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Photoshop for iPad gets the Select Subject tool in first tool update after launch

Photoshop for iPad gets the Select Subject tool in first tool update after launch

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Adobe is making faster updates to address user complaints

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Adobe’s Photoshop for iPad is getting its first major update since launch today, with the addition of the Select Subject tool. The tool automatically selects clean outlines of the subject of an image, using Adobe Sensei’s AI to make selections while removing artifacts. Adobe trained its algorithmic models on a diverse set of images so the tool can recognize more objects and scenes, Photoshop product manager Pam Clark explains in the announcement blog.

The tool first came to the desktop app in 2018 and was previewed during the Photoshop for iPad presentation onstage at Adobe Max this year. Future improvements to Select Subject will roll out on both desktop and iOS.

This addition marks the first real improvement to Photoshop for iPad since it was released last month to disappointing reviews. The tool should go a long way toward quelling one of the biggest criticisms of the v1 version of the app, which was the lack of a Magic Wand tool.

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Aside from Select Subject, Photoshop for iPad is also getting some UI improvements and speed improvements for its Cloud documents. Cloud PSDs, which were introduced with the app and allow users to access their Photoshop files from any device, will now upload and download up to 90 percent faster.

Last month, Adobe announced some other features coming to the app in the first half of 2020, which will include the Refine Edge tool for selecting tricky areas like hair and fur. The app will also get Curves and Adjustment Layer options, brush sensitivity, and the ability to rotate the canvas to any angle (which, out of all the features, seems the most necessary). A Lightroom integration is also on the way.