Adobe Photoshop 27.11 — macOS

The Light adjustment layer — finally, a single slider set for exposure, contrast, highlights, and shadows that works non-destructively. No more stacking three adjustment layers just to fix a backlit shot. That alone makes the 2025 version worth a look for anyone who spends their day in Photoshop.

Retouching and compositing without the click hunt

One-click selection and automatic masking are faster in this release. For the jobs that matter — replacing a background, removing an object, compositing two images — you still get full manual control. Masks and selections let you limit where generative edits apply, so the AI only touches the area you want.

Working with layers, the way you always have

Layers are still the backbone. Nothing changed there. What did change is the Save As dialog: you can now customize which file formats appear, cutting down the scroll time when you’re saving your tenth PSD of the afternoon.

AI-assisted editing, kept in its lane

The AI Assisted editor (Beta) and new Prompt to Edit and Markup tools are there if you need them. They don’t get in the way of the manual workflow. Use them for quick drafts, then finish the work yourself.

Before you install version 27.10, a few things are worth knowing. The software requires macOS 14 or later — that's Sonoma or newer. It runs on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs with 64-bit processors. If you're on an Intel machine, you'll need Rosetta installed first. The installer includes a note about that. Also worth mentioning: Generative Fill is not available in this version. That feature from the cloud-based Photoshop is separate, so don't expect it here. The Neural Filters are included, but you may need to extract the pack to the correct Adobe UXP plugins folder after installation. The instructions walk you through it.

Light adjustment layer replaces Camera Raw for everyday exposure fixes

The biggest everyday change is the Light adjustment layer. Instead of opening Camera Raw or stacking multiple curves and exposure layers, you grab one layer and adjust exposure, contrast, highlights, and shadows. It's non-destructive, so you can come back hours later and tweak it without starting over. For someone who processes batches of real estate photos or product shots, that's time saved every session.

Prompt to Edit and Markup are new tools that work together. You can type something like "brighten the sky" or "remove the power line," and Photoshop does it. Markup lets you draw on the image to show the AI exactly where to work. It's still in Beta, so results aren't always perfect, but for rough drafts and quick client proofs, it cuts down the back-and-forth.

The Save As dialog customization is a small thing that makes a real difference. If you mostly save PSD, TIFF, and JPEG, you can hide the other thirty formats. That's a dozen fewer clicks per day, which adds up.

Photographers using layered edits benefit most from the Light adjustment layer

Photographers working with layered edits will appreciate the Light adjustment layer most. It replaces the old habit of duplicating the background layer and fiddling with blend modes just to fix exposure. Graphic designers who produce posters, packaging, banners, or web graphics will find the Dynamic Text for shapes and paths useful — it keeps text editable on curved paths without rasterizing. Digital artists and illustrators who rely on custom brushes will find the brush engine unchanged, which is good news: no relearning muscle memory. The AI tools are aimed at anyone who does quick compositing or client revisions, but they're optional. You can ignore them and work exactly as you did in 2024.

Fixing a backlit raw file with the Light adjustment layer instead of Camera Raw

You open a raw file from a morning shoot. The exposure is off — backlit subject, blown highlights in the background. Instead of opening Camera Raw, you add a Light adjustment layer. You pull the exposure down a stop, bring highlights down, lift shadows a little. The sky recovers detail, the subject's face becomes visible. All non-destructive, all in one layer.

Next, you need to remove a distracting sign from the background wall. You make a rough selection around it, then type "remove sign" into the Prompt to Edit field. Photoshop generates a clean patch. It's not perfect — the wall texture doesn't quite match — so you use the clone stamp tool for a few seconds and it's done.

You add some text for a client proof. The text follows a curved path around a logo. Dynamic Text keeps it editable, so when the client asks to change the font size and wording, you just edit the text layer instead of redrawing the path.

Before saving, you hide the Light adjustment layer to show the client the before version, then turn it back on. You save as PSD with the customized Save As dialog showing only the formats you use. The whole session takes maybe twenty minutes instead of forty with the old stacking method.

• Light adjustment layer — non-destructive exposure, contrast, highlights, and shadows control.
• AI Assisted editor (Beta) added inside the app.
• Prompt to Edit and Markup tools for AI-assisted editing.

• macOS 14 or later
• Intel or Apple Silicon