Hi all. There’s a new podcast episode that I just released. Don’t forget, if you missed Episode 2 (Deleting Photos is Good for Your Soul) make sure you check that out too.
Also, if you haven’t seen my “What’s New in Photoshop 2024” Video which covers some of the new AI features, it’s free to watch right here.
Episode 3 Topic – Is AI Hurting Photoshop
In Episode 3, I’ve asked Blake Rudis of f64 Academy to join me again.
This week, we wanted to talk about whether or not AI could be hurting Photoshop (or helping it). There’s a lot of talk around Photoshop AI, especially since the main features are no longer in beta.
How to Listen/Watch
You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google. Or you can watch it below.
The podcast is NOT intended to be visual in any way, so all you’re doing is watching the two of us talk and nothing else. But if that’s the way you prefer it, feel free. Personally, podcasts are something I listen to when I have nothing else to do, or to keep me busy while doing something else – so I never watch them.
Apple Podcast Link (Click Here)
Spotify Podcast Link (Click Here)
Google Podcasts Link (Click Here)
OTHER PODCAST PLATFORMS? – I publish this to the main podcast platforms that my podcast host offers. It should show up on all the major ones, but you may use some other podcast software. If you don’t see it, right now there’s nothing I can do. I’m technically incompetent in this area and don’t plan to spend any more time than I already do trying to figure it out 🙂 So please listen using one of the options above.
PRO TIP: I typically listen to podcasts on my phone while driving or in the gym. And I usually set most podcasts to 1.25x – 1.5x speed to get through it faster.
Since this IS NOT A TRAINING tutorial, and it’s just us talking, I think you can speed us up and get through it faster so feel free to give it a try. I can’t help you find that setting, but again… most podcast apps have it so poke around. If you can use Lightroom and Photoshop I have no doubt you can figure out how to use a podcast app 😉
I love teaching and photography... In that order. I feel that enjoying photography, and photo editing can get WAY too complicated. So my personal mission (and favorite thing to do), is to create education that simplifies the process of taking great photos, and how to edit them to get the results you’ve always wanted.
Hi Matt & Blake
I’ve followed both of you guys for years. This was a very nice discussion. It has made me think….which is always dangerous.
One question I have re: a potential classification as “mixed media” when Ai is used in a photo:
Was this referencing that Ai helped to clean up the photo (removing things and filling in with appropriate background….better than content aware fill, or its it referencing when you actually add things to the image that were not photographed by you?
Would you please clarify that. I get really confused because of the photo editing approach that I use.
Thanks
Doug
Thanks guys – great discussion. Keep it up.
Jim
Great session you two! My two favorite instructors. Thanks for coming into my living room and giving great insights into my favorite subject. I love being a little bird in the corner listening to the two of you talk. Keep it up.
Thank you to my two favorite Photoshop wizards, I appreciate sharing your knowledge.
Excellent podcast with my two idols. Thanks for sharing all of your thoughts.
Matt I’m with you hate the pen tool LOL LOL however I agree that sometimes relying on AI totally to create a composite image there will be a gaps with the skill set to create. Having a base understanding of how selections, masks, colour matching and blending works in PS will help if you can’t get the look or vision you are after with AI.
I would definitely agree. And when that happens i think the natural course of nature will take place. That person will either A) struggle and produce poor work or B) Get better and figure it out. I don’t really think it’s a lesson we have to teach people… that to be good at something you need to start from scratch and the old ways we used to do it. I think the people that want to be better will figure it out.
I love what you said about competitions accepting AI going forward.
Excellent Podcast. A lot of good take aways. Very helpful in using AI. Great job with this podcast!
Another great session!
What a great discussion of this timely topic. I’m putting together a presentation to our club about this topic and will certainly guide our members to this podcast. Best wishes to you and your family
It’s very interesting. One thing though, it seems to me that the question is not whether AI is killing Photoshop but is it killing (or devalues) photography as we know it.
Great Podcast gentlemen. It would be easy to ‘fear’ AI but as you both discussed it – it is what it is and we can use it or not whenever we feel the need. Thank you.
Very interesting discussion. I am forever learning, so I am in the camp of ‘bring it on’, and let me learn all it can do, so that I can use the parts I need to to make my photos better.
