Adobe Express AI: The Best AI Design Tool for Productivity?
If you’re a graphic designer, you know all too well that designing, editing, and creating content can be time-consuming, especially if you have a lot of projects on your plate. That’s where Adobe Express AI comes in.
Not long ago, I wrote an article on Adobe Firefly. This generative AI tool can turn text into images, add or remove objects using generative fill, apply unique text effects, and more.
Now, Adobe has integrated these tools (Text to Image and Text Effects) into Adobe Express, an all-in-one design tool for designers to use AI to design flyers, TikToks, reels, and more. It’s even designed to be safe for commercial use!
With its powerful features and artificial intelligence capabilities, Adobe Express AI supercharges your design productivity. It’s similar to Canva, another user-friendly design tool implementing AI.
As someone who has used Photoshop extensively (here are some posters I’ve designed) and uses Canva regularly, I wanted to learn more about Adobe Express AI and share my thoughts on its potential as a game-changer in the design industry.
Now that Adobe Express is no longer in beta testing, it’s time to take Adobe Express for a test drive.
I will begin this article by explaining what Adobe Express AI is and its primary generative AI features to help you enhance your design process. I’ve used all these tools to give you a proper inside look. By the end, you will have a clear understanding of whether Adobe Express AI is the best free AI design tool for your productivity needs.
Whether you’re a professional designer, social media content creator or want to express your creativity, Adobe Express AI has the tools and features to streamline your design process, boost your creativity, and enhance collaboration. Let’s take a look!
What is Adobe Express AI?
Adobe Express (originally launched as Adobe Spark) is a web-based design platform that combines the power of artificial intelligence and cloud computing to provide users with an all-in-one editing experience.
Govind Balakrishnan, senior vice president for Adobe Express and Digital Media Services at Adobe, says that Adobe Express is “fast, easy, and fun,” and I have to agree. As someone who has taken a three-month graphic design boot camp to learn Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, Adobe Express AI is much more user-friendly and easier to learn.
Powered by generative AI, it offers a range of tools and features that enable creators to design, edit, and enhance images, logos, flyers, audio, videos, and more in seconds to boost design productivity. It also offers thousands of useful templates for social media posts, stories, reels, logos, and flyers that can be easily customized to match your brand or personal style.
The cloud-based nature of this web app ensures that your projects are accessible from anywhere, making it convenient for creators on the go. Collaboration is also made easy, as you can share your designs with team members, receive real-time feedback, and work together seamlessly, all within Adobe Express AI.
Whether you’re a professional designer or a social media content creator, you can bring your creative ideas to life quickly and efficiently.
Adobe Express AI vs. Canva: What’s the Difference?
Now that we understand Adobe Express, you naturally start to wonder what the difference between Adobe Express and Canva is. After all, they both offer AI features. So why would anyone want to use Adobe Express over Canva?
For one, it’s excellent for existing Creative Cloud users. It’s integrated into the suite, which is convenient, and you can access your images, fonts, and more directly within the Adobe Express AI platform. This seamless integration allows a smooth workflow and eliminates switching between different applications.
Canva has been around for longer, so naturally, it offers more templates than Adobe Express. However, that doesn’t mean these templates are necessarily better than the ones provided with Adobe Express.
Additionally, Adobe Express integrates the Adobe Stock Library, offering instant access to over 195 million diverse stock photos, graphics, vectors, videos, and more. Even if you’re on the Free version of Adobe Express, you’ll get access to some of these creative assets.
6 Game-Changing Adobe Express AI Features to Boost Creativity
Here are the Adobe Express AI features that I have personally tried and will show you how to use:
- All-in-One Editor
- Text to Image
- Generative Fill
- Text to Template
- Text Effects
- One-Click Quick Actions
Note that Adobe Express comes with additional features you should be aware of:
- Make videos for social media using Adobe Stock.
- Edit PDFs.
- Resize assets in a single click.
- Build brand kits you can drag and drop into any design.
1. All-in-One Editor
Adobe Express AI has an all-in-one editor with templates that are perfect for video editing, social media, and more:
- PDFs
- Instagram posts and stories
- Flyers
- TikTok videos
- Logos
- Facebook posts
- Instagram reels
- Posters
- YouTube thumbnails and videos
This eliminates the need for multiple editing tools and simplifies your creative workflow.
I’ve designed lots of posters, so I was naturally inclined to give designing a poster with the Editor a try. On the Adobe Express landing page, I hovered over the Poster template and selected “Create now.”
I was given a blank page, but on the left were a seemingly endless amount of templates I could choose from (Adobe said there were over 33,000 results for the term “poster”)! Collectively, Adobe Express provides a vast selection of professionally crafted templates for social media and marketing.
I was immediately drawn to the baseball poster template, which I selected.
From a designer’s perspective, the layout, typography, colors, and overall composition of the template were spot on. Adobe Express AI has taken design trends and user preferences into consideration when creating these templates. This is an excellent starting point for designing a poster!
