Unleash Your Creativity with Adobe Firefly: Explore its Features, Capabilities, and Inspiring Use Cases

Generative AI is now a common term in our daily lives, and some of you may already be using tools like ChatGPT.

In this article, we will introduce the basics of Adobe Firefly, an image generation AI, what it can do, and an overview of its use cases.

What is Adobe Firefly?

Adobe Firefly is an image generation AI service provided by Adobe.

When you hear "Adobe," you might think of PDF files, but as you might expect, it's released by the same company and is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud product suite.

Unlike many other companies that offer image generation AI tools, the Adobe series is already deployed for the Japanese market. This means that the screen is configured in Japanese (with little sense of incongruity), and images can be generated from Japanese text, making it a familiar and easy-to-use tool.

Let's take a look at some of its other features.

Features of Adobe Firefly

We already mentioned that it supports Japanese, but Adobe Firefly also has three other major features:

Extremely Low Risk of Copyright Infringement

The first point is the extremely low risk of copyright infringement.

One of the risks lurking in generative AI is the possibility that the generated content may infringe on the copyright of the source material used for training.

This is not so much a problem with generative AI technology itself, but rather with the data being used. Even if the person who generated the content doesn't intend to, the copyright relationship of the material is ambiguous.

Due to the above, it is necessary to pay close attention when using it for personal use, and even more so when a company uses it. This creates a dilemma where they want to utilize it but can't fully use it.

On the other hand, Adobe Firefly uses only images and free-license content that have been licensed by copyright holders from Adobe Stock, a stock photo service provided by the same Adobe company, or content whose copyrights have already expired. This greatly reduces the risk of copyright infringement.

While there is a restriction that you cannot use your favorite images to generate new images, you can enjoy the benefit of "peace of mind" more than that. This is a significant advantage, especially for companies.

If you want to know more about generative AI, including more details and precautions, please see this article.

High Compatibility with Other Adobe Services

The second point is the high compatibility with other Adobe-related services.

Adobe Firefly was officially released recently, and many features are currently under development. So, this integration function is not yet implemented. However, in the future, it will be possible to use it in conjunction with the Adobe Creative Cloud series such as Photoshop and Adobe Express.

Many of you may be using the above tools in your daily work, so the ability to further improve business efficiency is a significant advantage.

Simple and Easy-to-Understand UI

The third point is that the UI is simple and easy to understand.

As mentioned earlier, the screen configuration itself supports Japanese. Also, the prompts you enter also support Japanese, so you can use it without translating them into English.

In addition, fine-tuning such as changing the style of the generated images can be done with a single button, making it a very easy-to-understand and simple UI configuration.

Next, let's introduce what you can do with Adobe Firefly.

What You Can Do with Adobe Firefly

Adobe Firefly also provides image editing tools such as Photoshop, so compared to other tools, you can use a variety of functions very simply without entering special commands.

Since its official release in September 2023, some functions have been limited (strictly speaking, they are under development to officially release various functions), but many editing functions could be tested in the beta version that was provided from March of the same year. There are already many expectations for its implementation.

This time, we will explain some of the functions that Adobe Firefly has released as of September 2023, and the functions that are currently displayed as being under development.

Text to Image: Generate Images Based on Entered Text

The first is the Text to Image function (generates images based on the entered text).

This is a typical function that you would expect from image generation. A unique feature is that the text (prompt) you enter supports not only English but also Japanese.

When I use other tools, I first think of a prompt in Japanese, translate it, and then enter it. So, I think many people will find it convenient to be able to enter the sentences they come up with as they are.

Generative Fill: Generate Images in the Selected Area

The second is the Generative fill function (generates images in the selected area).

As shown in the attached image, this function allows you to generate and insert new images by specifying and deleting a part of an existing image.

This time, I specified and deleted the background of an image of a fish swimming in the sea → and used "Forest" to generate a background image with Text to image.

Text Effects: Apply the Specified Editing to the Entered Text

The third is the Text effects function (applies the specified editing to the entered text).

You can enter text and specify the editing you want with a prompt for that text.

The attached image shows "Y" entered and "floral pattern" specified as the edit in the prompt.

Generative Recolor: Automatically Edit the Color Scheme of an Image by Defining It with Text

The fourth is the Generative recolor function (automatically edits the color scheme of an image by defining it with text).

