How does Adobe Firefly work in Photoshop?

In Photoshop, Adobe Firefly powers AI tools such as Generative Fill and Generative Expand, allowing you to add, remove, or expand image content simply by typing prompts.

Do I need training to use Adobe Firefly?

While Firefly is intuitive, structured training helps you craft effective prompts, integrate AI into workflows, and produce professional-quality results consistently.

Can Firefly help with marketing and social media content?

Yes. Firefly can create social media graphics, marketing visuals, product mockups, and other content quickly, streamlining your creative workflow.

Photoshop Before and After

Q: What is Adobe Firefly?

Adobe Firefly is Adobe’s generative AI platform that allows users to create images, graphics, and design elements using text prompts. It integrates with Photoshop, InDesign, and Adobe Express.

Real world Photoshop fixes for your team!

Most marketing teams don’t receive perfect studio images, quite often they get what someone managed to grab on their phone; often in bad weather, awkward lighting or with unexpected reflections, clutter and distractions.

A while ago in Nottingham, I took a quick smartphone photo of a quirky and rather inebriated monkey sitting in the window at the old Brass Monkey bar on High Pavement. It wasn’t planned or lit; it was just one of those spur‑of‑the‑moment snaps while walking between training sessions. I did rather like the monkey and the window but the photo came with exactly the kinds of problems teams see every day.

In the real world things like…….Harsh reflections. Flat, rain‑streaked lighting. Dull textures. Distracting background elements. Uneven colour. A subject that doesn’t quite “pop”.

In other words: a classic real‑world client image. These are the kinds of photos that land in inboxes every day, every week and they still need to be turned into something usable.

Why imperfect images matter

Most organisations rely on quick mobile photos taken on the go, the kind that are never perfect but always needed fast. These can be anything from social media snaps and behind‑the‑scenes shots to customer‑submitted images and event coverage. They’re useful, but they often need a little help before they’re ready for marketing use.

Common examples include:

Social media stories & reels: quick daily snaps that need lighting fixes or text overlays.
Behind‑the‑scenes shots: candid office or warehouse photos needing background cleanup or sharpening.
User‑generated content: customer photos that benefit from logo placement, colour matching or framing adjustments.
Live event coverage: conference or trade show pictures needing brightness fixes and distraction removal.
Product teasers: fast prototype or mockup shots needing background removal or colour tweaks before studio assets are ready.

These are exactly the kinds of images that benefit from simple, practical Photoshop fixes,the ones that turn an everyday phone snap into a usable marketing asset.

A few quick fixes that make a big difference

Using the monkey window photo as an example, here are the kinds of adjustments that turn an everyday phone snap into a usable asset.

Removing reflections and distractions

Photoshop includes a dedicated Remove Reflections tool which is an absolute game‑changer for real‑world phone shots. It quickly lifts harsh glare and unwanted reflections from glass without the need for complex masking. In this case, it cleaned up the car reflection across the monkey’s window in seconds, leaving the underlying detail intact.

Greta Powell Tip: when using Edit >Reflection Removal check the “Create separate reflection layer” check box

Improving flat lighting

A gentle curves adjustment and selective brightening brought life back into the glass and the monkey’s face, giving the image more depth and clarity

Enhancing texture

Rain‑softened details were sharpened just enough to give the subject definition without making it look artificial or over‑processed.

Making the subject stand out

A touch of dodge and burn helped the monkey become the focal point instead of blending into the window. *(Dodge and Burn are destructive workflows so use sparingly)

None of these were heavy edits. None required hours of retouching.

These are simply practical fixes, the kind your team can use every day.

* About dodge, burn and destructive workflows

Because we strongly advocate non‑destructive workflows during training courses, Dodge and Burn deserves a tiny bit of clarification here, this example was a quick fix, not the full best‑practice method.

Why the standard Dodge/Burn tools can be risky

Permanent pixel changes: The toolbar Dodge and Burn brushes alter the underlying pixels directly.
No undo flexibility: You can’t later adjust opacity, refine the effect, or mask it back gently.
Highlight/shadow damage: Direct pixel painting can blow out highlights or crush shadows with no way to recover them.

Safer non‑destructive alternatives

50% Grey Layer: Add a new layer, fill with 50% grey, set to Soft Light or Overlay, then paint with black/white for controlled light shaping.
Curves Adjustment Layers: Create one brightening and one darkening Curves layer, invert both masks, and paint in the effect with a low‑flow brush for subtle, reversible control.

Why I love these real world challenges

I genuinely love design, and I love the challenge of taking something ordinary and making it clearer, cleaner and more communicative. These small fixes are often the difference between an image that gets ignored and an image that works.

They’re exactly the kinds of techniques I teach in my Photoshop courses practical, real‑world, and built around the kinds of files your team actually receives. And if you prefer something more advanced, we can always explore deeper retouching, AI‑powered workflows or more complex Creative Cloud techniques tailored to your projects.

Remove Reflections Handout

View our Photoshop Remove Reflections hand out, literally a step by step guide to removing pesky reflections in glass.

Photoshop’s new AI Reflection Removal tool quickly eliminates unwanted glares from marketing photos without using cloud Generative Credits. The feature offers a direct “Edit > Reflection Removal” option for quick fixes and a Camera Raw filter method for advanced, non-destructive editing on RAW files or Smart Objects.

Want to learn these techniques?

If your team regularly works with imperfect phone shots and you’d like hands‑on Photoshop training in Nottingham, you can get in touch via the Contact Page.

Sessions are built around real‑world images, real‑world challenges and the Creative Cloud tools your team uses every day.

These Photoshop techniques are covered in our training sessions, available online wherever you’re based and onsite UK wide and in Nottingham.

View our Photoshop Training Page