From here, I had complete editing control over the template. I could easily select the text and customize it, change the colors, and swap out or add photos.
As I mentioned, I already really liked the template that I chose, so there wasn’t much that I changed. But I found it incredibly easy to remove the outlines, change the text, and add an image of a baseball that I was able to remove the background of instantly.
Coming from an avid Photoshop user, the user interface was intuitive and user-friendly, making it a breeze to navigate through the editing options. The only main drawback with the Adobe Express AI editor is that you’re limited in terms of experimenting with textures and effects, which is something I love to do. However, it’s excellent for designs where your priority is convenience and speed rather than intricate details.
Once I had made the final tweaks to my poster, I was ready to download and share it with the world, which can be found on the top right. I was able to download it in a variety of different file formats: PNG, JPG, or PDF. I could also share it by inviting collaborators, publishing it on the web, scheduling it, or sharing it directly on the most popular social media platforms.
Adobe Express AI provides a seamless process for exporting the design in various file formats, collaborating on projects, and sharing it anywhere online!
2. Text to Image
Transforming text into eye-catching images is made easy with Adobe Express AI’s text-to-image feature. It allows you to create custom images instantly that can be used for social media, marketing materials, or personal projects.
It’s easy to use and works like any other AI image generator: insert your text prompt, and the AI algorithm will generate a corresponding image that matches your description. Once generated, it’ll immediately be placed in the Editor, where you can make further edits to your image by adding effects, adjustments, and other elements and images.
I asked the Adobe Express AI image generator to generate an image of “a digital painting of a futuristic cityscape at sunset.” After a few seconds, it generated three results!
Here’s my favorite:
The images Adobe Express AI generates are decent but nowhere near the quality of other AI art generators like Midjourney, Dall-E, and Stable Diffusion. Don’t be surprised if you get results that are not exactly what you envisioned.
However, with some tweaks and adjustments in the Editor, you can still get some pretty impressive outcomes. The Text to Image tool within the editor allows you to choose the content type (None, Photo, Graphic, or Art) and the style to get more accurate results.
The Adobe Express AI image generator is a valuable all-in-one tool for generating images and creating social media posts, website content, and promotional materials.
3. Generative Fill
Next, I tested out the generative fill feature. Upload an image and add or remove elements with a text prompt. This is great for instantly adding or removing elements without spending hours manually using technical software.
On the Adobe Express landing page, I started by selecting “Upload an image to start” under Generative Fill.
This took me to a page where I could upload my image or select one of the images provided. Since I didn’t have one, I chose the photo of the white cat with the bow on its head.
This took me to Adobe Express’ Generative Fill tool.
I was happy to see how simple the interface was. From the start, it was clear how I was meant to use it. I told it that I wanted to add a “pink bow in hair,” adjusted the brush size, brushed the area of the photo where I wanted to generate a bow, and hit “Generate.”
Within seconds, Adobe Express generated the same photo of the white cat with three versions of it with a pink bow! I was genuinely impressed by the accuracy and speed of the generative fill feature. It took just a few simple steps to transform the image into exactly what I had envisioned.
I wondered what would happen if I tried brushing over the bow I just generated and asking it to “remove pink bow from hair,” and it worked like a charm! You would’ve never known there was a bow on its head in the first place.
The Adobe Express Generative Fill tool is a game-changer for anyone in need of quickly adding or removing elements to an image without spending hours doing so manually. This feature combines the power of AI with a simple and intuitive user interface, making it accessible to users of all skill levels.
4. Text to Template
Next, we have the Adobe Express Text to Template tool.
Despite Adobe Express already offering thousands of customizable templates, you can turn your text into templates instantly. This makes it easier to create original templates that match your branding, content, and creative vision more accurately.
Going to the Adobe Express landing page, I gave the Text to Template tool the prompt “bold social templates” and hit “Generate.” After a few seconds, it generated three posters.
The results look good and have a great layout, but I expected more bold colors.
If you want to see more options, there are a couple of things you can do:
- Hit the “Generate more results” button at the bottom to generate more options.
- See variations of the result you like most by hovering over it and selecting “See variations.”
I generated more results, and the posters do have more color to them. The only downfall now is that I’m not a huge fan of the typography it chose, but that can always be changed in the editor!
I also wanted to see the variations Adobe Express would generate, so I hovered over the first poster and selected “See variations.”
Adobe Express kept the layout and colors the same but switched up the photos and copy. This is a great way to explore different options, especially how other images and copy impact whatever you’re creating.
5. Text Effects
If your text is looking bland and just not cutting it, you can try out the Text Effects feature offered by Adobe Express AI. It uses AI to add eye-catching effects to your text, instantly transforming it into something more visually appealing.
On the Adobe Express landing page, I went to “Text Effects” and described the desired effect. In this case, I put in “Liquid Gold.”
Within seconds, Adobe Express AI took me to the editor where my liquid gold text was. In the left panel, I could edit the text to look however I wanted.
