STEP BY STEP DEVELOPING THE FUTURE OF IMAGES

Photoshop Beta collects image data to produce abstracts and patterns using text prompts

01 PHOTOSHOP BETA

Photoshop Beta is separate to Photoshop. In most regards it’s identical, but Adobe uses it to trial new tools and filters like the Backdrop Creator filter, while gathering usage data that helps to shape the finished product. Anybody with a Creative Cloud subscription can download it. Open your Creative Cloud app and go to the Beta Apps tab on the left, install and launch it. Open an image to get started.

04 GENERATED IMAGES

After typing your text prompt, the filter will generate three images. Click on the thumbnail to see how one will look. Any ticked images will be created as separate layers once you hit OK. If you like the look of it but want to see more variations, click the ‘More like this’ icon to generate three more options. Set Variety to a high value, and use a low value to focus on specifics.

02 BACKGROUND CREATOR FILTER

The Background Creator can be found under Filter>neural Filters. You’ll need to download the filter if it’s your first time using it. It won’t let you craft highly detailed scenes, so you won’t get photorealistic results. It’s more geared towards creating abstracts, patterns and blurred impressions. As such, it works well when combined with portraits where the background would be out of focus.

05 CUT OUT

Start the process by cutting out a person or object. Open the image, then go to Select>select and Mask. Click the Select Subject button, then click the Refine Hair button. Use the sliders to fine-tune the selection edge, then choose Output: New Layer with Layer Mask and hit OK. Highlight the bottom layer, then go to Filter>neural Filters to start using the Background Creator.

03 TEXT PROMPTS

Type your text prompts here. We tried ‘neon street sign, pink, blue’ to generate the backdrop for our portrait. Some text prompts aren’t permitted – for instance, anything related to people will be met with ‘Filter does not support human imagery’. You’ll also occasionally see that words are omitted. You might find you get more detailed images if you add in words like HD (high definition) or ‘photograph’.

06 TRY HARMONIZE

Once you’ve generated the new backdrop, it’s likely that you’ll need to tweak the colours in the subject. The Harmonize filter can be useful. Go to Filter>neural Filters and turn on Harmonize. Target the background in the Source dropdown, then use the sliders to fine-tune the results. Output to a new layer and experiment with the layer opacity to control the strength of the effect.

Blend a paint photo with a city scene and fine-tune the effect with selections and layer skills

Time needed

30 minutes

Skill level

Intermediate

Kit needed

Affinity