Reality vs Photoshop - Is Faking It Cheating? 🤷‍♂️

Car photography always looks that little bit more dramatic when there's a wet road reflection underneath the vehicle. But what do you do when the road is bone dry? In this guide, I'll walk you through two ways to fake a puddle reflection in Photoshop -- one traditional, one powered by AI -- and then I'll leave you with a question worth thinking about.

Method One: The Manual Approach

Step 1: Select the Car

Start by grabbing the Object Selection tool from the toolbar. In the options bar at the top of the screen, make sure the mode is set to Cloud for the best possible result, then click Select Subject. Photoshop will do a surprisingly good job of selecting the car in just a moment or two.

Step 2: Copy the Car onto Its Own Layer

With your selection active, press Command + J (Mac) or Control + J (Windows) to copy the car up onto a new layer. If you toggle every other layer off, you should see just the isolated car sitting cleanly on a transparent background.

Step 3: Flip It Upside Down

Go to Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical. This flips the car layer to create the basis of your reflection. Now grab the Move tool, hold down Shift (to keep movement perfectly vertical) and drag the flipped car downwards until the tyres of both the original and the reflection are just touching.

If things look slightly off-angle, go to Edit > Free Transform, move your cursor just outside the bounding box until you see the rotation cursor, and give it a gentle nudge until it lines up properly.

Step 4: Add a Black Layer Mask

Rename this layer "Reflection" to keep things tidy. Then, holding down Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows), click the Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. This adds a black mask that hides the layer entirely -- which is exactly what you want for now.

Step 5: Draw the Puddle Shape

Select the Lasso tool and make sure you click directly on the layer mask thumbnail (you should see a white border appear around it, confirming it's active). Now draw a rough, freehand puddle shape beneath the car's tyres -- it doesn't need to be perfect, natural-looking and irregular is actually better here.

Step 6: Fill with White to Reveal the Reflection

Go to Edit > Fill, set the contents to White, and click OK. The reflection will now appear only within the puddle shape you drew.

Step 7: Soften the Edges

Zoom in and you'll notice the puddle edge looks very sharp and unnatural. To fix that, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply just a small amount -- around 3 pixels is usually enough. This softens the boundary and helps the reflection blend into the ground convincingly.

Finally, you can reduce the opacity of the Reflection layer slightly to make the whole thing look a little more subtle and true to life.

Method Two: Using Adobe Firefly's Generative Fill

If you want a quicker and arguably more realistic result, Photoshop's AI tools can do a remarkable job here.

Step 1: Load the Puddle Selection

Hold Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) and click directly on the layer mask from your first reflection layer. This loads the puddle shape back as an active selection, saving you from having to draw it again.

Step 2: Select the Background Layer

Click on the main image layer, so that Generative Fill works on the background rather than the reflection layer.

Step 3: Run Generative Fill

In the contextual taskbar, click Generative Fill and type a prompt along the lines of: a reflection of car in puddle of water. For the AI model, select Firefly (specifically the Firefly Built and Expand model released in January 2026). If you're on a Creative Cloud Pro account, this won't cost you any credits -- whereas models like Flux or Nano Banana can use anywhere between 20 and 30 credits per generation.

Click Generate.

Step 4: Choose Your Favourite Variation

Firefly will produce three variations for you to compare. Have a look through them and pick the one that looks most convincing. You'll likely notice that the AI does something quite clever: it reflects the sky in the puddle on the far side of the car, just as real water would. Achieving that manually in Photoshop would take considerably more time and effort.

Which Method Should You Use?

For a quick, dirty result, the manual method works well and gives you full control. But for something that genuinely looks like a photograph taken on a wet road, the AI approach is hard to argue with -- particularly because of how naturally it handles the environmental reflections in the water.

A Question Worth Thinking About

Here's something to consider. When photographing that car, there were really two options: bring bottles of water to pour around the car and create a real puddle on the dry road, or add the reflection later in post-production, either manually or with AI.

Both approaches result in a reflection that wasn't originally there. The only difference is when in the process you add it.

So what do you think -- is there a meaningful ethical difference between physically creating something on location and digitally adding it afterwards? When it comes to reflections specifically, does it matter?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

✅ Photoshop JANUARY 2026 - Everything NEW 💥

Adobe dropped Photoshop 27.3.0 on the 27th January, and for once it's not just AI hype and features nobody asked for. This update brings some genuinely useful stuff that photographers and editors have been requesting for years.

