Photoshop 28.0 adds Relight to change lighting after the shot

Adobe put Relight, its generative AI lighting tool, into version 28.0 of Photoshop for desktop, announced on November 10 at Adobe MAX. The tool lets a photographer move a new light around a photo after the shoot, then change its color and strength. Photoshop creates the new lighting on a separate layer above the original image.

Adobe documented Relight in the Photoshop beta in a September 28 announcement. The November release brings it to the regular desktop app. Photoshop already had a Light adjustment layer with controls for exposure, contrast and the brightness of highlights and shadows. Relight gives an editor a way to set where light comes from and how it spreads across a subject.

Up to three lights, 30 credits to apply

Adobe says Relight uses the image’s existing lighting as input when it generates a new result. A new Relight layer opens with its first light control in the middle of the image. An editor can place up to three lights per layer, including outside the frame, and adjust each light’s color, strength and diffusion independently. Individual lights can be switched off to see how much each contributes to the scene.

Photoshop shows a lower-resolution preview during those adjustments. Applying the edit generates the result at the input image’s full resolution. It requires an internet connection and uses 30 generative credits. An editor can reopen the layer later to move the existing lights, add another light or remove one. Applying a revised result also costs 30 credits, according to Adobe’s help page.

The change applies to the active layer. In a composite with a subject on the top layer and a separate background below it, adding a light to the top layer changes the subject layer. Lighting the background would require a separate edit on that layer. Adobe lists unlocked pixel, Rotate Object and Smart Object layers as eligible inputs.

A slider for edits made with a prompt

Generative Restyle gives an editor a slider for an edit first made with a text prompt. After generating a brighter or more colorful version, for example, an editor can turn it into a Restyle layer and adjust the strength of the change without requesting another variation. Adobe treats the initial prompt and the conversion to a Restyle layer as separate steps. The 80-credit charge applies when Photoshop builds the layer with its custom slider.

Quick Compare adds a view of the original document state alongside the current edit. The two can appear in a left-right or top-bottom split, or the editor can toggle between them in one view. That gives someone reviewing a stack of adjustments a way to check the overall change without hiding each layer in turn.

Removing an object and its reflection

The Remove tool now has an option to take out traces associated with an object, including its shadow, reflection or a wake in water. A cleanup that targets an umbrella next to a puddle, for example, can also target the umbrella’s reflection. Photoshop puts the removal on a new layer.

This related-elements mode requires generative processing in the cloud. Version 28.0 also adds local Remove tool processing on supported Windows Arm computers with NVIDIA RTX Spark GPUs. Adobe’s credits FAQ says ordinary removal currently uses no credits, while the related-elements option uses 10 per application.

An optional Enhance step can refine the filled area for an additional charge. Under Adobe’s listed rates, a 20-megapixel result would use 10 more credits and a 40-megapixel result would use 20 more. The on-canvas task bar shows the option for images of at least 2K by 2K, Adobe says.

Adobe also showed a way to remove effects such as lens flare and haze while leaving objects in the picture. That option is in the separate Photoshop beta. Adobe’s beta documentation says it offers two cloud-generated variations, including one with enhanced detail. The option excludes 32-bit documents.