Photoshop adds Clarity, Dehaze and Grain as adjustment layers

Adobe has added Clarity, Dehaze and Grain as full adjustment layers in Photoshop, giving photographers greater flexibility and non-destructive control over some of the software’s most-used tools.

Previously, these adjustments were only available through Camera Raw or the Camera Raw Filter, meaning edits were applied inside a modal window and required Smart Objects to remain editable.

At the same time, selective adjustments often involved duplicating layers and building complex masks.

With the new implementation, Clarity, Dehaze and Grain now behave like standard Photoshop adjustment layers. They can be stacked, masked, blended and revisited at any time without degrading image quality.

The change significantly simplifies common workflows. For example, photographers can now apply Dehaze only to distant elements in a landscape using a layer mask, adjust strength via opacity, or experiment with blend modes, all without reapplying filters.

Grain can be varied across an image for more natural film-like results, while Clarity can be targeted to specific areas such as eyes, textures or architectural details without affecting skin or smoother surfaces.

Clarity increases midtone contrast and structure to add definition, Dehaze improves contrast in low-visibility or atmospheric conditions, and Grain adds controlled texture to digital files.

As adjustment layers, all three can now be fine-tuned long after the initial edit.

Alongside the workflow update, Adobe has also rolled out several AI-related improvements. Generative Fill, Generative Expand and the Remove tool now output images at up to 2K resolution, with improved prompt accuracy and fewer visual artifacts.

Reference Image with objects has been updated to better preserve object identity, including scale, rotation and perspective.

Photoshop has also introduced Dynamic Text in beta, allowing text to follow circular or curved paths with a single click, reducing the need for manual text-on-path workarounds.

While much of Adobe’s recent focus has been on AI-driven features, the addition of Clarity, Dehaze and Grain as adjustment layers addresses a long-standing request from photographers and brings Photoshop closer to a fully flexible, layer-based editing workflow.

The updates are available now in the desktop version of Photoshop, with AI improvements also rolling out to Photoshop on the web.