Camera Raw tools finally join the party

The headline features are 2 (actually 3) new Adjustment Layers: Clarity & Dehaze and Grain.

If you've ever wanted to use Clarity or Dehaze without opening Camera Raw or converting to a Smart Object, your prayers have been answered. They now work exactly like Curves, Levels or any other adjustment layer. You can mask them, adjust opacity, change blend modes, and they stay fully editable in your PSD.

Clarity is brilliant for adding punch to textures and details in your midtones without blowing out highlights or crushing shadows. Dehaze cuts through atmospheric haze (or adds it if you reverse the slider), and having it as an adjustment layer means you can apply it selectively with a mask.

Grain gets the same treatment. Want to add film-style texture to knock the digital edge off a super-clean file? Chuck a Grain adjustment layer on top, dial it in, and you're done. It's particularly good for black and white work or vintage treatments.

The AI tools are growing up

On the generative side, things have improved quite a bit.​

Generative Fill and Generative Expand now output at up to 2K resolution, which means extended canvases and filled areas look far less mushy and hold detail much better. Adobe has also added model selection, so you can pick the Firefly version that best suits what you're doing.

The real game-changer is Reference Image support in Generative Fill. You can now feed Photoshop a reference photo and it'll try to match the lighting, colour and structure when generating new content. This is massive for compositing work or keeping a series of images consistent.

The Remove tool has also been quietly upgraded. It does a much cleaner job removing objects and people, with fewer obvious smears and repetitive patterns. In most cases you'll get a usable result without needing to follow up with Clone Stamp or Healing Brush.​

Why this one matters

This isn't a flashy update, but it's the kind that actually changes how you work.

Having Clarity, Dehaze and Grain as proper adjustment layers keeps everything inside Photoshop's layer stack where it belongs. No more jumping between Camera Raw, no more Smart Objects eating up file size, no more destructive edits.

The AI improvements make the generative tools feel less like tech demos and more like something you'd actually use in client work. Higher resolution output and better reference matching mean you can rely on them for real projects, not just Instagram experiments.

If you're on Creative Cloud, the update should already be available. The new adjustment layers live in the standard Adjustments panel alongside everything else. Well worth checking out, especially if you shoot landscapes, architecture or do any kind of composite work.​

Photoshop Acting Weird? Fix These 3 Simple Settings ✅

If Photoshop seems to be behaving odd when moving images around and zooming in, in this video I show how to easily fix it and get back control …

🙅🏼‍♂️ How to NEVER forget your Photoshop edits again ✅

I have lost count of the times I have finished an edit, loved the result, and then completely forgotten how I actually got there.

In this video, I am showing you a simple trick using the Photoshop History Log and AI to create a perfect, step-by-step record of every single move you make.

No more guessing which filter you used or what that specific slider value was; it’s like having a digital assistant write your editing recipes for you while you work.

What I cover:

✅ How to turn on the hidden History Log in Photoshop.
✅ Exporting your editing steps as a simple text file.
✅ Using a clever AI prompt to turn that messy log into a clear workflow.
✅ Why this is a game-changer for your consistency and learning.

Come on Adobe 🙏🏻 We NEED THIS FEATURE ⚠️

I've put together this short video because I need to ask a favour from anyone who uses Photoshop Camera Raw or Lightroom. There's a fundamental feature that's been missing for years, and it seriously impacts how we edit our images and the results we achieve.

The Missing Piece in AI Masking

The issue centres on masking, specifically the AI-generated masks available in the masking panel. Being able to select a sky or subject with one click is genuinely incredible, but there's a massive gap in functionality. We have no way to soften, blur, or feather those AI masks after they've been created.

Instead, we're left with incredibly sharp, defined outlines that sometimes look like poorly executed cutouts. This makes blending our adjustments naturally into the rest of the image much harder than it needs to be.

Years HAVE PASSED

Adobe introduced the masking panel back in October 2021. It changed the way we work and represented a huge step forward. Yet here we are, years later, still without a simple slider to soften mask edges.

If you want to blend an adjustment now, you're often stuck trying to subtract with a large soft brush, using the intersect command with a gradient, or employing other crude workarounds to hide the transition. It feels like excessive work for what should be a standard function.

