remove

2026. There might be options to remove the old version, Photoshop 2025. I do.

You might not. But just be aware with Photoshop, very different from Lightroom or Lightroom Classic. With Photoshop,

you can have both apps installed. the

old version and the new version. You can

run them side by side if you wanted to, which probably don't want to, but just be aware of that as you're doing your install. And then the last thing would

install. And then the last thing would be any questions about install updates.

I can't get the updates, something's not working, always go to Adobe, never in the comments cuz nobody here can help you. Let's get started on the new

you. Let's get started on the new features. Now, our first one's going to

features. Now, our first one's going to be probably one one of the favorites from a lot of people. It's actually been in in the Photoshop beta for quite a while now, but it's called harmonize.

And essentially what harmonize will do, this was a this is kind of a put together composite of sorts. Essentially

what harmonize will do is is harmonize uh whatever image or layer that you give it with the rest of the photo. So I've

got a layer selected here. You can see that's the the Rhino in there. And if

you go to your contextual taskbar, which if you have lost it, it is under the window menu down to contextual taskbar.

But if you go up there, you will see a little button called harmonize. So, you

just click on it. Uh, you don't really get any options or anything like that.

It's it's very similar to um very similar to generate a fill in a way where it's not just going to generate one, but generate several different options or variations for you. So, when

it gets done, you'll see over here in the properties panel that we're left with a few different uh options that we can choose from. So, there's one, there's another one, there's another

one. So, uh, I deliberately when I did

one. So, uh, I deliberately when I did this, um, when I made this layer, there was a shadow below that, but I deliberately even masked the shadow out because I wanted to see what it did. So,

that's what we started with. And then

this is what harmonize gives us. So, not

only does it harmonize the colors, but it also tends to get in there and harmonize the shadows. Uh, what I found is it does make changes to your photo.

Okay? So, it's not always going to look exactly like your subject as you scroll through here.

You can definitely see the lighting start to change through here, but even at times I notice different textures start to appear on the subject, different edges. I've seen different

different edges. I've seen different hair. Um, so it is it is using

hair. Um, so it is it is using generative fill and there there will be elements that get put in there that might not look exactly like your subject look, but it does a really good job of

of harmonizing the colors in your photo and giving you a few different options.

one is typically going to look better than some of the other ones in there. So

that's the harmonize. You'll see it gives you a new layer down in your layers panel and that will always show in the properties panel and show you the variations for it. Okay, moving on from

there. Uh this one is this is a a

there. Uh this one is this is a a typical one. This has been again in beta

typical one. This has been again in beta for a while. Photoshop kind of ruins all the new Adobe Max features because they've had everything in beta for a while. So so people have typically seen

while. So so people have typically seen a lot of it. But select subject is better. This one I wish I wish I

better. This one I wish I wish I remembered before I did the update because I would have I would have actually done it with the old version and the new version, but when I did the update I I uninstalled the old version

and I'm too lazy to go back in there and reinstall it. But I do know it's better.

reinstall it. But I do know it's better.

Okay, I had tried this out. Uh select

I've thought select subject is great, but it's definitely gotten better. So

you click on select subject. I'm going

to press command or control J. Pop it to a new layer and then just fill the background with black or white.

anything in there, but typically this this would have been a really really difficult uh selection job to try to get right. So, select subject has uh has

right. So, select subject has uh has definitely improved over time. Okay,

let's go back over to this example here.

Now, another thing that's improved or changed is generative fill. It now has other AI models in there. So, I made a rectangular selection

down here in the corner. Okay. So, I

made a rectangular selection. I went to generative fill and I typed in water puddle. Now, there's a little generative

puddle. Now, there's a little generative AI little button right next to here.

Okay. This isn't new. You've been able to choose between Firefly image uh the third version or the first version.

Okay. So, you've been able to choose between those um for a while now, but now they have what's called partner models. So, you can see that there's

models. So, you can see that there's other partner models in here. You might

have seen this Gemini Nano Banana thing.

It's, you know, it's just another partner model that does it in a different way. Sometimes a better way.

different way. Sometimes a better way.

So, what I did here is I did it twice just so you don't have to sit through it. And this was the this was the Let me

it. And this was the this was the Let me go turn on the layer below. There we go.

So, this was the Adobe one. And I'll

walk I'll even cycle through the variations it gave me. I didn't think any of them were very good, but this is the Adobe one. And then same selection,

same everything. And I used the Gemini

same everything. And I used the Gemini or Nano Banana one. And that's only going to give you one uh variation inside of there, but I thought it was I

don't know that's ne necessarily great, but I definitely did think it was better um than what the Adobe gave me. Okay,

keep in mind a lot of these features will use your generative AI credits. If

generative AI credits is something new to you or you don't know how to figure all that out, make sure you go to Adobe, uh, do a Google search on it. You'll

find plenty of information on it. This

is also the perfect time to tell you about my scene spplit miniourse and presets. Uh, the masking that we we have

presets. Uh, the masking that we we have with the landscape masks that we have are available in Lightroom Classic, Lightroom, and Adobe Camera Raw. They

all share the same masking tools, meaning they all share the same features. So, now that we have a new

features. So, now that we have a new mask inside of here, the snow mask, it was a perfect time to update uh that little mini course and presets in there.

You get essentially two parts to it. You

get the presets, which is your creative boost to either speed things up or give you ideas um and creative ideas on how you can edit your photos for everything

from the skies to uh the foreground elements in there and really break apart your photo into all those different areas so that you can very quickly edit them. Okay? And then from there, you

them. Okay? And then from there, you also get the mini course. The miniourse

explains what all these masks are in detail, shows you how to use them because it's it's easy to just use them on their own, but once you start combining them and learning how to combine them with all the other masks

inside of there, that's when masking gets really really powerful. And you

start to realize I can mask anything almost automatically using these adaptive presets and this adaptive technology in there. So, uh, real easy course on sale now. Super easy to get

through, super easy to, uh, to watch and figure out. So, hopefully you'll swing

figure out. So, hopefully you'll swing by and find out a little bit more. Okay,

moving on to the next one. Uh, this is generative upscale. Okay, so if you head

generative upscale. Okay, so if you head up here to the image menu and you'll see an option now for generative upscale.