You can upload a generated image, and then specify a new definition for the color scheme of that image with a prompt to edit the color scheme again.

The attached image was created using a sample image provided by Adobe, with the prompt "seaside summer" specified as the re-coloring definition.

Sample Image

Image After Re-coloring

(Under Development) Sketch to Image: Convert Sketches into Images

The fifth is the Sketch to image function (converts sketches into images).

This function is currently under development, but it is currently planned to implement a function that converts rough sketch images into full-color images.

If implemented, it has the potential to provide powerful support when creating formal images from rough sketches.

(Under Development) 3D to Image: Generate Images from 3D

The sixth is the 3D to image function (generates images from 3D).

This function is also currently under development, but it is currently planned to implement a function that generates images from 3D model data.

If implemented, it could be useful as a support tool for creating images of completed structures from 3D model creation of buildings.

Now, we have described the overview of Adobe Firefly so far.

Next, we will briefly explain how to use Adobe Firefly.

How to Use Adobe Firefly

Here, we will only describe the procedure for using Adobe Firefly and the simple operation method of Text to image.

For more detailed operation methods, please check this usage article.

Steps to Use

The steps to use Adobe Firefly are very simple.

STEP1: Search for "Abode Firefly" on the Web

STEP2: Click "Start Firefly for free"

STEP3: Press the login button and log in

This completes the steps required to use Adobe Firefly.

Simple Operation Method

Next, I will explain the simple operation method of Text to image.

STEP1: Click "Generate image from text"

STEP2: Enter the prompt for the image you want to generate in "Enter a description of the image you want to generate" at the bottom of the screen

STEP3: Image generation complete

This time, I generated an image with the prompt "Two samurai dueling on the beach."

You can generate images very simply, so please try it.

Examples of Adobe Firefly Use

As a tool that allows anyone to easily generate images of what they have imagined, it is expected to be used in various fields in the future. Here are some examples of what it could be used for:

(Web) Creative Creation such as Advertisements

The first is (Web) creative creation such as advertisements.

High skills and sensibilities were required to create such creative works, but by using Adobe Firefly, it is possible to generate images that guarantee a certain level of quality.

It is expected that business efficiency will be improved, and you will be able to spend your time thinking about generating images that are closer to your ideal or using your time more creatively.

Three-Dimensional Model Creation such as Buildings

The second is three-dimensional model creation such as buildings.

If the 3D to image under development is implemented, it will be possible to shorten the time for building model creation and improve sales productivity by allowing you to visualize even finer details.

Support for Creating New Ideas

The third is support for creating new ideas.

When creating new ideas, it often involves creating something from scratch, which requires a huge amount of effort. However, by using Adobe Firefly, you can entrust the support for embodying those ideas, which can improve business efficiency.

The three examples of use that I have given can be extended to the interpretation of Adobe Firefly and the use of generative AI.

Points to Note When Using Adobe Firefly

So far, we have introduced the overview, convenience, and examples of use of Adobe Firefly, but there are some points to note when using it.

The Number of Times You Can Generate for Free is Limited

The first point is that the number of times you can generate for free is limited.

With a free account, you can generate a total of 25 images, including each function such as Text to image and Text effects.

If you want to use it more times than that, you will need to pay a monthly fee, so please keep that in mind.

Generated Images Are Not Always Exactly What You Want

The second point is that the generated images are not always exactly what you want.

Since it is a mechanism that AI generates images based on the entered text, it is not always possible to succeed in just one attempt.

I think it will be more meaningful to use it on the premise that you will need to try it a certain number of times until you get an image that is close to your image by changing the style of the image or setting more detailed conditions.

It May Be Difficult to Make Detailed Settings

Simplicity is a feature of Adobe Firefly, but on the other hand, it is a bit difficult to make detailed settings (for example, setting images that you do not want to output, such as "do not generate XX").

It may be possible to do so in the future as the functions are further developed, but as of now, it is not possible to add such detailed conditions.

If you want to generate images with more flexible and detailed specifications, please see this article, which introduces another image generation AI tool called Stable Diffusion.

Summary

In this article, we introduced the overview of Adobe Firefly.

I think there are various tools, but Adobe Firefly supports Japanese and is very simple and easy to use, so it is especially recommended for those who want to try it out first. If you are interested, please try various things.