Photoshop 2023 New Features, Explained in Full
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Photoshop 2023 new features add AI-generated backdrops, one-click object removal, and a live, on-canvas gradient tool to your workflow.
Key Takeaways
- The Object Selection Tool now shows a pink overlay instead of blue, and you can click directly on your subject to select it.
- Pressing Shift and Backspace (Windows) or Shift and Delete (macOS) on a selection triggers Content-Aware Fill automatically, with no dialog box.
- The Photo Restoration Neural Filter keeps its Beta label in the Neural Filters panel even though the filter itself is fully released.
- Substance Materials live inside Photoshop through the free Substance plugin, not a separate 3D application.
- Live Gradients let you add and edit color stops right on the canvas, instead of only inside the Gradient Editor dialog.
- The Backdrop Generator filter never left the Photoshop Beta app. Its closest equivalent today is Generate Background.
Table of contents
What You Will Learn
- How to generate custom backdrops with the Backdrop Generator Neural Filter
- How to apply and customize Substance Materials from the Layers panel
- How to delete and fill a selection in one step with the Object Selection Tool
- How to restore and colorize old photos with the Photo Restoration Neural Filter
- How to build and edit a gradient right on the canvas with Live Gradients
- How to install the Photoshop Beta app to try new features early
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2023 (version 24.0 or later) or the current version
- A photo to practice the Object Selection Tool, the Photo Restoration Neural Filter, and Live Gradients on
Photoshop 2023 New Features at a Glance
Learn what’s new in Photoshop 2023 with this no-fluff tutorial!
We will look at the most significant updates like the Backdrop Generator, Substance Materials, Delete and Fill, Photo Restoration Filter, Live Gradients, and more!
Backdrop Generator
You can now use AI to generate custom backdrops for your photographs.
You can easily create your desired backdrop based on a description that you will input in the Prompt. Go into Filter > Neural Filters > Backdrop Creator.
Then you can input a Prompt or start using one of the Popular presets.
Type a description, select Create, and Photoshop will generate three new images based on your prompt, and choose your favorite result!
Note: The video shows the Backdrop Generator Neural Filter, which stayed exclusive to the Photoshop Beta app and never reached general release under that name. Today’s Photoshop replaces it with Generate Background, a Firefly-powered tool that reached general release in Photoshop 2025 (version 26.0).
For a similar AI backdrop workflow you can use right now, see Extend Image and Video Backgrounds Using Generative Expand.
Substance Materials
The Substance Photoshop plugin allows you to access the power of Substance materials,
originally available only in 3D native applications.
These materials can be used to boost the photo-realism of architectural renditions or interior designs or as added content options for more abstract digital creations.
You can think of these materials as Photoshop patterns, but with controls for limitless variations.
You can adjust the sliders accordingly to get the desired results for your projects.
If you want to get more Materials, click and drag all the way down and click on this link here.
This will open an Adobe page with Substance 3D assets.
Go into Materials and click Free Assets to browse all the free assets you can download and use.
One-click Delete and Fill
With the one-click Delete and Fill Selection feature, you can easily remove objects or people from your images or retouch them even when they have complex backgrounds.
Photoshop seamlessly blends the background as if the object were never there.
Just like magic (Thank you, AI)!
Simply use the Object Selection Tool to make your selection and press Shift and Backspace (Windows) or Shift and Delete (macOS).
If you’re working with the Lasso Tool or any other Photoshop tool, right-click the mouse to access the contextual menu. Select Delete and Fill Selection to delete unwanted objects from your image.
For the modern, prompt-based version of this workflow, see Generative Fill in Photoshop: The 2026 Complete Guide.
Photo Restoration
Restore your old family photos or prints back to life with the new AI-powered Photo Restoration Neural Filter (Beta)!
Go into File > Neural Filters > All filters.
Make sure to enable the Photo Restoration Beta filter.
This filter attempts to restore Photos with just a few clicks.
For an even better result, under the adjustments, you can apply Photo Enhancement and Scratch Reduction to improve contrast, enhance details, and remove scratches.
The best thing about this filter is that you can combine it with other filters.
For example, you can also enable the Colorize filter to automatically colorize this image using Artificial Intelligence.
You can also manually color your image or adjust the Profile, Saturation, and Color artifact reduction settings.
Live Gradients
With Live Gradients, you can create and control gradient points directly on the canvas.
Note: The video was recorded in the Photoshop Beta app. Live Gradients reached general release in Photoshop 24.5, the May 2023 release, and works the same way today.
The gradient widget is real-time, so you can see exactly what your gradient will look like on your canvas. You’ll also be able to tweak your gradient by adding color stops and opacity stops.
You can move those stops to make the color, density, opacity, and blend mode adjustments to the gradient.
How to install Photoshop 2023 (Beta)
To install the Beta version of Photoshop, go into your Creative Cloud app
and on the left-hand side tab, click on Beta Apps. You can install Photoshop (Beta) from there.
I hope this tutorial helps!
If you want to learn more Photoshop tutorials, check out How To Create Smooth Seamless Backdrops in Photoshop and How To Resize an Image WITHOUT Squeezing It!
Frequently Asked Questions
Photoshop 2023 added the Backdrop Generator Neural Filter, Substance Materials, one-click Delete and Fill Selection, the Photo Restoration Neural Filter, and Live Gradients. Several of these started out in the Photoshop Beta app before reaching general release.
The Backdrop Generator Neural Filter stayed exclusive to the Photoshop Beta app and never reached general release under that name. Today’s Photoshop uses Generate Background instead.
Select your subject with the Object Selection Tool, then press Shift and Backspace (Windows) or Shift and Delete (macOS). Photoshop removes the selection and fills the gap with Content-Aware Fill automatically.
The word Beta in Photo Restoration Neural Filter (Beta) is a permanent label inside the Neural Filters panel. It doesn’t mean the filter is unfinished or limited to the Photoshop Beta app.
Substance Materials are patterns with adjustable sliders for resolution, scale, and other properties. You apply them through the free Substance plugin, found under Window > Materials.
Live Gradients reached general release in Photoshop 24.5, the May 2023 release. Before that, it only worked in the Photoshop Beta app.
Open the Creative Cloud app and click Beta Apps on the left side. Install Photoshop (Beta) from there.
No. Delete and Fill Selection, the Object Selection Tool, Substance Materials, and Live Gradients all still work the same way in the current version of Photoshop.
Final Thoughts
These are the new and exciting Photoshop 2023 new features covered in this roundup.
These Photoshop 2023 new features cover backdrop generation, material textures, one-click object removal, photo restoration, and live gradient editing.
Most of them work the same way today, even the ones that started out in the Photoshop Beta app.
Watch the full video above, and comment on the video if you have a question about any of these tools.
Selections and Masking Mastery
Complete course includes 2.5 hours of step-by-step lessons, 6 structured modules, downloadable practice files, and custom Photoshop brushes. Everything you need to master selections and masks in one place.
Keep going
Next, catch up on everything new in Photoshop 2024.
Previous Photoshop Updates
This post is the 2023 entry in the series of Photoshop version write-ups. Here are the others.
- Photoshop 2025 (July Release)
- Photoshop 2025 (April Release)
- Photoshop 2025
- Photoshop 2024
- Photoshop 2023, this post
- Photoshop 2022
- Photoshop 2021
- Photoshop 2020
- Photoshop CC 2019
- Photoshop CC 2018
- Photoshop CC 2017
- Photoshop CC 2015.5
- Photoshop CC 2015
- Photoshop CC 2014
- Photoshop CC
- Photoshop CS6
