How to Use AI to Edit and Generate Stunning Photos

Photo credit: Charles Desmarais
Photo credit: Charles Desmarais
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How to Use AI to Edit and Generate Stunning Photos

Photo credit: Charles Desmarais
Photo credit: Charles Desmarais

By Brian X. Chen

Much of the hype and fears around generative AI has been about text. But there have also been rapid and dramatic developments in systems that can generate images. In many cases, these share a similar structure to text-based generative AI, but they can also be much weirder — and lend themselves to some very fun creative pursuits.

Image generators are trained on billions of images, which enable them to produce new creations that were once the sole dominion of painters and other artists. Sometimes experts can’t tell the difference between AI-created images and actual photographs (a circumstance that has fueled dangerous misinformation campaigns in addition to fun creations).

Compared to products like ChatGPT, image generating AI tools are not as well developed. They require jumping through a few more hoops and may cost a bit of money. But if you’re interested in learning the ropes there’s no better time to start.

AI Photoshop

Last week, Adobe added a generative AI feature into a beta version of Photoshop, its iconic graphics software, and creators on social networks like TikTok and Instagram have been buzzing about it ever since.

When I tested the new feature, called “generative fill,” I was impressed with how quickly and competently the AI carried out tasks that would have taken me at least an hour to do on my own. In less than five minutes and with only a few clicks, I used the feature to remove objects, add objects and swap backgrounds.

(To experiment with these tools yourself, start by signing up for a free trial of Adobe Creative Suite. Then, install the new Adobe Photoshop beta, which includes generative fill.)

Once you have Photoshop beta installed, import a photo and try these tricks:

To change a background, click the “object selection” icon (it has an arrow pointed at a box), then under the Select menu, click “inverse” to select the background. Next, click the “generative fill” box and type in a prompt — or leave it blank to let Photoshop come up with a new background concept for you.

I used these steps to edit a photo of my corgi, Max. I typed “kennel” for the prompt and clicked “generate" to replace the background.

To remove objects, use the lasso tool. In this photo of my motorcycle, I wanted to erase a tractor behind a fence in the background. I traced around the tractor, and then I clicked the “generative fill” box and hit “generate” without entering a prompt. The software correctly removed the tractor and filled in the background while leaving the fence intact.

Photo editors at The New York Times do not enhance or alter photos or generate images using artificial intelligence. But my first thought after testing generative fill was that photo editors working in other contexts, like marketing, could be soon out of work. When I shared this theory with Adobe’s chief technology officer, Ely Greenfield, he said that it might make photo editing more accessible, but he was optimistic that humans would still be needed.

“I can make really pretty images with it, but frankly, I still make boring images,” he said. “When I look at the content that artists create when you put this in their hands versus what I create, their stuff is so much more interesting because they know how to tell a story.”

I confess that what I’ve done with generative fill is far less exciting than what others have been posting on social media. Lorenzo Green, who tweets about AI, posted a collage of famous album covers, including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Adele’s “21” that were expanded with generative fill. The results were quite entertaining.

(One note: If installing Photoshop feels daunting, a quicker way to test Adobe’s AI is to visit the Adobe Firefly website. There, you can open the generative fill tool, upload an image and click the “add” tool to trace around a subject, such as a dog. Then click “background” and type in a prompt like “beach.”)

More image generators

Tools like DALL-E and Midjourney can create entirely new images in seconds. They work similarly to chatbots: You type in a text prompt — the more specific, the better.

To write a quality prompt, start with the medium you’d like to emulate, followed by the subject and any extra details. For example, typing “a photograph of a cat wearing a sweater in a brightly lit room” in the DALL-E prompt box will generate it.

DALL-E, which is owned by Open AI, the maker of ChatGPT, was one of the first widely available AI image generators that was simple for people to use. For $15, you get 115 credits; one credit can be used to generate a set of four images.

Midjourney, another popular image generator, is a work in progress, so the user experience is not as polished. The service costs $10 a month, and entering prompts can be a little more complicated, because it requires joining a separate messaging app, Discord. Nonetheless, the project can create high-quality, realistic images.

