Adobe brings in more AI enhancements to Lightroom

Adobe's seemingly endless drive to convince the world we need artificial intelligence (AI) tools rolls ever onwards, with the company adding new features to Adobe Lightroom, including Generative Remove and an AI-powered Lens Blur. 

Adobe calls its AI tech Firefly, and it is now in many of the company's products. Its latest application in Lightroom is Generative Remove which lets users remove unwanted objects from any photo entirely non-destructively with just a single click.

From there, users must then paint a general shape over the object(s) they want to remove.

This differs from existing heal functions, which Adobe says are best suited to small objects like dust spots or minor distractions.

Generative Remove is designed to handle larger and more complex situations, like removing an entire person from the background, and brings functionality into Lightroom that was previously only found in Photoshop.

When users use Generative Remove, Lightroom offers three potential variants, each with a slightly different spin on AI-powered object removal. 

You can see some examples of results in the screenshots below.

In addition, the other new addition is the formal introduction of Lens Blur into Lr (it was previously in early access as we covered on our guide here).

Lens Blur works by analysing the image and creating a Depth map to distinguish between the foreground, the main subject, and the background.

Once the depth map detects different depth levels, the Lens blur tool can then apply a blur effect selectively to specific depth ranges.

In use, it works the same as it did in the Beta version, and like Generative Remove, is non-destructive, meaning users can tweak or disable it later in editing. Also, a selection of all-new presets allow photographers to quickly and easily achieve a specific look.

Lens Blur is available across Lightroom on desktop, mobile, and the web.

The other notable new function for Lr is tethering support in Lightroom Classic for select Sony Alpha mirrorless cameras, a welcome addition.

According to Adobe, the rollout of the new functionality will be staggered. Generative Remove is available in “early access” across mobile, desktop, iPad, Web, and Lightroom Classic. It is also coming to Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

Lens Blur is generally available across the entire Lightroom ecosystem. However, the amount of manual control photographers have over the depth map and visualisation depends on the platform. Lens Blur is also in ACR.