So, if you go to image size, the size of this photo was 3,000 pixels wide. All

right, so here's what I did. I changed

that to 6,000 pixels and I let Photoshop just do it just with the native upsize.

Okay. Then I added a few different options because as you go in here, if you go to image generative upscale, what you're going to see is very similar to what we had with generative fill. You'll

have the Firefly version from Adobe, but then you also have partner models. Okay?

So, one of those partner models is Topaz Gigapixel. Another one is Topaz Bloom.

Gigapixel. Another one is Topaz Bloom.

Uh I'll let you do some research on these. There's a little link here you

these. There's a little link here you can click to find out more. I can tell you from a photographers's perspective, you're looking for gigapixel. Uh Topaz

Bloom is not going to give you what you want from a photography perspective.

Okay. So, what I did is I went ahead and I ran a 2x upscale on that image. So,

essentially what we end up with, and we'll zoom in, we'll pixel peep a little bit. What we end up with is the Firefly

bit. What we end up with is the Firefly version. I'll even go in further. And

version. I'll even go in further. And

then the topaz version. So, here's the Firefly version. Here's the Topaz

Firefly version. Here's the Topaz version. Again, Firefly. I'll go down to

version. Again, Firefly. I'll go down to the original that I just upscaled using Photoshop. Okay. So, it's not adding

Photoshop. Okay. So, it's not adding anything. There's not really a any AI in

anything. There's not really a any AI in this. I've always thought it's pretty

this. I've always thought it's pretty good, but that's the original Photoshop just upscaled using image size. This is

the Adobe Firefly upscale. So, you can see the difference there. It's

definitely It's a different eye. It's an

entirely different eye on the eagle there. Okay. I I think it's a different

there. Okay. I I think it's a different beak. I think it's a different talent.

beak. I think it's a different talent.

Like it's it's different. Um and then this is the Topaz one versus the Adobe one. So again, Topaz versus Adobe. Topaz

one. So again, Topaz versus Adobe. Topaz

looks a little cartoony to me. Then if

you want to see Topaz versus Photoshop, that's top Photoshop and then that's Topaz. So I'll let you make your own

Topaz. So I'll let you make your own decisions on that. It's not neither one of them are really a technology I would use. uh when I need to upscale a photo,

use. uh when I need to upscale a photo, I still go into image image size for the most part and just type in uh the amount that I want there. And I found that Photoshop up until about 3 or 4x uh does

a really good job. And I is with any any photo I've taken in the last 5 or 10 years, I haven't had to upscale it any further than that. And finally, I have opened up a raw photo into the latest

version of Adobe Camera Raw, which is 18 or above, depending on when you're watching this. a couple of just we'll

watching this. a couple of just we'll call them slight changes because Camera Raw has has seemed to be the testing ground for Adobe. So, what they do is they call these early access features.

So, if you head over to your remove features, um one of the early access features was dust removal. Uh that is no longer early access. It is now in Camera Raw. It's also inside of both versions

Raw. It's also inside of both versions of Lightroom. But pretty simple. There's

of Lightroom. But pretty simple. There's

no settings to it. You just click on it and it automatically uh jumps in there to remove dust. Uh there is a reflection removal which is not new. Uh they say it's updated. They say it's enhanced. So

it's updated. They say it's enhanced. So

give it a try. Uh it's one of those features that you know again it's how do you really tell it says it's enhanced but unless you try it on the same photo uh tough to really see. And then finally

one that I will show you is again under this remove tool here. I'm only going to show it to you be it's it's nothing new.

which just enhanced this little detect objects setting that we have right there. So, what that does is as you as

there. So, what that does is as you as you paint over something, it tries to it tries to detect the object. So, you

don't have to be perfect about it. It'll

try to go in there and do it for you.

Okay. So, you see it there. I I by no means did I stay in the lines of uh that little stick down there, but Photoshop should do a pretty good job of of finding all the edges there. Okay. So,

I'm going to cancel out of that one.

What's changes is now it tends to find shadows and reflections a little bit better. So, I'm just going to paint the

better. So, I'm just going to paint the top part of this rock over here. All

right. I'm not going to get the reflection of it. And you can see really quickly it just went in there and it grabbed the reflection. It also grabbed some of the grass as well, but I've tried it out on a few different photos.

So, if there's a shadow or reflection down below that, uh the detect objects feature is definitely uh picking that up. Now, the interesting thing is, you

up. Now, the interesting thing is, you know, a lot of people are like, "Well, I didn't want that. If I if id wanted it, I would have selected it in the first place. So that's fine. We'll leave it.

place. So that's fine. We'll leave it.

We'll have detect objects on. Number

one, you don't have to turn the feature on. So just leave it off. Number two,

on. So just leave it off. Number two,

there is an add subtract little brush down there. So you could always go in

down there. So you could always go in there if you don't like what it did. Uh

you could always go in there and subtract out uh the areas that you didn't like before you go ahead and hit the remove button. Well, that wraps it up for our new features in Photoshop and

Camera Raw. If you're interested in

Camera Raw. If you're interested in what's new inside of Lightroom Classic, I did a separate video on that one. So,

there's some new AI coloring features, there's a new color control in there, there's some new masking. Um, so if you're interested in finding out what's new inside of Lightroom Classic, this video would be a great place to go to next.