Does PS Generative Fill or Expand use credits?

[Only RF]

Not to hog another thread I decided to start a new one. I was always under the impression that Generative Fill or Expand used Adobe Photo Plan credits. There was question whether or not this actually happened. I decided to give it a try for the first time. I watched a video but I might have done something incorrectly. If someone wants to add to this feel free.

First I sent a from LrC to PS. I then cropped up to select what I wanted to fill. Then I selected Content Aware Fill - Expand. Both use Firefly. Anytime you see Star type symbol means it is a cloud edit.

I clicked on it and it told me this edit would take one credit.

After running it twice it used two credits. The reason it shows I used 12 credits is because I tried Firefly 4X upscale a few days ago and it took 10 credits. My only other attempt at cloud edits. You can't save up credits. In 5 days it will reset back to 250.

 

[Only RF]

That first post was a little long. The only good thing is we get 250 or 1,000 generations per month depending on your plan. I can't see myself using 8.3 credits a day. Now I'm kinda looking forward to it showing up in LrC, if it does. Good in a pinch even if I send a file to PS, which won't be too often.

The Firefly 4X upscale took 10 credits and it was too big for my needs. The local based LrC Super Resolution which is 2X does not use credits and is plenty for me.

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[Only RF]

Anything you use in the LrC "Remove AI" tool panel does not use any credits.

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[Grumps]

Anything you use in the LrC "Remove AI" tool panel does not use any credits.

Is that some sort of artifact at the very left-hand margin?

 

[Only RF]

Is that some sort of artifact at the very left-hand margin?

This was one click and it took a few seconds. I think it just didn't know what to do with that persons left arm. That would have been an easy fix but I purposely did not do any other editing to show the results of what the algorithms did. I was impressed at how it removed the shadows as well.

Another example. I was replacing a creaky baseboard heater. I put the old one in the dining room while I waited for the new one. Then I needed a shot of the dining room. In the old days I would have had to move the heater because I would have given up trying to remove it manually. I just ran a brush along it and again just one click.

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[Only RF]

Since we are on the subject of credits in PS Filters you will find Topaz partnered AI Denoise and AI Sharpen tools. It's the two higher up. The one below is the stand alone Topaz Sharpen Denoise I purchased many years ago. It has not had an update since 2022 but still works OK. I rarely use it these days.

When this was first announced last October you had to purchase more credits to use the Topaz partnered apps. It only gave me one free trial run and you really can't test anything out. I decided to purchase more credits for about $10.99 as I was curios about Sharpen AI. I was not impressed. No user controls and it seemed over-sharpened so I cancelled a few days later and got a full refund.

FYI. While extra credits are subscription based it is not an annual plan. You can quit any month without penalty. If you quit before your trial period you get a full refund. If you quit after your trial period there is no credit for any unused days in the month. Not a significant loss. It is less expensive for an annual commitment.

About a month ago someone pointed out that you do not have to purchase extra credits for the Topaz partnered apps anymore. I guess after Adobe announced the take over of Topaz they added the usage of those two apps to your allotted monthly credits. Currently to use one of those costs 10 credits. That is only 25 edits a month for me so I'm still not interested. 1 credit for Generative Expand - Fill is nothing. I'd be lucky to use 10 credits out of my 250 every month. If I was earning or really wanted Firefly, Nano Banana, etc for my hobby stuff then I'd look into it.

I have no issues with subscription for the Photo Plan at $10 for everything I get. I have no interest in paying for extra credits. However Adobe Denoise AI only works on RAW files and some DNGs. I guess for now this is their answer to using those tools on Jpegs, TIFFs, etc.

That was one reason why I picked up ON1 NoNoise that has Tack Sharp last October for about $30 US. It is a nice compliment to LrC. Newer tech compared to my Topaz Sharpen AI app. Unlimited edits and I like its natural look. I started a post that ON1 is offering NoNoise for free until the end of this month. I suspect a new version will be released. I'll see how much an upgrade will be but I'm still interested to see where Adobe is headed with the Topaz partnered apps. Well not partnered anymore. Adobe will own them. Next big update should be n October. Version 16. Adobe releases a major update about every 3 months. Last one was in June.

Thanks for your patience with this long post. Might help someone with how the credits work and what may come next.