What Is Adobe Firefly? The 2023 Launch and Where It Is Now
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If you are asking what is Adobe Firefly, it is Adobe’s family of generative AI models that turns a written prompt into images, text effects and more.
It works a lot like Midjourney, but with two big differences: how Adobe trains it, and where Adobe is taking it.
Firefly is for designers, photographers and any creator who wants AI images they can use in commercial work.
The video was recorded in March 2023, the week Firefly launched as a web-only beta at firefly.adobe.com. It ran in a browser, separate from Photoshop 2023 (version 24.2), which was the current Photoshop release at the time.
Firefly has changed a lot since then. This post follows the video step by step, and dated notes point out what is different now.
By the end, you will know how to generate images and text effects in Firefly, how it compared to Midjourney 5, and where Firefly lives today.
Key Takeaways
- Firefly was trained on Adobe Stock, openly licensed content and public domain content, not on the files in your Creative Cloud libraries.
- The March 2023 beta offered only two tools: Text to Image and Text Effects.
- Firefly left beta and became available for commercial use on September 13, 2023.
- In the March 2023 tests, Midjourney 5 won most prompts, while Firefly did better on product shots and stock-style images.
- Today you can use Firefly models inside Photoshop through Generative Fill, Generative Expand and Generate Image.
- The comparison used simple prompts, so both tools can do better with extra settings and modifiers.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- What Is Adobe Firefly Text to Image?
- How to Create Text Effects in Adobe Firefly
- The Firefly Tools Adobe Planned in 2023
- How Is Adobe Firefly Different From Midjourney?
- Firefly vs Midjourney 5: The March 2023 Test
- What Is Adobe Firefly Today?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to shape a Firefly image with aspect ratio, content type, style, lighting and composition settings.
- How to create a text effect from your own text and a short description.
- How to export a text effect as a PNG with a transparent background or a JPEG with a color background.
- How Firefly’s training data differs from Midjourney’s.
- Where Firefly fits into Photoshop and the Firefly app today.
Requirements
Before you start
- A web browser and an Adobe account to use Firefly at firefly.adobe.com. Firefly is free to use, with paid plans for more generations.
- You do not need Photoshop to follow the video. It was recorded in the Firefly web beta in March 2023.
- For Firefly inside Photoshop, Photoshop 2024 (version 25.0) or the current version.
What Is Adobe Firefly Text to Image?
Text to Image is the first of Firefly’s two beta tools. You type a text prompt, and Firefly generates images from it.
The video opens with the prompt “A portrait of a female cyborg in a futuristic city,” and the results are pretty good.
On the right side, you have parameters that guide the image generation process. Use them to shape the result before you generate again.
- Pick an Aspect Ratio. For a widescreen image, choose 16:9, and Firefly generates images in that aspect ratio.
- Select a Content Type, such as a photo or art.
- Choose from different Styles. The popular ones sit at the top.
- Adjust Color and Tone, Lighting and Composition. In the video, the lighting changes to Dramatic Lighting and the composition to a narrow Depth of Field.
- Click Generate to see the results with the new parameters.
Note: This screenshot shows the March 2023 beta. The Firefly app has been redesigned since then, so the panel looks different today.
How to Create Text Effects in Adobe Firefly
To access Firefly, go to firefly.adobe.com. At the time of the video, Firefly was a beta release, and you had to join a waiting list.
Once you are in, you can choose one of two things: Text to Image, which you just saw, or Text Effects.
- Click Generate under Text Effects.
- Enter your text. The video uses the initials J and R.
- Describe the effect you want, such as Golden Ornaments. Firefly generates the text effect from the reference text and the description.
- Browse the Sample Effects on the right side. Expand them to see them all, from flowers to cookies.
- Set the Text Effect Fit to Tight or Loose. This controls how closely the effect hugs the letters. A Tight fit works best for the initials in the video.
- Choose a font from the list, or click View All to see every font.
- Try any prompt you like, such as Grass, then click one of the four styles below to apply it to your text.
When you are ready to export, select a transparent background and click the Download button. Firefly exports a PNG with a transparent background.
If you prefer, apply any background color instead. Firefly then exports the image as a JPEG with that color behind it.
Note: Firefly no longer has a waiting list. Sign in with your Adobe account at firefly.adobe.com to start. Firefly is free to use, with paid plans for more generations.
The Firefly Tools Adobe Planned in 2023
In the March 2023 beta, you had access to only those two tools. Adobe also showed a list of AI tools it was exploring.
One was a feature for recoloring vectors. Others included Text to Vector, 3D to Image, Sketch to Image and Text to Template.
The most interesting one in the video is Text to Brush. It would generate brushes for Photoshop from a detailed description.
Note: Some of these ideas shipped. Adobe released Text to Vector Graphic in Illustrator as a beta in October 2023, powered by a new Firefly Vector Model. Adobe has not announced a Text to Brush release.
How Is Adobe Firefly Different From Midjourney?
The first big difference is integration. Adobe planned from the start to bring Firefly into its creative apps, such as Photoshop.