The Competition Gets It Right

What makes this even more frustrating is seeing other software solve this problem elegantly. The new Boris FX Optics 2026 release includes AI masking controls where a single slider softens and blurs the mask outline, and it works incredibly well. Luminar has been offering this functionality for quite a while too.

These tools understand that a mask is only as good as its edges. When the competition provides ways to feather and refine AI selections, the absence of this feature in Adobe's ecosystem feels glaringly obvious.

Adobe's Strengths and Opportunities

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate that Adobe constantly pushes boundaries. We've witnessed tremendous growth over recent years, with developments from third-party AI platforms like Google's Gemini, emerging models, and innovations from Black Forest Labs with Flux and Topaz Labs. It's an exciting time to be a creator.

But I wish Adobe would take a moment to polish what we already have. Adding flashy new features is great, but refining the core workflows we use every single day would be a massive leap forward for all of us.

How You Can Help

Rather than simply complaining about this issue, I've created a feature request post in the Adobe forums. It's been merged with an existing thread on the same topic, which actually helps consolidate our voices into one place.

Here's what I need you to do: click the link below to visit the post and give it an upvote by clicking or tapping the counter number in the upper left. If we can get enough visibility on this, Adobe might finally recognise how much the community wants and needs this feature.

( LINK )

I believe refining existing tools is just as important as inventing new ones. Thank you for taking the time to vote. It really does make a difference when we speak up together.

What Are Those Mystery * and # Symbols in Photoshop??? 🤔

If you spend any amount of time in Adobe Photoshop, you become very familiar with the document tab at the top of your workspace. It tells you the filename and the current zoom level.

But sometimes, little cryptic symbols appear next to that information. Have you ever looked up and wondered, "Why is there a random hashtag next to my image name?" or "What does that little star mean?"

Nothing is broken. These symbols are just Photoshop's way of giving you a quick status update on your file and its colour management, without you needing to dig through menus.

What These Symbols Tell You

The symbols represent:

• The save state of your document

• Whether it has a colour profile attached

• Whether the document's profile differs from your working space

Here is a quick guide to decoding those little tab hieroglyphics.

1. The Asterisk After the Filename ("Save Me!" Star)

What it looks like: … (RGB/8) *

What it means: An asterisk hanging right off the end of your actual filename means you have unsaved changes.

When it appears: Photoshop is hypersensitive here. The star will appear if you:

• Move a layer one pixel

• Brush a single dot onto a mask

• Simply toggle a layer's visibility

• Do pretty much anything

It's a gentle reminder that the version on screen is different from the version saved on your hard drive. If the computer crashed right now, you would lose that work.

The fix: Press Cmd+S (Mac) or Ctrl+S (Windows). The moment you successfully save the file, that little star will disappear because Photoshop now considers the document "clean" again.

2. The Asterisk ("Profile Difference" Star)

What it looks like: … (RGB/8*)

What it means: This is a different symbol in a different spot. If the star is tucked inside the parentheses next to the bit depth (the 8 or 16), it's no longer talking about unsaved work but about colour management.

In current Photoshop versions, an asterisk here generally means the file's colour profile situation does not match your working RGB setup. For example, you're working in sRGB as your default, but the image you opened is tagged with Adobe RGB (1998). In other words, the document is "speaking" a slightly different colour language than your default workspace.

Should you worry?

• Usually, no. As long as you keep the embedded profile and your Colour Settings are sensible, Photoshop can still display the colours accurately even if the document profile and working space are different.

• It's worth paying attention, though, if you're planning to combine several images into one document. You'll want a consistent profile for predictable colour when you paste, convert or export.

3. The Hash Symbol # ("Untagged" Image)

What it looks like: … (RGB/8#)

What it means: If you see the hash/pound/hashtag symbol inside the parentheses, it means the image is Untagged RGB. There's no embedded colour profile at all, so Photoshop has no explicit instructions telling it how those RGB numbers are supposed to be interpreted.

Why this happens: This is very common with:

• Screenshots

• Many web images

• Older files where metadata was stripped out

When Photoshop opens an untagged image, it has to assume a profile based on your Colour Settings (typically your RGB working space, often sRGB by default), which may or may not match how the file was originally created.

Should you worry?

