To make room for AI, Adobe deprecated select legacy features in version 22.2:
Adobe Photoshop 2021 (v22.2) continues the march toward AI-assisted creativity and cloud integration. While not a major annual overhaul, this update refines the Neural Filters engine, improves Select Subject & Sky Replacement, and enhances collaboration through Cloud Documents.
Features like "Remove Background" or "Convert to Black and White" can be executed directly from the panel, making it an excellent resource for beginners. Summary of Key Features (Version 22.2) Neural Filters (Skin Smoothing, Smart Portrait) AI Sky Replacement Live Shapes and Enhanced Properties Refine Hair in Select & Mask Invite to Edit (Cloud Collaboration) Improved GPU Acceleration Conclusion
Adobe overhauled the search functionality. Pressing Cmd/Ctrl + F no longer just searched for tools; it opened a learning hub. You could type "remove background," and it would not only find the button but show a tutorial on how to use it. This was a massive quality-of-life improvement for beginners.
For restoration artists, the Colorize filter received under-the-hood training updates. It evaluates black-and-white images and automatically applies realistic color gradients to clothing, skin tones, and backgrounds, giving artists a highly accurate starting canvas that saves hours of manual masking. 4. Enhanced Sky Replacement Tool
By early 2021, remote work was the norm. Version 22.2 made cloud documents savable offline (finally) and reduced the syncing lag. It wasn't as seamless as Figma, but it stopped the dreaded "Version conflict" error that plagued the late 2020 releases.
This was the flagship feature of the 2021 release. It is a new workspace inside Photoshop that utilizes Adobe Sensei (AI) to generate complex pixel alterations.
The defining characteristic of the 2021 release was the introduction of . Housed under the Filters menu, this panel utilizes Adobe Sensei (Adobe’s AI engine) to perform complex tasks that previously took hours of manual work.