To use it, join Discord and then request an invitation to the Midjourney server. After joining the server, inside the chat box, type “/imagine” followed by a prompt. I typed “/imagine a manga cover of a corgi in a ninja turtle costume” and generated a set of convincing images.

Though it’s fine to type in a basic request, some have found obscure prompts that generated exceptional results. At Columbia University, Lance Weiler is teaching students how to leverage AI, including Midjourney, to produce artwork.

Whichever tool you use, bear in mind that the onus is on you to use this tech responsibly.

Technologists warn that image generators can increase the spread of deepfakes and misinformation. But the tools can also be used in positive and constructive ways, like making family photos look better and brainstorming artistic concepts.

The New York Times



Musk’s Social Media Firm X Bought by His AI Company, Valued at $33 Billion

 xAI and X logos are seen in this illustration taken, March 28, 2025. (Reuters)
xAI and X logos are seen in this illustration taken, March 28, 2025. (Reuters)
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Musk’s Social Media Firm X Bought by His AI Company, Valued at $33 Billion

 xAI and X logos are seen in this illustration taken, March 28, 2025. (Reuters)
xAI and X logos are seen in this illustration taken, March 28, 2025. (Reuters)

Elon Musk's xAI has acquired X in a deal that values the social media platform at $33 billion and allows the value of his artificial intelligence firm to be shared with his co-investors in the company formerly known as Twitter.

The deal could also help xAI's ability to train its chatbot known as Grok.

"xAI and X's futures are intertwined," Musk, who also heads automaker Tesla and SpaceX, wrote in a post on X: "Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent."

He said the combination values "xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion ($45B less $12B debt)".

Representatives for X and xAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Much of the deal's specifics remain unclear, such as how X's leaders would be integrated in the new firm or whether there would be regulatory scrutiny.

Musk, the world's wealthiest man, is also a close ally of US President Donald Trump and heads the Department of Government Efficiency.

D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria said the price tag for X of $45 billion when debt was included was not a coincidence. "It is $1 billion higher than the take-private transaction for Twitter in 2022."

An investor in xAI who declined to be identified said they were not surprised by the deal, viewing it as Musk consolidating his leadership and management at his own companies.

Musk did not ask investors for approval but told them that the two companies had been collaborating closely and the deal would drive deeper integration with Grok, the investor said.

OPENAI RIVALRY

Musk's xAI startup was launched less than two years ago and recently raised $10 billion in a funding round that valued the company at $75 billion, according to a media report.

It competes with the likes of Microsoft-backed OpenAI as well as with Chinese startup DeepSeek.

In February, Musk, 53, made a $97.4 billion bid with a consortium for OpenAI, which was rejected and he has sued to prevent the ChatGPT maker from converting from a non-profit to a for-profit business. A judge this month denied Musk's request for a preliminary injunction that would prevent the changeover.

As competition in AI intensifies, xAI has been ramping up its data center capacity to train more advanced models, and its supercomputer cluster in Memphis, Tennessee, called "Colossus," is touted as the largest in the world.

xAI introduced Grok-3, the latest iteration of its chatbot, in February.

The X platform could serve to further distribute xAI products, while also providing a real-time feed of users' musings, screenshots and other data.

After buying Twitter, Musk gutted the company's workforce, prompting advertisers to flee the platform and a rapid decline in revenue. Recently, brands have been returning to X as Musk's influence in the Trump administration grows.

The seven banks that extended $13 billion in loans to Musk to buy X kept the debt on their books for two years until they were able to sell it all at once last month, according to a source familiar with the transactions.

This was made possible after a surge in investor interest for exposure to AI companies along with X's improved operating performance over the previous two quarters, among other factors, according to two people familiar with the matter.

After the merger, investors who bought the debt from the banks will profit, said Espen Robak, founder of Pluris Valuation Advisors, which specializes in illiquid assets. "For sure the debt is worth more now, if not fully paid off."

Separately, a US judge on Friday rejected a bid by Musk to dismiss a lawsuit claiming he had defrauded former Twitter shareholders by waiting too long to disclose his initial investment in the company.