Sneak peek: Supercharged Photoshop tool

Content-Aware Fill. Not the most exciting sounding tool, is it? But you should never judge a tool by its name, especially one powered by AI technology. 

Photoshop users went crackers for the Content-Aware Fill tool – which allows you to intelligently clone parts of an image to replace a selection – when it was first released. So much so, the internet groaned under the weight of new Photoshop tutorials on how to use it effectively. 

However, it soon became clear that the AI-powered tool wasn't always as intelligent as it should or could be, as it failed in ways unique to AI. 

Screenshot of Photoshop's content-aware fill tool in action

Photoshop's Content-Aware Fill tool often failed in ways unique to AI 

But that all looks set to change, ahead of Adobe MAX 2018, the company has released a new video (below) teasing us with details of a supercharged Content-Aware Fill with a bunch of new settings. 

The most notable difference is the ability to choose which parts of the image the filling agent samples when it’s looking for pixels to put inside your selected area, with the use of the Sampling Brush Tool. The improved algorithm also allows users to direct Photoshop better, for example to tell it how generous to be with the rotation and scaling of the elements it uses, or that the mirror-image option might be a better fit. 

The new juiced-up version of Content-Aware Fill also means artists can now work with this tool in a non-destructive way, as it presents the option to output the fill to a new layer. 

The update, which will come as part of a wider update to Photoshop CC, will go a long way to making the art of photo editing a damn sight easier (especially for those with one too many cows in their shot). It looks set to be released later this year, so keep an eye out for updates right here on Creative Bloq.

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Kerrie Hughes
Freelance writer

Kerrie Hughes is a frequent contributor to Creative Bloq, and was once its editor. One of the original CB crew, Kerrie joined the team back in 2013 after moving from her role as staff writer on 3D World. Since then she's written regularly for other creative publications such as ImagineFX, Computer Arts and Digital Camera World. After a stint working for the police, Kerrie is back reviewing creative tech for creative professionals.