1. What is Adobe Firefly (and why you should care)
The first time I opened Adobe Firefly, I was speechless. After years struggling with Photoshop to bring creative ideas to life, I found myself face to face with a tool that seemed to read my mind! Adobe has created this AI toolkit that integrates perfectly with apps we already know (Photoshop, Illustrator, Express), but completely changes the rules of the game.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Firefly is revolutionizing how creatives work. Unlike other AI tools I’ve tried, Adobe has put ethics front and center – every generated image respects copyright, which lets me sleep soundly when using my creations for commercial projects.
2. Firefly 3: Is it really worth upgrading?
Absolutely YES! I upgraded to Firefly 3 almost immediately and the difference is impressive. The images it generates now are so detailed that some colleagues thought they were actual photographs. I was left speechless seeing how it interpreted the prompt “surfer cat at sunset” – the reflections on the water were simply perfect!
The real breakthrough for me was the new video and animation function. I’m working on a project for a small local restaurant and managed to create a short promotional video in less than an hour, something that would have taken me days before.
Sure, there’s still the occasional issue with text consistency in images (try generating a store sign and you’ll see what I mean!), but development is moving very quickly and I hope this will be fixed in upcoming updates.
3. Key Features
Here are the features that can truly change your workflow:
Text-to-image: This is the heart of Adobe Firefly and, honestly, it’s magical. I’ve spent entire evenings experimenting with increasingly complex prompts. My advice? Be super specific. “Mountain landscape” will give you a generic result, while “Alpine mountain range at dawn with fog rising from the valley and a small wooden cabin in the foreground” will get you something extraordinary.
Photoshop integration: This is what sets Firefly apart from others. I can generate an image and immediately edit it in Photoshop without interruption. Once you get the hang of it, it becomes almost addictive!
Text-to-video: This feature saved me when a client wanted “something dynamic” but didn’t know exactly what. I entered the description of their restaurant and the mood they wanted to convey, and within minutes I had three options to choose from. Incredible, even though sometimes the camera movements can seem a bit too generic.
Audio and video translation: I discovered this by chance and now I can’t live without it! I took an old promotional video in English that I had created and translated it into Italian in just a few minutes. The lip sync isn’t great, but for informational content it’s a godsend.
Image-to-video: This feature was a revelation for a recent project. I only had two photographs of a product (one frontal and one side view) and needed to create a short rotational video. With Firefly, I generated a fluid video showing the product from all angles. The ability to specify the starting and ending frames is brilliant and allows for creative control I hadn’t expected.
Generative fill: I confess that at first I thought it was just another version of Photoshop’s content-aware fill. I was wrong! Last week I had to remove a street sign from a landscape photo and not only did it do it perfectly, but when I asked it to replace it with “a cherry tree in bloom,” the result blended into the landscape incredibly naturally.
Generative expansion: This feature literally saved a project for me. I had taken a perfect photo for a brochure, but the proportions weren’t suitable for the required format. Instead of discarding it, I used generative expansion to extend the edges and the result was so convincing that no one noticed the original image was smaller.
The feature that isn’t talked about much but that I love is the ability to create variations of an existing image. When working with an indecisive client, I generate 5-6 variations and almost always one of them hits the mark.
To be honest, video generation is still in its early stages. It works, but requires many attempts and patience. If you have tight deadlines, it’s better to still rely on traditional methods.
4. How much Adobe Firefly costs
I won’t beat around the bush: Firefly isn’t cheap, especially if you’re a freelancer just starting out.
The free version exists, but it’s like driving a Ferrari with the handbrake on. You can only generate a few images per month and the resolution is limited. I used it for a week before giving in to the full subscription.
The standard plan, which includes 2000 generative credits per month, costs about $10 per month.
The Pro plan, which includes 7000 generative credits per month, costs almost $30 per month.
The Premium plan, which allocates a whopping 50000 generative credits per month, costs the princely sum of $200 per month.
Regarding generative credits, these are used for premium features, such as video generation or audio and video translations. Standard features, like “text-to-image” or “generative fill” have no usage limits.
5. Alternatives: I’ve tried them all (so you don’t have to)
Before choosing Firefly, I spent weeks testing every available alternative:
MidJourney: Artistically? Probably the best. The images have something magical, almost dreamlike about them. But the Discord-based interface drove me crazy, and the inability to directly edit images is a huge limitation for my workflow.
DALL·E 3: Incredibly powerful and intuitive! I loved it for conceptual illustrations, but when I tried to use it for a commercial project, I felt limited by the lack of integration with other design tools.
Stable Diffusion: If you’re tech-savvy and enjoy tinkering with code and parameters, this is for you. I spent an entire weekend setting it up and, yes, the results can be extraordinary, but who has time for this when there are deadlines to meet?
After months of testing, I returned to Firefly because it integrates perfectly into my workflow with other Adobe tools. It’s like having a creative assistant who speaks the same language as the programs I’ve been using for years.
If you’re a beginner, try the free version of Canva Magic Studio; it’s surprisingly capable for simple projects. But if design is your job, sooner or later you’ll find yourself in the Adobe ecosystem. I tried to resist, but eventually I gave in. And, surprisingly, I don’t regret it!