• If colour accuracy is critical (printing, branding, matching other assets), yes, you should pay attention to that #. Different assumptions about the profile can easily lead to differences in appearance between systems.

• You can fix this by going to Edit > Assign Profile and choosing the correct profile. For many web-style images, assigning sRGB is a sensible starting point, but be aware that assigning the wrong profile will change how the image looks, so use it when you have a good idea of the original intent.

Summary Cheat Sheet

(RGB/8) *

• This document has unsaved changes

• Save the file and the star will disappear

(RGB/8*)

• There's a colour-profile difference or related colour-management status

• Typically means the document's profile is not the same as your current working RGB space

(RGB/8#)

• The image is Untagged RGB, with no embedded colour profile

• Photoshop has to assume a profile based on your settings

ADOBE just changed ChatGPT FOREVER 💥 But Why???

Adobe has just rolled out one of the most significant updates we've seen in a while by integrating Photoshop, Express, and Acrobat directly into ChatGPT. And here's the kicker: these features are currently free to use, no Creative Cloud subscription required.

Why This Matters

This is a fascinating strategic play. ChatGPT has roughly 800 million active users, many of whom recognize the Photoshop brand but find the actual software intimidating or prohibitively expensive. By embedding these tools inside a chat interface where people already feel comfortable, Adobe is dismantling that barrier to entry. They're essentially converting casual users into potential creators through familiarity and ease of use.

What the Integration Actually Does

The capabilities are surprisingly robust for a chat-based tool. You can upload an image and ask Photoshop to handle basic retouching or apply artistic styles. The masking feature is particularly impressive, intelligently selecting subjects without manual input. Adobe Express generates social media posts or birthday cards from simple text prompts, while the Acrobat integration handles PDF merging and organization without leaving the conversation.

The Bigger Picture

Make no mistake: this isn't replacing the full desktop software. It's a streamlined, accessible version optimized for speed and convenience. Users who need granular control or heavy processing power will still require the complete applications.

This is a textbook freemium strategy. Adobe is giving users a taste of their engine, creating a natural upgrade path. Once someone hits the limitations of the chat interface, they're just one click away from the full experience. It's a smart way to widen the funnel and meet users exactly where they are.

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The Fisherman's Tale 🐟 New Compositing Workflow

Yesterday morning I popped out for breakfast and to meet up with a friend, Steve.

After a great bite to eat at one of my favourite haunts, Town Mill Bakery (Lyme Regis) I sprung it on him that I had an idea for a picture I wanted to put together and that I needed him to be the subject.

The idea was to create a portrait of a Fisherman and to do this with a combination of Photography, Lightroom, Photoshop and AI, to test out a new workflow.

So, here’s the resulting image, and below is a breakdown of the steps involved using Lightroom, Photoshop, Google Gemini AI and Magnific (Upscaler)

The Process

• Taking the portrait of Steve with the desired background

• Initial Edits in Lightroom

• Export into Google Gemini AI and add Stock Photographs of Fisherman’s clothing onto Steve. Create image in 4K and then Upscale 2x

• Create aging, weathering on the Overalls and Hat using Gemini AI and then selectively paint this onto Steve using Masks in Photoshop

• In Gemini AI generate the fish and Steve’s new arm position, then mask this into the main image in Photoshop

Extend Background in Photoshop and add finishing touches in Lightroom including Colour Grading, Adjusting Lighting, Lens Blur, Adding Grain etc …

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Photoshop Compositing Hack with Harmonize

If you use Photoshop for compositing, you’ve probably tried out the Harmonize feature currently in Photoshop beta. It’s a great addition when blending objects into a scene, adjusting color and adding shadows to make everything look more natural. The problem is, Harmonize isn’t really designed for people - it tends to break down on human subjects.

But I’ve found a handy workaround that makes Harmonize incredibly useful when compositing people, particularly when it comes to the hardest part: creating realistic contact and cast shadows.

Why Shadows Are the Hardest Part

When you’re compositing, matching colors is one thing, but making sure the subject looks truly grounded in the scene is another. Shadows - both contact shadows right under the feet, and cast shadows stretching into the scene - are what really sell the effect. Without them, the subject looks like they’re floating.

Testing Harmonize on People

Harmonize works brilliantly on objects, but when applied to a person it usually ruins detail and texture. For example, in a composite with a Viking figure photographed in the studio, Harmonize messed up the fine detail in the image but still attempted to generate shadows. Not perfect, but promising.

