Photoshop 2025: New Adjustment Brush Tool Explained

Photoshop 2025: New Adjustment Brush Tool Explained

The new Adjustment Brush tool in Photoshop 2025 streamlines color and lighting adjustments by combining painting and adjustment layers into a single workflow. Instead of manually creating adjustment layers and painting masks, this tool automatically generates the layers and masks as you paint directly on your image.

This approach makes selective adjustments more intuitive, whether you're changing the color of specific objects or fine-tuning exposure on particular areas of your photo.

Watch the Video

Video by PHLEARN. Any links or downloads mentioned by the creator are available only on YouTube

Practical Tips

Here are key techniques for getting the most out of the Adjustment Brush tool:

  • Enable "colorize" when making dramatic hue changes to avoid unnatural color shifts and achieve more realistic results
  • Use "Apply to Object" mode to automatically detect and mask specific elements, saving time on manual selection
  • Layer multiple adjustment brush effects on the same image by adding new adjustments for different color and lighting changes
  • Refine your masks after painting by using the gradient tool on the generated layer mask for smooth transitions
  • Keep hue adjustments moderate when colorize is off - small movements often produce more natural-looking color changes

Explore more brush techniques and latest features to expand your editing skills.

Exploring the Latest Features in Photoshop 2025
Photoshop 2025 introduces powerful new tools designed to make creative work easier, faster, and more flexible. From fine-tuning selections to moving objects and speeding up your workflow, these features feel built for the way creators actually work. In this video, we'll show you what's new and how these updates can help you work smarter — saving time on routine tasks, giving you more control over details, and opening up new ways to bring your ideas to life. Watch the video Breaking It Down
Create Cool Painterly Illustrations With the Art History Brush in Photoshop
In this tutorial, Julianne Kost will delve into an often-overlooked yet highly versatile tool in Photoshop CS5—the Art History Brush. This tool, which utilizes history states and snapshots, allows users to transform their images into stunning painterly effects. Julianne emphasizes that while the default settings of the Art History Brush may not showcase its full potential, exploring beyond these defaults can unlock a world of creative possibilities. Julianne begins by demonstrating the basic fu
Portrait retouching using only the brush tool in Photoshop
In this Photoshop tutorial, Aaron Nace from Phlearn guides readers through the process of retouching a portrait using only the Brush Tool. The tutorial covers a range of techniques, including removing blemishes, dodging and burning, and color toning. Despite the vast array of tools available in Photoshop, the author demonstrates that the Brush Tool alone can be a powerful and versatile tool for image editing. The concise and straightforward approach makes this tutorial accessible to both beginn
Photoshop 2025 Top 7 New Features and Updates Explained
Photoshop 2025 brings significant improvements to everyday editing tasks with smarter AI tools, enhanced 3D capabilities, and more intuitive workflows. From automatic distraction removal to advanced generative features, these updates focus on making complex tasks faster and more accessible. The standout addition is the Substance 3D viewer, which reintroduces 3D object compositing with sophisticated lighting and material controls that weren't available in previous versions. Watch the Complete
TOP New Features in Photoshop – May 2025 Update
Many Photoshop users frequently encounter common challenges such as time-consuming manual selections for complex objects, difficulties in achieving precise color adjustments across an image, or struggling with inconsistent results when removing unwanted elements like reflections. These hurdles often slow down the creative process, making it frustrating to achieve a desired professional look efficiently. This guide explains how Photoshop's latest updates introduce powerful new functionalities, i
Photoshop 2025: A Quantum Leap in Creative Power
Adobe has once again rolled out its yearly update for Photoshop, and this year, it's all about streamlining workflows and making generative AI even more accessible. Photoshop 2025 offers a variety of features that seek to enhance the creative process and save time. Let's explore some of the most noteworthy additions. Simplifying Complex Tasks: Key Features of the 2025 Update Distraction Removal: Say goodbye to tedious hours spent manually removing unwanted elements from your images. With the
Anyone can create incredible paintings in Photoshop with a single tool
In this tutorial, we'll explore a fun and easy way to create digital oil paintings using Adobe Photoshop. Our focus will be on the art history brush tool, which allows you to produce unique and impressive results. However, before you start using this tool, it's important to understand its basic principles and be aware of some common issues that may arise during setup. Once you get the hang of it, the art history brush can unlock all sorts of possibilities for your digital art projects. So let'
Photoshop 2025 New Features: Harmonize, Improved Remove Tool, and Model Picker
Photoshop 2025 introduces ambitious new features that promise to streamline complex editing tasks. The latest update brings automated compositing through the new Harmonize feature, significant improvements to the Remove tool, and enhanced collaboration options for creative teams. These updates represent Adobe's push toward AI-assisted workflows that handle technical aspects while preserving creative control. Each feature addresses common pain points in professional editing workflows. Watch th
Photoshop 2026 New Features: AI Tools and Credit System Overview
Photoshop 2026 introduces powerful AI-driven features including advanced generative fill models, sophisticated upscaling tools, and seamless harmonization effects. These updates promise to streamline complex editing tasks while delivering professional-quality results. The software now operates on a credit-based system that divides features into standard and premium tiers, fundamentally changing how users access certain tools. Watch the Video Key Features and Practical Tips * Access the co

Get tutorials & freebies delivered to you.

Subscribe to the Photoshop Roadmap newsletter, a weekly roundup of new tutorials, insights and quality downloads, trusted by 6500+ readers.

You might also like

9 Photoshop Tools That Still Outperform AI for Precision and Control

AI generates images from descriptions, but it cannot hand you the brush. When a project demands exact colors, editable text, precise retouching, or seamless mockups, Photoshop's native tools remain the more reliable choice — not because AI is weak, but because these workflows require control that generative tools simply...

How to Create a Vintage Film Look in Photoshop Using Adjustment Layers

Aging a photo convincingly takes more than a preset — it requires control over highlights, color channels, and grain working together. This walkthrough covers a fully manual, non-destructive workflow for building a vintage film effect in Photoshop, using Color Range selections, Smart Filters, a Grain adjustment layer, and per-channel...

How to Use the Object Selection Tool in Photoshop for Faster Edits

The Object Selection tool lets you isolate parts of an image with a simple drag, and it becomes even more useful when paired with adjustment layers and layer masks. These techniques are practical for targeted color edits, texture work, and building selections that cover multiple elements like a flower, stem,...

How to Set Up Bleed and Crop Marks for Print in Photoshop

Sending a print file without proper bleed is one of the most common mistakes in print production. A bleed — typically 1/8 inch of extra canvas on all sides — prevents white slivers from appearing when a printer trims the finished piece. Photoshop's Canvas Size tool and AI-powered...

How to Use Camera Raw's Feathered Sky Mask to Create a Natural Glow Effect

Camera Raw now lets you feather and expand AI-generated masks directly in the masking panel — a feature that makes it possible to create a convincing light bloom effect without any manual brush work. This tutorial covers the full editing process for a dark, underexposed landscape shot, with the feathered...

How to Build a Photo Manipulation in Photoshop: A 4-Step Compositing Workflow

Building a convincing photo manipulation from scratch requires more than creativity — it demands a repeatable process. This breakdown covers the four core steps used to composite multiple images into a single cohesive scene, from rough layout through exposure matching, color balancing, and shadow painting. Watch the Video Practical Tips These...

You’ve successfully subscribed to Photoshop Roadmap
Welcome back! You’ve successfully signed in.
Great! You’ve successfully signed up.
Success! Your email is updated.
Your link has expired
Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.