A Closer Look At Photoshop’s AI, Between Organic And Bizarre

Which tools actually help me in toy photography, and which ones just make my LEGO minifigures look like horror movie props?

Photo by author

Ah, the ol’ AI debate — again. I just love watching it with popcorn in one hand and my Apple pencil in the other. Some artists act like it’s the end of creativity as we know it, while others treat these tools like their new best friends.

The not-so-easy-to-swallow reality? If you ever used Photoshop, you’ve already been relying on algorithmic automation without realizing it. Yep, even Content-Aware Fill counts, and that has been around since 2010!

What really bugs me is how dismissive some people can be about Photoshopping. I hear the loud voices near and far in the toy photography industry from those who love shaming others for using digital tools, instead of actually supporting the creative community. And their AI take? Full-on rejection, no nuance, as if technology were some villain waiting to steal our souls.

But it’s not that simple.

So, I decided to run a little test. Photoshop just keeps rolling out new features and updates, and I — somewhere between childlike enthusiasm and a pounding migraine — use them regularly. Are they truly…