Adobe’s AI toolset, Firefly, has completed beta testing and is getting ready for commercial use. This means that users of Adobe Creative Cloud can now utilize Firefly to create images in Photoshop, test out raw text, recolor images in Illustrator, and enhance banners and videos in Adobe Express. I have personally used some of these features myself.
However, Adobe is implementing some changes when it comes to the usage of Firefly. The company is introducing Firefly usage credits at different rates depending on the Creative Cloud subscription plan. Additionally, Adobe is planning to raise subscription prices in November.
If you have a full Creative Cloud subscription, which costs $55 a month and provides access to all Adobe software, you can create up to 1,000 creatives per month. If you subscribe to a single program, such as Photoshop or Premiere Pro for $21 a month, you have a limit of 500 creations per month. Subscribing to Adobe Express, a mobile app that costs $10 a month, allows for 250 Firefly usage.
“We want to ensure that our users don’t feel limited in their creativity due to usage credits,” said Deepa Subramaniam, Vice President of Subscription Marketing for Adobe’s Creative Cloud.
However, it’s important to note that Adobe will also be increasing its subscription prices by approximately 9% to 10% in November. The price hike is attributed to the addition of Firefly and other AI tools, as well as new tools and software. For instance, the monthly cost of an annual subscription for all programs will go up from $55 to $60, while the cost of a subscription for a single program will increase from $21 to $23 per month.
In my personal experience with Firefly, I have found it to produce excellent results. However, there are also limitations to the tool. Since it is a cloud-based service, I’m hopeful that Adobe will address these limitations and further improve Firefly’s performance.
According to UBS analyst Karl Keirstead, Adobe is expected to generate $400 million to $500 million in additional revenue from the price increases over the next fiscal year. However, he also speculated that Adobe might introduce a standalone Firefly subscription in the future, separate from the full Creative Cloud pricing. This raises questions about Adobe’s confidence in Firefly’s straightforward approach.
Generative AI based on human behavior has shown impressive potential, as demonstrated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a text-based chat tool, in 2022. Although generative AI tools trained on mainstream devices still make mistakes, Adobe’s customers are forgiving because they mostly use these tools for inspiration. Generative AI has proven to be especially powerful in virtual reality applications.
Customers with paid subscription plans will still be able to use Firefly even if they exceed their monthly usage limit, but at a reduced rate, according to Subramaniam. Users on the free tier can enjoy 25 Firefly uses per month. And starting in November, users looking for more usage can pay an additional $5 per month for 100 extra Firefly uses.
I used Photoshop’s Firefly generative AI technology to add a red crab to a photo I took of an American avocet sweeping through the mud with its bill. Firefly is smart enough to display crabs correctly, even if you look closely, the errors are obvious.
Adobe Rewards Graphics Contributors for AI Training
Another interesting aspect of Adobe’s approach is that it is compensating Adobe Stock contributors whose images were used to train Firefly. Adobe will provide a “meaningful” annual bonus based on the number of licensed images the contributor has and the revenue generated from the image licensing business.
“This provides an opportunity to provide additional funding to our contributors,” stated Subramaniam.
Prior to its commercial release, Firefly was only available in beta programs, with usage being limited to non-commercial projects. To avoid potential copyright issues that could hinder the use of the AI tool, Adobe trained Firefly using images from its own collection of Adobe Stock images as well as public images.
Firefly will also be introduced to Adobe’s Premiere Pro video editing tool later this year.
My Experience with Adobe Firefly AI
In my testing, Firefly has shown the ability to seamlessly integrate images with existing content, whether it’s through object insertion using the fill tool or zooming in on specific elements. It can also accurately match the lighting and perspective of a scene, which is a challenging task, and create realistic lighting effects. Firefly is particularly effective at reproducing complex areas such as leaves.
However, it does have its limitations and occasional issues. For example, it may produce confusing results, like an elephant with a second trunk in place of its tail. To achieve the best outcomes, users often have to make adjustments and try different methods. Nonetheless, many users are still enthusiastic about using Firefly to create AI-generated graphics, despite its imperfections.
I used Firefly in Photoshop to first enlarge the original image, on the left, with new trees and greens, which worked well. The fish that I added are a bit unintelligible, but Firefly blended them well with the background.
For better results, it’s often advisable to approach the generation process step by step. For example, when creating the image of a hippo skydiving, I first used Photoshop to create the hippo against a blue sky, then enlarged the image to add more atmosphere, and finally added the parachute.
Identifying AI-Generated Images
Deepfake AI copies of real people and genuine AI-generated images, like the Pope in a puffy jacket, elicit both fear and fascination. To address these concerns, Adobe has implemented a certification system to increase transparency. Images created with Adobe tools will be labeled as AI-generated, providing users with the necessary information.
“This is how we establish trust and transparency to avoid any confusion,” explained Subramaniam.
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