AI-driven Select Subject tool added to Photoshop on iPad

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Adobe Photoshop for iPad got a significant update today
Photoshop for iPad now has Select Subject powered by Artificial intelligence.
Photo: Adobe/Cult of Mac

A promised update to Photoshop on iPad debuted today. A notable new feature employs artificial intelligence to enable users to easily select the subjects of images. The latest version also makes accessing cloud storage much faster.

This is the first in a planned series of improvements for the iPad version of this professional image-editing software

Photoshop for iPad a work in progress

Photoshop for iPad launched in November, but there were immediate complaints that it’s missing critical features. Adobe is working to fill in the gaps.

The highlight of today’s release is Select Subject. This uses Adobe Sensei AI and machine learning to automatically select the subject of an image to speed up complex selections. Adobe promises “This feature on the iPad works exactly the same as Photoshop on the desktop and produces the same results.”

And that’s not all. Photoshop for iPad 1.1 offers faster uploads and downloads of cloud documents. Up to 90% faster, depending on the size of your file and network performance.

And Adobe promises improvements to “workflows and experiences across the application.”

Stand by for more in 2020

The company says it wasn’t practical to introduce an iPad app with every feature of the desktop one on Day 1. “With the introduction of Photoshop on the iPad, we started to scratch the surface of what’s possible and began our journey to build the best mobile application for all of you,” said Pam Clark on the Adobe blog.

Today’s is the last big update of 2019. In the first half of next year, Clark says they’ll add the Refine Edge brush, Curves adjustment layer, Canvas Rotation and Brush Sensitivity. Integration with Adobe Lightroom is also planned.

Photoshop 1.1 for iPad is available now exclusively on the App Store. Using it requires a $10 monthly subscription.

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