Adobe Firefly Design opens public beta with linked Photoshop files

Adobe opened the public beta of Firefly Design, a browser-based design workspace, at Adobe MAX in Miami Beach on November 10. Designers can build assets such as banners and posters in a single editable document and select which layouts to send for review. Adobe says all users can access the workspace during the beta without a paid Firefly plan. Access will vary by tier once it reaches general availability. Adobe has yet to give a date or specify which plans will include access.

Edits to a linked Photoshop file carry through to layouts that use it. Designers can arrange images, vector graphics, 3D objects and motion on one canvas, with each layout on an artboard of its own. Artboards come with presets for social posts, screens and print, and designers can also set a custom width and height.

One Photoshop source can update several placements

Adobe says Photoshop PSD files can be placed as linked layers. A team could use the same product photo in a square post, a wide banner and a vertical poster, retouching the source photo while editing the surrounding text and graphics separately on each artboard. Adobe also lists Illustrator AI and SVG files as supported linked assets.

Firefly Design accepts local PSD, SVG, PNG and JPG files. The workspace also pulls in assets from Creative Cloud Libraries. A team can bring a logo drawn in Illustrator and a photo retouched in Photoshop into the same campaign document.

The workspace’s AI Assistant can take a request about a selected artboard or object. Adobe illustrates the feature with a request to set up blank artboards for a square post, a story and a wide banner. Designers can attach references and revise the results on the canvas. The chat panel accepts up to 10 attachments per message, while the assistant opened from the canvas accepts one at a time.

For vector work, a designer can branch a path partway through a stroke to build a graphic with intersecting lines. Keyframes and motion presets let designers add movement to objects or text and adjust how it plays. Adobe’s overview lists Korean and Japanese typography support. Text and graphics can be checked in their respective layouts when a document holds work for both screens and print.

Selected layouts go to client review

Before sharing, teams can run a brand check on selected artboards or the whole document. It flags colors and fonts that differ from a saved brand kit. Designers can accept the suggested replacements or keep deliberate variations. The report reflects the design at the time of the check, so later edits require a fresh check to see the updated results.

Designers can choose artboards to share and invite clients to comment in a review portal. The comments appear in the design workspace, where the team can address the feedback and mention colleagues in the discussion. That lets the designer send a subset of the project while keeping internal drafts in the same document.

The export controls also let teams select part of a project. Designers can export a single object, a group or an entire artboard. The Export Center can process several assets with separate file formats, scales and backgrounds. Output options include SVG for vector work, PNG and JPG for stills, and MP4 for supported artboard animations. Supported PDF exports can include a three-millimeter bleed, the extra area trimmed away after printing.

The beta has hardware requirements

The workspace requires an Adobe ID and a browser with hardware-accelerated WebGPU. Adobe lists Windows 11 version 24H2 or later with a current version of Chrome or Edge. The listed graphics options include NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1650 Super, AMD’s Radeon RX 5500 XT and eligible Intel Xe or Arc integrated graphics.

On Mac, the minimum is Apple silicon with an M1 chip or newer. Adobe lists current Chrome, or Safari 26 or later on macOS 26 or later. Adobe says larger images, complex vectors, layered effects and 3D elements can place greater demands on the graphics processor even on supported hardware.