The second difference is how Firefly learns to generate images. Adobe built Firefly for commercial use.
To get there, Adobe trained Firefly on Adobe Stock, its royalty-free media library. It also used openly licensed content and public domain content where the copyright has expired.
Note: Firefly is not trained on your own work. Adobe trains it on Adobe Stock content, not on your Creative Cloud libraries or personal files.
In March 2023, Adobe also said two things were coming. You would be able to train Firefly on your own content to match your design and style.
The second was a way for contributors to earn money from the content that trains Firefly.
Note: Both promises have since shipped. Adobe paid its first Firefly bonus to eligible Adobe Stock contributors when Firefly became commercially available in September 2023. Firefly custom models, which you train on your own images, reached public beta in March 2026.
Firefly vs Midjourney 5: The March 2023 Test
So which was better in March 2023? At that time, Midjourney was much better overall.
Midjourney was trained on a lot more content, partly because it used copyrighted material, and it had been around longer. Adobe used only content it had the rights to.
To compare them, the same simple prompts went into Firefly and Midjourney 5, with no extra settings. Here is how each round went.
- Studio portrait of a cute monster with big green eyes: both did well. Midjourney wins on depth of field and detail.
- Golden hour photo of tacos with the New York City skyline: Midjourney did much better, and Firefly struggled with the background.
- Realistic 1980s Polaroid of a man and a muscle car: Midjourney wins with Polaroids that look very realistic.
- Close-up of an ant’s head: both did a fantastic job. Midjourney gave more of the actual head.
- Blue headphones against a yellow solid background: Firefly wins, since Adobe Stock has a lot of product shots like this.
- Muscular cat lifting weights on a San Francisco rooftop: neither did well. Midjourney did better overall, though the single best image came from Firefly.
- Steampunk man in red shorts on a unicycle: Firefly did a little better, with waves in most images and red shorts on every image.
- Cute dogs taking a selfie at sunset: Midjourney is the clear winner. Firefly’s results had distortions.
- Flat design logo for a towing company: both did a good job. The Midjourney design comes out slightly ahead.
- A single human hand on white: both did well on hands, but only Midjourney gave a white background.
- Artificial intelligence creating art: Firefly wins this round for its variety of styles.
Note: These results reflect the first Firefly image model and Midjourney 5 in March 2023. Both tools have released several newer models since, so do not read these verdicts as a current ranking.
What Is Adobe Firefly Today?
Firefly left beta on September 13, 2023, and became available for commercial use. That same month, Generative Fill and Generative Expand reached the general release of Photoshop.
Today, the Firefly app does far more than the 2023 beta. It generates images, video and audio, and it includes Firefly Boards for brainstorming on a shared canvas.
The app also includes partner models from companies such as Google, OpenAI and Runway. Adobe says more than 30 models are available in Firefly.
Adobe’s own newest image model, Firefly Image 5, became generally available in March 2026.
Inside Photoshop, you can use Firefly through Generative Fill to add or replace content in a selection. You can also extend backgrounds with Generative Expand.
Generate Image lets you pick from Adobe and partner models, including Firefly Image 5, Flux.2 Pro and Gemini. Generative Fill works the same way, and the partner models in Photoshop have their own guide.
Note: Model choice in Generate Image arrived in Photoshop 27.8 (Photoshop 2026), the June 2026 release. Check the release notes for the models in your version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Adobe Firefly generates images, text effects, video and audio from written prompts. Adobe designed it for commercial use, so creators can use the results in client work. It also powers generative tools inside Photoshop.
Yes, Adobe Firefly is free to use with an Adobe account. Paid plans give you more generations and access to more features. Firefly no longer has the waiting list it had during the 2023 beta.
Adobe trained the first Firefly model on Adobe Stock, openly licensed content and public domain content where the copyright has expired. It is not trained on your Creative Cloud libraries or personal work. That is why Adobe can offer Firefly for commercial use.
No. Firefly launched as a beta in March 2023 and became commercially available on September 13, 2023. Some newer Firefly features still start in beta before they reach the general release.
In the video’s March 2023 test, Midjourney 5 took most rounds. Firefly came out ahead on product shots and stock-style images. Both tools have released newer models since then. The best choice depends on the kind of image you need and whether you need it for commercial work.
Yes. Photoshop uses Firefly in Generative Fill, Generative Expand and Generate Image. In current versions you can also choose partner models, such as Gemini and Flux, from the same tools.
Yes. Firefly custom models let you train a model on your own images to match your style. Adobe released them in public beta in March 2026, and custom models are private by default.
Conclusion
Adobe Firefly started as a two-tool web beta with Text to Image and Text Effects. Its focus on licensed training data set it apart from Midjourney from day one.
Firefly now spans images, video and audio, and it runs inside Photoshop. The basics from the video, a clear prompt and a few well-chosen settings, still shape every result.
Watch the full video above to see every comparison, and comment on the video to share your thoughts on Adobe Firefly.
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