Boost Your Creativity: Simple Ways to Use Photoshop's Generative Fill

A Midjourney generated image using Midjourney Automation Suite

Photoshop's Generative Fill tool uses AI to help you edit images in powerful new ways. It can add things, take things away, or change parts of a photo just by typing what you want. Let's look at some easy ways this tool can make your image editing faster and more creative.

Basic Edits and Objekt Removal

Generative Fill makes simple edits very easy. Want to remove something from a picture? Draw a rough outline around it, click Generative Fill, leave the text box empty, and hit "Generate." The object should disappear, replaced by content that matches the background.

Adding Elements

You can also add new things. Draw a selection where you want an object to appear, type a description (like "sunglasses" or "a chair"), and generate. You might need to try a few times to get the perfect result, but it's a quick way to experiment.

Adding simple things like reflections is also possible. Select an area, type something like "reflection of text," and see what happens.

Changing Looks and Features

Editing faces and appearances becomes much simpler.

• Eye Color: Select the eyes and type the color you want.

• Lipstick Color: Do the same for lips.

• Hair Color/Style: Select around the hair (keep the face clear) and type a new color or style. You can even add features like a beard or long hair to a bald head.

• Skin Smoothing/Repair: Select blemishes or areas of skin. Leaving the text blank often smooths them out, or you can type "smooth skin" for a more direct effect. This helps restore old photos.

• Facial Expressions: While not always perfect, you can try selecting a mouth or eyes and typing a new expression.

Clothing and Jewelry

Want to change an outfit? Select the clothing area and type what you want to replace it with, like "shirt" or "formal dress." You might need to add details about the person's build if needed. Adding jewelry works similarly; select where you want it and type the item (like "necklace"). Necklaces often work well.

Working with Backgrounds and Scenes

Generative Fill is great for modifying the setting of your photo.

• Change the Sky: Roughly select the sky area. Generative Fill can replace it with a different sky based on your input or just blend it better.

• Replace Backgrounds: Select the main subject, then reverse the selection so the background is selected. Type a description of the new scene you want.

• Add Reflections: Select an area below a subject (like a building or person) and type "deep water reflection."

• Add Mirrors: You can even try adding mirrors to a scene, though results can vary.

Many users find that automating repetitive tasks speeds up their creative process. If you work with AI image generation tools like Midjourney, consider exploring options that help manage your workflow. The Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT provides tools to streamline your Midjourney tasks, letting you focus more on generating and refining your images for editing in tools like Photoshop.

Blending and Extending Images

This tool helps connect different parts of photos or make canvases larger.

• Blending Cutouts: Have a poorly cut-out subject? Select slightly inside and outside the edges of the subject and run Generative Fill (blank prompt). It helps blend the subject more smoothly into a new background.

• Filling Gaps: Put two separate images next to each other with a space between. Select the gap, leave the prompt blank, and generate to bridge the space.

• Blending Images: Place one image partially overlapping another. Select the area around the inner image, making sure to deselect the inner image itself. Leaving the prompt blank will blend the inner image into the background.

• Extending Canvas: Use the crop tool to make your canvas bigger, creating empty space around your image. Select the original image, invert the selection (so the empty space is selected), leave the prompt blank, and generate. Generative Fill will extend the image content into the blank area.

Creative Uses and Text Effects

Go beyond simple edits with these ideas.

• Generate Images from Scratch: Start with a completely blank canvas, make a selection, and type a full description to create an image from nothing.

• Use Image Prompts: Fill a quick mask area with 50% gray, exit quick mask, and generate a style. Generative Fill can use the masked area shape like a rough guide for the generation.

• Add Shadows: Select the area behind a subject and generate with a blank prompt. Photoshop can often add suitable shadows based on the scene's lighting.

• Create Borders: Select the middle of your image and invert the selection. You can then generate creative borders around the main image.

• Remove Existing Frames: Select the image you want to keep, invert the selection, and generate with a blank prompt to remove a frame around it.

• Text Effects: Select an area closely around text (expand the selection by a few pixels) after selecting the text layer. Use Generative Fill to add effects that interact with the text outline. You can also add textures or effects to the text itself by selecting the text layer, expanding the selection, and generating with a description.

Applying to AI Art

These techniques don't just work on photos. You can use Generative Fill on images created with AI tools like Midjourney or Stable Diffusion. This lets you refine, add to, or change your AI-generated artwork in new ways.

Managing many AI image generations can be time-consuming. If you're creating art with tools like Midjourney, think about how automation could help. The Midjourney Automation Suite from TitanXT is designed to help you automate parts of your Midjourney workflow, from creating prompts to organizing results, giving you more output to refine with powerful editing tools like Photoshop's Generative Fill.

Conclusion

Photoshop's Generative Fill is a versatile tool that can dramatically change how you edit images. From removing unwanted objects to creating entirely new scenes or refining AI art, its text-based approach makes complex tasks much more accessible. Experiment with these different methods to discover new ways to enhance your photos and ignite your creative ideas.