Photoshop AI Feature Automates Image Subject Selection

The AI-based selection feature Adobe introduced back in November is now available to users. The feature arrived in Photoshop version 19.1 and it is called "Select Subject." With this — and thanks to Adobe Sensei — Photoshop is now capable of isolating the main subject in an image from its background automatically, saving users time. Select Subject is joined by several other features.

Adobe Sensei is the company's artificial intelligence, deep learning, and machine learning system. With this, Adobe has packed a new smart feature into Photoshop that helps users finish their projects faster by performing some of the basic tasks itself.

Select Subject is the perfect example of this ability, using advanced machine learning technology to identify the most prominent subject in an image. The system is trained to identify all manner of objects, including toys, people, animals, cars, and others.

When the feature is used, the system automatically selects that subject, though the user can then further refine the selection if necessary. For example, if the automatic selection feature accidentally selects a small portion of the background, the user can use the "Subtract from Selection" tool to get rid of that part of the selection.

The new ability arrives at a time when Adobe faces growing competition in the image-editing software market. Notably, Pixelmator recently released an image editor called Pixelmator Pro that packs multiple AI-powered features, including object removal, automatic horizon identification, and layer naming.

In addition to its new Select Subject feature, Photoshop 19.1 adds Windows High-Density Monitor support, improvements to Select and Mask, as well as better support for the Microsoft Surface Dial. Those aside, Adobe says there's also a "long list" of bug fixes.

SOURCE: Adobe