Photoshop beta adds Generative Expand for instant canvas outpainting

Turning a vertical portrait into a wide landscape banner used to mean either cropping out the best parts or spending thirty minutes clone-stamping background trees.

On Thursday, Adobe added a new feature called Generative Expand to the Photoshop beta. Powered by Firefly, it lets users expand photos beyond their original boundaries using AI.

Expand the canvas, let AI do the rest

The workflow is refreshingly simple. You select the Crop tool, drag the canvas to your target aspect ratio, and the Contextual Task Bar pops up with the option.

If you click Generate with an empty prompt box, the AI analyzes the original image and seamlessly blends in matching surroundings. If you want something specific, you can type in text cues. The generated content drops into a non-destructive layer, keeping your original pixels completely untouched.

Adobe also updated the beta to support text prompts in over 100 languages. Access requires an active Photoshop subscription at $20.99 a month, or the Creative Cloud All Apps plan at $54.99. This follows the Generative Fill release back in May, with a broader rollout scheduled for the second half of 2023.

Why it matters

Resizing images for different social formats and web banners is one of the most tedious tasks in creative work. Generative Expand tackles that friction head-on without forcing creators to jump between web apps.

We think Adobe's real edge here isn't just the AI model, but how seamlessly it fits into classic editing workflows. Making the output a non-destructive layer shows Adobe understands working professionals who need reversible edits, not just one-click novelties.

At a starting price of $20.99 per month, it is an investment, but for anyone constantly wrestling with awkward aspect ratios, this beta update is well worth taking for a spin.