I Helped 4 Local Businesses Use Adobe Express' AI Features

6 days ago 1

Over the past few years, I've found tremendous joy in helping local businesses here in Worcester, MA learn more about technology and AI. It's the same work I do in my full-time job as a content creator, but I love the in-person collaborative aspect. I started my business Feisworld Media first as a podcaster, then later I produced a documentary on Amazon Prime and then launched a YouTube channel in 2019. But it's still the in-person sharing that gets me excited about helping others.

Since Adobe Express launched, it's become one of my go-to tools for creating podcast covers, episode artwork, social media posts and YouTube thumbnails. In mid-2023, Adobe rolled out generative AI features in Adobe Express (alongside Photoshop and Illustrator). This opened up creative tools like Text to Image and Text Effects, allowing anyone to generate custom visuals and text styles with just a simple prompt.

I share my time and knowledge of tools like Adobe Express to support entrepreneurs in my local community. These are businesses I truly admire; they're run by hardworking, capable owners whose dedication inspires me. And to be honest, they've taught me clever tricks and introduced me to Adobe Express features I hadn't yet discovered on my own. It's a great reminder that collaboration and interdisciplinary learning can cultivate growth and innovation for all of us.

Here are four features in Adobe Express you may not have tried yet.

Generate Image

I started going to Blackstone River CrossFit in Millbury, MA, to find a workout community. I shared my AI enthusiasm with Zathan Simpson, the gym's owner, who has since been using Adobe Express for social posts, flyers and his website. With Generate Image, he can now easily create energetic, on-brand backgrounds for flyers and Instagram without needing a big budget for custom photography or relying solely on gym snapshots. When the right image isn't available, he doesn't have to settle for stock photos that feel off-brand.

To use Generate Image, type in a description or list of words and Adobe Express will generate an image based on your prompt. Here are the initial results from a prompt that said "female CrossFit athlete lifting barbell, empowering, strong, modern gym environment, bold colors."

It may take a few tries to land on the perfect image. Use the "Generate More" button to explore more options. You can also fine-tune images by adjusting the generated character's age, ethnicity and body type, which can be helpful for things like gym marketing, where you want your content to feel more welcoming and authentic to new members.

We experimented with different keyword variations in our generative AI image prompts to better suit the gym's future marketing needs. For example, including the term "CrossFit" often produced female models with exaggerated muscle definition, which didn't align with the look they were aiming for. To address this, we removed "CrossFit" from some prompts and instead added keywords like "beginners" to generate images that felt more authentic and relatable for campaigns.

Reference Image lets you guide the style and composition of what you generate, Style is the visual look and feel and Composition is the arrangement of content in the image. By uploading your own images for reference, you can fine-tune the results.

screenshot of adobe express generate image feature

When I'm in a hurry, I'll often choose Auto (the default). For most client work, I find that Photo under Content Type gives me the best starting point. For art-related projects, I've also used the Graphic and Art options to create backgrounds.

The Style option allows you to customize the look: watercolor, painting, oil painting and more.

Remove Object

This feature allows you to erase unwanted elements such as people in the background, clutter and reflections. Adobe Express will then intelligently fill the space to look natural.

Designer Melissa Mattson runs the fashion brand Cosmic Unicornz. I showed her how to use Remove Object to clean up product photos. This feature helped her remove distractions so her handmade fashion pieces really stand out on social media.

Remove Object isn't just for artistic projects. It's also useful for everyday photo editing. In the example below, I was able to remove myself from a recent photo with just a few clicks. This feature is perfect when you need to edit out people or objects you don't want to include, or when you don't have permission to feature them in the final image.

Then there's Insert Object, which lets you add elements to an existing image simply by typing a prompt, like "add floral borders" or "add hanging lights in the background."

Generate Template (Text to Template)

This feature builds fully designed templates you can customize. For my mom Xiang Li's solo exhibit at the New England Botanic Garden, I used Generate Template to quickly create beautiful notecards using the garden's floral photography.

Start by choosing the format -- options include Card, Poster and Flyer -- then enter a simple prompt like "card template for botanic garden." Adobe Express returned several ready-to-use templates. I easily customized colors to match the natural palette of the featured flowers.

screenshot of adobe express generative image features

Generate Text Effect (Text to stylized text)

Did you know you can turn plain text into AI-generated designs? Think cool textures like metallic effects, glowing text, handwritten styles and more. For Feisworld Media and my YouTube channel, I use Generate Text Effect for eye-catching titles, video thumbnails and workshop slides.

Dance Fitness Collaboration, a local fitness community in Worcester, used this feature to create "ZUMBATHON" text in a fun balloon-style font for one of their Zumba events. Studio owners Marco and Jimmy Trafecante-Lamboy simply entered a text prompt like "3D rendered plastic balloon" in Adobe Express to amp up this lovely social post.

Additional styles and effects in Adobe Express include diamond glitter, disco ball, pencil sketch and others.

For me, Adobe Express' generative AI features have opened up a whole new way to create faster, more creatively and with way more fun. Whether I'm helping local businesses or my mom, these tools help us bring ideas to life without needing a big design budget or advanced skills.

If you're a creator, entrepreneur or small business owner, I highly recommend giving Adobe Express a try. The AI tools are powerful, the learning curve is low and they're a great way to elevate your brand and tell your story. Say hello on LinkedIn or YouTube to share with me what you've created.

Opinions expressed by CNET Perspectives contributors are their own.

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