Adobe updated Photoshop 25.11 in July 2024. Here are the new features and how to use them.
In some cases, these features have already appeared in the beta version of Photoshop and I have already made tutorials on them. In those cases, I’ll provide a brief overview of the feature here, so this tutorial is complete. I will also provide a link to th more in-depth tutorial, so you can learn the feature in more detail.
Selection Brush Tool
This feature is entirely new(ish). While it’s a new feature, the Selection Brush is just basically a dumbed down version of Quick Mask.
You use the selection Brush, to paint on a selection. When you choose another tool, the painted area will be turned into a section. What makes this tool unique, is its ability to create a soft edged selection, and also with a different level of transparency. (This can also be done with Quick Mask, but with more control). The selection brush has no edge detection and works like a paintbrush.
The Selection Brush is nested with the lasso tool.
At the top, you can chan choose transparency as well as brush softness.
Paint on the image where you want to make a selection.
If you choose a different tool, the pink area will turn into a section.
In this case, lets do something more interesting to highlight the soft edges selection.
Click on new layer mask
A mask is created with a soft edge and also semi transparent.
You can see this makes in interesting looking mask.
Let’s inverse the mask, Click on the layer masks
Ctrl/Cmd+I to invert it.
Choose another image and drag it into the tab on the image we are working on.
This enables us to combine images into a collage. See how the soft edges selection works in this case.
Here is a basic tutorial on combining images and making collages in photoshop if you don’t know how to do this.
Using the Selection Brush with Generative Fill
Here is a more useful way to use the selection brush.
Lower the opacity to 20%
Paint in the area you want to generate a shark.
In the Contextual Task Bar, type in Shark and click Generate.
Because the Brush opacity was reduced to 20% it generates a low density, making the shark appear underwater.
In my opinion, this tool is a bit redundant and you are better off learning how to use Quick mask Tool. But it’s easy for beginners, who may get some use out of it.
Adjustment Brush updates
I have made tutorials on the Photoshop Adjustment Brush before. But is has some updates here.
First, it’s been places into its own slot in the toolbar. It used to be nested with the Brush tool. The problem with the nesting, when you tap the B key for Brush, you would get the Adjustment brush instead of the paintbrush and this messed up workflows, as well as actions.
Now you have options in the Taskbar including Brush hardness and size. (I’m still hoping for pen pressure).
Paint on your photo to apply the adjustment.
To be a little blunt, I sort of Group this tool with the Selection brush, a bit redundant for users other than new users, as the Adjustment Layer Masks can do the same thing with more control.
But here is a different way the Adjustment Brush works that is useful.
If you want to extend the adjustment, choose the Object selection tool and make a selection.(You can see this on the video at the top).
The adjustment is automatically extended to the selected area.
Shapes, strokes and fill
The shape tools have a boost and the features are available in the Task Bar, making this once-annoying floating bar a little more useful and endearing itself with more users. Let me know in the comments, do you like the task bar?
Grab the rectangular shape tool. Make sure you have shape as the option at the top left of the top toolbar.
Make a selection.
Notice you can change the fill and stoke colors, as well as change the roundness by dragging on the dots in the corners.
Tap the curve in the task bar and notice you can also change the corner roundness here.
If you desire, you can change the roundness of individual corners.
Bullets and Numbering
This simple feature appears to be the favorite of a lot of people, myself included.
When you make text lists, you had to manually create bullets with the circle tool and align them to the image. No longer!
With the type tool active, Click the tool options.
Look at the bottom left corner of the Paragraph panel.
Make sure you select your type first.
Click on Bullets and lookie!
It’s small, but huge at the same time and long overdue.
If you chose numbers, it will add a numbered list, or convert the bullets to numbers.
Enhance image on Generative Fill
When you use Generative fill, you get a maximum resolution of 1024px x 1024px stretched out over the Generated area. This tool is added from Photoshop beta and now in shipping version.
If the generated area is larger than 1k, you will see an icon in the variation Thumbnail. Click this to enhance the appearance of the generated pixels.
I have created and entire tutorial on Enhancing resolution on Generative Fill, where I show you exactly what this does and how it works, as well as tips to boost the resolution in any generated image.
Text To image, Generate Image
This next feature, is also moved over from Photoshop Beta, aka the real Version of Photoshop (Shipping? They don’t actually ship) or whatever we are calling the regular version of Photoshop.
At the bottom of the toolbar you will see a new icon. If the icon is missing, here’s the fix
The new icon is for Generate Image, or Text to Image. You have to have a document open for this to work. If it’s grayed out, create a new document first, or open an existing one.
Here you can generate images from text prompts and they are using Adobe Firefly version 3.
I’m not going Ito this as I show how it works on the video, and I have previously made an in-detail tutorial on Photoshop Generative Image/ Text to Image.
Hopefully this article was useful and helped you get up to date on the newest Photoshop Features. In case you didn’t know, I have an archive of ALL the Photoshop and Lightroom features as they were added in the Superguide. See what features you may have missed.
Great to see you at the CAFE
Colin
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