My photo club met last night and I would say 30% were horrified with just the concept of AI. Those affiliated with the Photography Society of America are adamantly negative (yet they process their photos in PS before submissions). When both Blake and you mentioned – we already process with AI, I had to chuckle thinking of their heated discussion.
Thank you both – will be striving to take the action I need to make my photos even better. Have got my VIP seat in the PS Summit 5 and looking forward to you, Blake, Glyn Dewis, and all the other great instructors
Very interesting podcast on a really important topic in photo editing / post production. In my opinion, both of you did a very good job of highlighting the good and the bad that can come from Ai. Enjoyed the fact that both of you stressed that Ai will not or cannot replace Artistic Vision and having one’s work express or invoke an emotion from the viewer. I recall a ‘tidal pool’ from Olympic National Park that Blake did a few years ago in which he created what he thought was evoking one emotion, while approximately half of his course students saw something quite the opposite in the image. Regardless of what emotion was evoked by the editing, both were very strong but opposite, thanks to wonderful editing.
Many of us forget that the human brain while not a computer has managed to create art for thousands of years and art created centuries ago, still has the power to mesmerize our senses today. In the end, Ai is still just a tool and if used responsibly can help us express our Artistic Vision and become better Artists. So thanks Matt and Blake for trying to put these new tools in perspective while still stressing that being proficient with the ‘old’ and understanding when one tool is better to use over another.
LOL i started with photoshop CS3.
I have found AI etc has enabled me to keep images I would not have in the past when shooting hundreds in sport. the worst was a good photo ruined by heavy shadow on the face that you could not avoid in sport. The advantage is i can let AI do the selection I do the adjustment then replicate that across all automatically then I just go in and do fine adjustments when i need too so i end up keeping a wider selection of photos that would have just taken too much work
Great views on the new world of AI! Thank you Matt for all you do but i do agree with Blake on the Pen tool !!!
Keep up the good work guys
You’re welcome to agree with him on the Pen tool if you’d like. It’s a free country. Sadly, that makes it so now two of you are wrong 😉
Before I do anything in PS that has been automated I want  to learn how it works. To me sharpening is one of those areas. We have all seen way too many over-sharpened images. Why? Because most people have no idea what sharpening does and as a result do not understand that they need to also understand contrast. If you only push a button but have no idea what it is doing behind the scene you are doing yourself a disservice.
Blake made a comment that if something like Select Subject does not give him a mask that does a good job he knows how to fix it. New people coming to PS do not know how to fix it. That is my major problem. One person mentioned to me that he loves the masking feature and thinks it creates perfect masks. When I looked at his work I pointed out the areas it missed. He does not have any idea how to fix it.
I do not see anything in PS that is Grunt work. It all works to gather.
I started with PS when it was Barney Scan XP. With each release of PS I looked forward to new features that made life easier. I am not opposed to change except where it discourages learning. Let’s encourage Actual Intelligence.Â
Good Podcast. I think you both have a better perspective on this issue then most.
A thought on presets. They are like TV dinners. It is handy to have a few around but if you use them all the time you will neve learn how to cook.
I would highly disagree that I need to know how to use sharpening techniques from 20 years ago, to sharpen effectively today. I’m never a fan of “back when I was a kid, we had to do walk to school up hill both ways and do it the hard way…” mentality. It’s alienating and never a great way to teach some one. Knowing old techniques may sometimes help, but I’ll bet my money ALL DAY on the person that learns the new ways of doing it and puts creativity first.
Photographers and photo editors of today will run circles around Blake and I and the “old” ways we used to do it.
I’m sorry but where did I say that the “Old” ways are better. What I said is that if you are going to use automated features first understand what is going on behind the scenes.
I guess your examples would involve learning old ways… there’s no way to learn what’s going on behind the scene’s in Blakes example of selecting something. He was just referring to learning it the old way. In some ways after re-reading, it makes even less sense. I know nothing about what’s going on behind the scenes, and I’m pretty good at sharpening and making selections. Just so you know, not every responds to the technical history of how something is done that you do – I definitely don’t. Along the lines of what I wrote, I’ll take some one that edits with their eyes rather than their minds any day.
AI is not killing Photoshop
Photoshop is adding AI to its toolkit
See you both at summit 5
The difference between generative fill and using an Adobe Stock image is that Adobe Stock is not free, while generative fill is included in the Photoshop subscription.
Hi… Yes, but you can get many stock photos for free. The cost is not really what we were referring to.