Since the editor is so easy to use, it only took me a few seconds and a couple of clicks to arch the text and change the font to look like this.
If you’re unsure what kind of text effects you want, feel free to look at the wide range of text effects Express offers for inspiration. They range from reflective, natural, abstract, materials, distressed, fabric, and more!
Adding captivating text effects to your designs is made effortless with Adobe Express AI. Experiment with various text effects to elevate your content and make a lasting impression!
6. One-Click Quick Actions
Time is of the essence, especially when it comes to content creation. With Adobe Express AI’s one-click quick actions, you can save time and effort by performing everyday design tasks with a single click! How convenient.
Here are all of the one-click actions you can access via Adobe Express AI (yes, I listed them all):
- Remove background
- Resize image
- Caption video
- Animate from audio
- Convert to GIF
- Convert to MP4
- Resize video
- Merge video
- Generate QR code
- Convert to PDF
- Trim video
- Crop video
- Convert to JPG
- Convert to SVG
- Crop image
- Edit PDF
- Combine file
- Organize page
- Convert from PDF
- Text to image
- Text effects
Since the Remove background quick action is probably the most commonly used, I gave that one a go.
Visiting the Adobe Express page, I selected “Remove background.” Unsurprisingly, this led me to the Adobe Express page for removing backgrounds.
Off the bat, I was thrilled with how simple this tool was. There’s only one thing you can do, and that’s drag and drop an image (JPEG, JPG, or PNG up to 17MB), which is what I did.
After dragging and dropping the photo, I couldn’t believe how quickly it removed the background from my picture—literally milliseconds. The image also doesn’t have any jagged edges, which is something I’ve commonly experienced from other background remover tools. I was impressed!
From there, I could download or open it in Adobe Express to edit it for free.
Adobe’s One-Click Action tools are convenient for the most common image and video edits. Whether you need to resize images, remove backgrounds, or make format conversions, quick actions streamline your design process, allowing you to focus on creative aspects without getting bogged down by technicalities.
Pricing
Adobe Express AI has three pricing options: Free, Premium, or Teams.
On the free plan, you’ll get 25 generative credits per month. One credit is consumed per Text-to-Image and Text Effect generation. These credits are easy to blow through, so if that’s the case for you, consider upgrading to the Premium plan for 250 generative credits per month.
Besides being granted 25 free generative credits each month, on the Free plan, you’ll also get:
- Drag and drop video creation.
- Photo effects like background removal.
- Import and enhance PDF files.
- 10 free PDF Quick Actions each month.
- Access to thousands of static and video templates and design elements.
- Animation presets.
In addition to what you get on the Free plan, here’s what you get on the Premium plan:
- 250 generative credits per month.
- More photo features and effects like removing background from video, refining cutout, resizing images, etc.
- The ability to create brand kits that you can apply to projects in a single click.
- Access to over 195 million Adobe stock photos, videos, and more.
Adobe Express AI: My Experience
After playing around with the AI tools available on Adobe Express, I’m impressed with what it’s capable of and how it can elevate my design process. The 25 free generative credits per month are a great starting point to explore the power of AI through design.
From the all-in-one editor to text-to-image conversion, generative fill, and one-click quick actions, Adobe Express AI offers a range of features that enhance design efficiency. The convenience of being built into the Adobe Creative Cloud, giving users access to Adobe Stock (even on the Free plan!), and its collaborative features further expand the possibilities for designers.
If you’re an avid Canva user, don’t rule Adobe Express out. Adobe has said that they’ll be consistently rolling out new features so that you can expect an even wider range of design options and capabilities in the future.
If you’re a fan of Adobe products and already use Creative Cloud, I’d highly recommend downloading the latest version of Adobe Express and at least giving it a try. You’re bound to experience a new level of creative freedom and flexibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Adobe Express use AI?
Yes, Adobe Express uses artificial intelligence (AI) powered by Adobe Firefly. The main AI features in Adobe Express include Text to Image, which allows you to transform text into visually appealing images. There is also a Text Effect feature that will enable you to apply interesting artistic effects to text.
Does Adobe have AI tools?
Adobe offers AI tools through Adobe Firefly, which can be used in popular Adobe apps like Photoshop and Illustrator. Additionally, Adobe Express AI also offers AI tools such as:
- Text to Image
- Generative Fill
- Text to Template
- Text Effects
By harnessing the power of AI tools, creators can enhance their design process, express their ideas more effectively, and save time on repetitive design actions.
Is Adobe Photoshop generative AI free?
No, Adobe Photoshop generative AI is not free, as it is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. However, you can test it out with a 7-day free trial of Adobe Photoshop.
Is Adobe Express no longer free?
Adobe Express application can be used for free and offers many features, such as thousands of templates, Adobe Stock photos, videos and music, Adobe Fonts, design assets, quick actions, and more. To gain access to all Adobe Stock content and premium features, feel free to upgrade to the Adobe Express Premium Plan.
