Adobe's Generative AI Tools Face Setbacks, While Apple's Clean Up Feature Shines

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Recent updates to Adobe's AI-powered tools have led to unexpected issues, while Apple's new Clean Up feature demonstrates promising results in photo editing.

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Adobe's Generative AI Tools Face Unexpected Challenges

Adobe's recently updated Firefly-powered generative AI tools, including Generative Remove and Generative Fill, have encountered significant issues following the Adobe MAX event. Users and professionals have reported a decline in performance, with some describing the results as "unusable"

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. The problems range from mismatched textures to the unexpected addition of objects in images, severely impacting workflows that had previously benefited from these AI-assisted editing features.

User Complaints and Adobe's Response

Photographers and editors have expressed frustration with the recent changes. One user on the Adobe Photoshop forums reported a drop in success rate from 90-95% to 5-10% or less

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. Adobe employee Terry White acknowledged the issues, suggesting that users ensure they completely brush over objects for removal, including shadows and reflections. However, he conceded that there is still room for improvement

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The Nature of AI Development

Adobe explains that, unlike traditional software updates, AI-powered tools may not consistently improve with each iteration. The company describes this as a "one-step backward, two-step-forward situation," which is new territory for photo editing applications

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. This inconsistency highlights the challenges of integrating rapidly evolving AI technology into established software platforms.

Apple's Clean Up Feature Emerges as a Strong Competitor

In contrast to Adobe's struggles, Apple has introduced a new Clean Up feature in macOS Sequoia (version 15.1) that has shown promising results

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. This tool, which uses generative AI to remove unwanted objects from images, competes directly with Adobe's offerings.

Head-to-Head Comparison

A series of tests comparing Adobe's Generative Remove and Apple's Clean Up feature revealed significant differences in performance:

  1. Power Line Removal: Adobe's tool produced unacceptable results with pixelated noise, while Apple's Clean Up performed well

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  2. Removing People: Adobe's tool inconsistently removed subjects, sometimes replacing them with nonsensical objects. Apple's results, while not perfect, were generally more usable

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  3. Boat Removal: Both tools produced comparable results, with Adobe's output being slightly smudgier and Apple's showing some unnatural pixel replication

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  4. Escalator Scene: Apple's Clean Up feature outperformed Adobe's tool, producing a more accurate and believable result

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Implications for the Industry

The contrasting performances of Adobe and Apple's AI-powered editing tools highlight the rapid advancements and challenges in the field of AI-assisted image editing. For Adobe, a long-standing leader in professional photo editing software, these setbacks could potentially impact user trust and market position. Conversely, Apple's strong entry into this space with its Clean Up feature demonstrates the company's growing capabilities in AI and image processing.

As the competition intensifies, both companies are likely to invest heavily in improving their AI technologies. This rivalry could ultimately benefit users, driving innovation and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in AI-assisted photo editing. However, it also underscores the need for caution when integrating AI tools into professional workflows, as their performance can be unpredictable during the development phase.

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