The Workaround: Adding a Fake Light Source

Here’s where the trick comes in. By adding a fake light source into the background before running Harmonize, the results improve dramatically.

• Duplicate your background layer.

• With a soft white brush, paint a bright “light spot” in the sky area.

• Run Harmonize again with your subject layer active.

This extra light influences how Harmonize interprets the scene and produces stronger, more believable contact and cast shadows.

Keeping Only the Shadows

Of course, we don’t want the strange coloring Harmonize often applies to people. To fix this:

1. Rasterize the Harmonize layer to make it editable.

2. Apply the layer mask so only the visible result remains.

3. Add a black layer mask to hide everything.

4. With a white brush, paint back just the shadows from the Harmonize layer.

Now you have realistic shadows under your subject, without losing the original detail and color of the person.

Bonus Tip: Dealing with Flyaway Hair

Compositing hair can be a nightmare. Instead of spending hours trying to cut out every strand, I’ve had success using Generative Fill.

• Make a quick selection of the hair area.

• In Generative Fill (Firefly Image 3 model), type something like “long brown wavy hair blowing in the wind”.

• Photoshop generates natural-looking variations that save a ton of time.

Final Thoughts

Harmonize might not be built for people yet, but with this compositing hack it becomes a powerful tool for one of the trickiest parts of the job — shadows. Add in the Generative Fill trick for hair, and you’ve got a much faster way to create composites that look believable.

Give it a try and see how it works in your own projects.

Editing a Photo in Lightroom + Photoshop ... on an iPad

Not too long ago, I never would have considered editing my photos on an iPad. It always felt like something I should save for my desktop. But things have changed. Both Lightroom and Photoshop on the iPad have improved massively, and these days I often use them when traveling. More and more, this mobile workflow is becoming a real option for photographers.

In this walkthrough, I’ll show you how I edited an image completely on the iPad, starting in Lightroom, jumping over to Photoshop when needed, and then finishing off with a print.

Starting in Lightroom on the iPad

The photo I worked on was taken with my iPhone. The first job was the obvious one: straightening the image. In Lightroom, I headed to the Geometry panel and switched on the Upright option, which immediately fixed the horizon.

Next, I dealt with a distraction in the bottom left corner. Using the Remove Tool with Generative AI switched on, I brushed over the wall that had crept into the frame. Lightroom offered three variations, and the second one was perfect.

With those fixes made, I converted the photo to black and white using one of my own synced presets. A quick tweak of the Amount slider gave me just the right level of contrast.

Masking and Sky Adjustments

The sky needed attention, so I created a Select Sky mask. As usual, the AI selection bled slightly into the hills, so I used a Subtract mask to tidy things up. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough to move forward.

From there, I added some Dehaze and Clarity to bring detail back into the clouds. A bit of sharpening pushed the image further, but that also revealed halos around a distant lamppost. At that point, I knew it was time to send the photo into Photoshop.

Fixing Halos in Photoshop on the iPad

Jumping into Photoshop on the iPad takes a little getting used to, but once you know where things are, it feels very familiar.

To remove the halos, I used the Clone Stamp Tool on a blank layer set to Darken blend mode. This technique is brilliant because it only darkens areas brighter than the sample point. With a bit of careful cloning, the halos disappeared quickly.

I then added a subtle “glow” effect often used on landscapes. By duplicating the layer, applying a Gaussian Blur, and changing the blend mode to Soft Light at low opacity, the image gained a soft, atmospheric look.

Back to Lightroom and Printing

With the edits complete, I sent the image back to Lightroom. From there it synced seamlessly across to my desktop, but the important point is that all of the editing was done entirely on the iPad.

Before printing, I checked the histogram and made some final tweaks. Then it was straight to print on a textured matte fine art paper. Once the ink settled, the result looked fantastic — no halos in sight.

Final Thoughts

I’m not suggesting you should abandon your desktop for editing. Far from it. But the iPad has become a powerful option when you’re traveling, sitting in a café, or simply want to work away from your desk.

This workflow shows what’s possible: you can straighten, retouch, convert to black and white, make sky adjustments, refine details in Photoshop, and even prepare a final print — all from the iPad. And of course, everything syncs back to your desktop for finishing touches if needed.

Exciting times indeed.