Adobe Express gets a massive free upgrade – including Firefly AI

A few weeks ago, Photoshop got a huge update which saw the platform benefit from Adobe Firefly generative AI capabilities. Now, hot on the heels of that release, another Adobe staple is getting a similar boost.

Adobe Express may not have the brand name recognition of Photoshop, but it probably deserves it. The free platform enables users to edit images, photos and PDFs, with a distinct focus on social media uses. It's already a powerful free tool, and it's only going to get better with the inclusion of generative AI.

It's important to note that the version of Firefly coming to Express isn't quite the same as the one in Photoshop. That had generative fill, which Express doesn't get this time out. Instead, users will get to use text-to-image, for AI-based image generation, and text effects, which can use AI to adjust fonts.

In a live demo of the new features, we saw a little green monster created with AI. The text alongside that image was then altered with text effects to get a similar fluffy texture to the monster himself.

Crucially, all of the images are safe for commercial use. Plus, while generative fill isn't present in this update, the team at Adobe did allude to that being a possibility in the future, so watch this space.

Other updates are also made to the platform. In particular, Express gets a deep connectivity with other apps in the Adobe ecosystem. For example, you can import files directly from Photoshop or Illustrator into Express. Then, if you make changes to the original file, those changes appear in Express in real-time. 

That's perfect for collaborative teams. One user on Express could ask for a change to be made, and that could be enacted elsewhere, updating instantly where it's needed.

The feature will be available in the beta version of Express from today.