Adobe has announced a new set of AI features for Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, InDesign and Firefly, while introducing a Model Context Protocol connection that allows external assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini to access selected Creative Cloud capabilities. The announcements were made at Adobe MAX in Miami and reflect a shift from isolated generative features toward agent-led creative workflows. Firefly is gaining a prototyping tool called Builder, tools for creating on-brand charts and editing selected parts of an image without changing other objects. Adobe is also expanding video creation and making its AI agent more proactive, aiming to help users move from instructions to completed creative tasks.
Firefly moves further into prototyping and video production
Firefly Builder is described as a private-beta tool for creating prototypes and visualising ideas, placing Adobe closer to collaborative design platforms such as Figma. The company is also adding a way to generate branded graphs and an image-editing capability that targets one part of a picture while preserving the rest. Selective editing is important because creative professionals often need to make a local change without disturbing lighting, composition or surrounding objects. A generative system that modifies too much can create extra work even when the output looks impressive. The value of the new tools will So depend on how precisely users can define the change and how consistently the rest of the asset is preserved.
Adobe is expanding video capabilities in Firefly as well. A new AI-powered tool aims to assemble videos from clips and other elements such as images and sound effects. The company says its agent will become more proactive and remain available with more context about ongoing work. That could allow it to suggest or perform tasks such as removing a background or generating a video thumbnail. The concept is different from a one-off text prompt because an agent can maintain context across several actions. But it also needs a clear boundary between proposing an edit and applying it to a project that may contain valuable original work.
Individual applications are receiving more specialised changes. Photoshop is adding relighting controls and prompt-based generative style sliders. Premiere is gaining a new colour-grading system for professionals and an object-removal feature for video. Lightroom is adding tools to correct blinking eyes and remove blemishes. These updates show Adobe applying AI to established workflows rather than replacing the applications with a single general-purpose interface. Creative professionals may welcome automation for repetitive adjustments, but they will still need precise controls for colour, timing, layers, masking and export. AI features are most useful when they reduce manual effort without taking away the ability to inspect and correct the result.
MCP makes Creative Cloud capabilities available to external agents
The new local MCP connection is a notable part of the announcement because it gives other assistants a way to call Adobe capabilities. Model Context Protocol can connect AI applications with external tools and data sources through a common interface. Adobe says its local MCP exposes capabilities across Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere, although the company is still deciding which endpoints to make available. That could let users describe a creative task in a separate assistant and have it trigger actions inside a Creative Cloud application. The approach creates opportunities for automation, but it also makes permissions, local execution, file access and confirmation flows important security considerations.
Adobe’s strategy is to keep creative work inside its professional applications while making those applications accessible to a wider range of AI agents. The company already supports models from several providers and has integrated some product functions with ChatGPT and Claude. Opening more functionality through MCP could increase the reach of Creative Cloud, but it also exposes questions about interoperability and control. Creative teams will need to know which actions an external agent can perform, whether changes are reversible and how project assets are protected. The announcements are a roadmap for more connected creative workflows; their impact will depend on the quality of the tools, the stability of integrations and how much control professionals retain over the final output.