Adobe to let AI agents control Creative Cloud apps
Adobe is set to introduce a new feature that will allow third-party AI agents to control certain functions within its Creative Cloud applications, utilizing the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This will initially be available for local endpoints, with cloud access to follow at a later stage.
Adobe’s AI Strategy
By implementing this feature, users will have the flexibility to work with their preferred AI agent, while Adobe will determine which specific functions, models, and algorithms will be accessible through the endpoints. This development complements the existing Adobe Creative Agent, which is available through AI assistants within Adobe applications, as well as connectors that enable the use of Adobe tools within external AI services.
Users will be able to seamlessly switch between conversational interfaces and direct application controls, allowing for a more streamlined workflow. Deepa Subramaniam, vice president of product marketing for creative professionals at Adobe, notes that the easiest way to experience the company’s agentic strategy is by utilizing the Adobe Creative Agent within the applications, which possesses the necessary reasoning and intelligence layers to understand the user’s project and application.
Subramaniam highlights Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini as examples of services that Adobe’s connector tools can integrate with, enabling users to initiate creative tasks before transitioning into Adobe applications. Demonstrations have showcased Adobe’s own agent working in conjunction with Firefly, Premiere, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
Desktop Integration
With the planned MCP access, external AI agents will be able to operate Adobe software alongside other applications on the user’s desktop. Subramaniam cites rotoscoping and image hole filling as examples of capabilities that Adobe may expose through this feature, although a full list of available endpoints has not been provided.
Cloud-based MCP support will be introduced at a later stage, with Firefly being one of the services slated for this rollout. However, Subramaniam has not provided a specific timeline for this stage. As she explains, “Are you creating by hands-on driving the application? Are you creating through a conversational interface, enabled by an agent? Are you creating by using your agent of choice driving our applications, or a hybrid of all of those approaches?”
Testing Tools Against Real Projects
Adobe tests features against real projects and deadlines. The vice president of creative noted that demos often sell a feature, but the company puts tools through actual tests. This ensures features function correctly in professional environments.
Workflow Changes
Within the Creative Cloud ecosystem, Firefly supports content generation, concept development, and workflows connected to Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects, and Illustrator. Professionals utilize Firefly Boards to develop ideas before transitioning them into their primary production application, according to Subramaniam.
A demonstration illustrated a Photoshop user adding motion to artwork by describing the movement in Firefly, generating a video animation, and overlaying it on the work, thereby bypassing the need to build the animation in After Effects. The Graph feature allows users to create and share workflows, including packaging them as reusable capsules for colleagues.
Firefly also offers simpler editing and prompt-based creation tools for users with less experience in Adobe’s professional applications. Video is a key focus area, with Adobe’s presentations showcasing storyboarding and social media video creation in Firefly, alongside Premiere’s timeline-based editing. Subramaniam notes that there is a growing demand from professional editors, content creators, and individuals exploring video as a medium.
Testing Real Projects
As Subramaniam’s colleague, Resh Sidhu, vice president of creative at Adobe, notes, “craft, judgement, taste is fundamentally the thing that is going to make your brand and your team stand out. It’s absolutely the question and the conversation, and we see it within our own team.” Sidhu adds, “You can create 1,000 options of something; you still need someone to decide that’s the thing that’s worth making, and that’s creative strategy.”
