Adobe Photoshop has always been the go-to software for photo editing and graphic design. But with the introduction of Generative Fill AI, Photoshop has taken a giant leap forward. This feature is not just another tool in your Photoshop arsenal; it’s a game-changer. In this article, we’ll delve into the nitty-gritty of Generative Fill AI, explore how it can revolutionize your art styles, and guide you through the setup process for creating stunning art style effects.

Before we dive into the how-to, let’s understand what Generative Fill AI is. It’s an artificial intelligence-powered feature that allows you to fill selected areas of your image with content that is contextually relevant and visually stunning. Think of it as the smarter, more artistic cousin of the traditional fill tool.

Creating art styles over your photos

One of the most exciting applications of Generative Fill AI is its ability to create unique art styles over your existing photos. Imagine turning your simple portrait into a watercolor painting or a chalk art drawing. The possibilities are endless, and the best part is, you don’t have to be an art guru to do it.

Setting up for art style creation

In order to create the art style effect with Photoshop’s Generative AI Fill, you first need to make a selection. However, selecting the entire image (using Cmd/Ctrl + A, for example) and then adding your prompt will replace your existing image instead of stylizing it with an effect. To get around this problem, you will need to make a transparent selection. Here’s how:

Why use a transparent selection?

You might wonder why we set the brightness to 40% in the Color Picker. Lower brightness essentially creates a transparent selection, which means the Generative Fill will blend more naturally with the original image. It’s like adding a translucent layer of paint on a canvas, allowing the underlying details to show through.

50 Photoshop Art Style Prompts

I’ve listed 50 prompts below that you can play with or get creative and develop your own. Experiment to see what unique looks you can discover. (Click any photo to view it larger.)

Additional Tips for Mastering Generative Fill AI

• Experiment with Different Prompts: Try using unique phrases for your art styles to see what you can come up with. You may discover something beautiful that you were not expecting.
• Adjust the Selection Brightness: Play around with different selection transparency/brightness levels to achieve various effects.
• Make multiple selections: Consider creating multiple selections of different areas to layer the art styles throughout your image.

Limitations of Photoshop’s Generative Fill AI

While Generative Fill AI is a groundbreaking feature, it’s essential to understand its limitations to make the most out of it. Here are some points to consider:

• Resource-Intensive: Generative Fill AI is a powerful tool that can be resource-intensive. It also requires an Internet connection to work and can be very needy in that regard (meaning it will suck up your Internet use while processing).
• Not Always Perfect: As advanced as it is, Generative Fill AI is not foolproof. There may be instances where the generated fill doesn’t match your prompt or fit well with your existing image.
• Limited image resolution: When this article was written, Generative Fill AI could only create a maximum of 1024px wide. This means that the resolution of the AI you create may not match up with your original image’s resolution. Essentially, it will create a 1024px generation and then stretch it to fit your selection.
• Credit uses with your Creative Cloud plan: Starting November 1st, 2023, each time you click the “Generate” button, you will use up one generative credit. The number of monthly credits you have in your account will depend on your plan. You can read more about how generative credits work on Adobe’s website here. After your credits expire, you can still use the AI features, but they will run slower than usual.

AI: The Future of Photo Editing

Generative Fill AI is not just a feature; it’s a revolution in photo editing and graphic design. As a photographer, I fully embrace what AI art has to offer, whether it is creating my own unique images from scratch or editing existing photographs with Photoshop’s new Generative AI Fill and Generative AI Expand. AI is yet another tool for us as artists to work with and develop our own distinct style, and I believe AI is here to stay. So why not make it worth your while?