The long-standing wall between dedicated photo editing suites and collaborative design platforms is rapidly crumbling, with new AI-driven tools blurring the lines once and for all. The integration of artificial intelligence into design software represents a significant advancement in the digital creative industry. This review will explore the evolution of Figma’s new AI image-editing tools, their key features, performance in a typical design workflow, and the impact they have on the creative process. The purpose of this review is to provide a thorough understanding of this new technology, its current capabilities, and its potential future development.
The Dawn of Native AI in Figma
Figma has introduced a suite of AI-powered features aimed at embedding advanced image manipulation directly within its core design environment. This move is not merely about adding new functions; it represents a fundamental shift in philosophy, bringing powerful, context-aware editing capabilities into the space where designs are born and iterated upon. The goal is to eliminate the friction of switching between specialized applications, thereby creating a more fluid and uninterrupted creative process.
This launch arrives at a pivotal moment in the industry, as AI tools become increasingly integral to digital creation. By developing its own native solutions, Figma positions itself to better control the user experience and deeply integrate these features into its platform. For designers, this means less time spent on tedious manual tasks and more time dedicated to high-level creative thinking and problem-solving, streamlining workflows from concept to final asset.
A Deep Dive into Figma’s AI Toolkit
Intelligent Object Selection and Removal
At the heart of the new toolkit is an enhanced lasso tool that leverages AI for remarkably precise object selection. Designers can now quickly isolate elements within an image for removal or repositioning without the painstaking process of manual masking. This feature is a significant time-saver, particularly when working with complex product photos or lifestyle imagery where specific items need to be adjusted.
Furthermore, the AI demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of context when an object is removed or moved. It intelligently regenerates the background, ensuring that textures, lighting, and color gradients are maintained with impressive consistency. This capability preserves the integrity of the original image, preventing the jarring artifacts that often result from less advanced content-aware fill tools and reinforcing a seamless editing experience.
Seamless Image Extension and Resizing
Another powerful addition is the image extension feature, which allows designers to expand a picture’s canvas beyond its original borders. The AI analyzes the existing image and generates new, contextually appropriate background details to fill the additional space. This tool is invaluable for adapting a single creative asset to a multitude of aspect ratios, such as transforming a square social media post into a wide web banner.
This functionality directly addresses a common bottleneck in content creation. Instead of being constrained by the original photograph’s framing or resorting to awkward cropping, designers now have the flexibility to reshape images to fit any layout. The effectiveness of the AI in creating plausible extensions makes it a practical solution for producing cohesive marketing materials and responsive web designs without needing a new photoshoot.
Granular In-Canvas Adjustments
Beyond broad manipulations, the new tools offer fine-grained control over isolated objects directly on the Figma canvas. Once an object is selected, designers can adjust properties like lighting, shadows, and focus independently of the rest of the image. This allows for subtle but impactful enhancements, such as making a product “pop” by brightening its highlights or adding a soft drop shadow for depth.
These in-canvas adjustments significantly reduce the reliance on external photo editors like Adobe Photoshop for routine touch-ups. By keeping these controls within the primary design tool, Figma empowers users to make rapid, iterative changes in the context of their overall layout. This integration not only accelerates the workflow but also encourages more experimentation and refinement during the design process.
A Redesigned User-Centric Workflow
To support these new capabilities, Figma has consolidated its image-editing functions into a single, intuitive toolbar. This redesigned interface improves accessibility and discoverability, making it easier for designers to find and use the tools they need without navigating complex menus. The thoughtful organization reflects a user-centric approach focused on minimizing clicks and cognitive load.
A key aspect of this redesign is the prioritization of frequently used actions. For instance, the “remove background” function, one of the most common tasks in modern design, is now prominently featured for one-click access. This deliberate emphasis on common use cases demonstrates an understanding of real-world design challenges and directly contributes to a more efficient and productive daily workflow for individuals and teams alike.
Practical Applications for Modern Designers
The real-world applications of these AI tools are vast, promising to accelerate design processes across various domains. When creating product mockups, designers can now seamlessly remove background clutter from a photo and place the item into a new scene. For marketing teams developing campaign assets, the ability to extend an image and reposition elements allows for the rapid creation of variants for A/B testing or different platform requirements.
The most significant impact on daily productivity stems from the elimination of constant app-switching. The time once lost exporting assets, opening them in another program, making edits, and re-importing them can now be reclaimed. This streamlined, in-app process not only saves valuable minutes on each task but also helps maintain creative momentum, allowing designers to stay focused on their work within a single, unified environment.
Competitive Landscape and Integration Challenges
With these new features, Figma moves into closer competition with established players like Adobe Photoshop and Canva, both of which have offered similar AI-driven object removal and content generation for some time. While Figma may be playing catch-up in terms of feature parity, its primary advantage lies in integrating these tools natively into a platform already dominant in UI/UX and collaborative design.
However, some questions remain. A potential limitation is the current lack of clarity regarding the integration of these tools with third-party AI models, such as those available through its existing ChatGPT plugin. As the AI landscape evolves, the ability to connect with and leverage external models could become a critical factor, and Figma’s strategy in this area is not yet fully defined.
The Future of AI-Powered Design in Figma
Figma has indicated that this initial release is just the beginning, with a clear roadmap to expand these AI capabilities across its entire platform in the coming year. This suggests a future where intelligent, automated assistance is not confined to image editing but is woven into the fabric of the entire design and collaboration ecosystem, from FigJam to Figma Design.
The long-term impact on the design industry could be profound. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into core creative software, it has the potential to automate more routine tasks, democratize advanced skills, and ultimately shift the role of the designer more toward strategic thinking and creative direction. Figma’s investment in this area signals a commitment to leading that evolution.
Final Verdict: Is Figma’s AI a Game-Changer?
Figma’s new AI image-editing suite is a powerful and well-executed step forward. Its key strengths lie in the seamless integration of advanced editing tools into a familiar workflow, effectively eliminating the need for external applications for many common tasks. The intelligent object selection, background generation, and in-canvas adjustments perform impressively, delivering high-quality results that accelerate the design process. The primary weakness at present is its later arrival to a market where competitors already have established offerings.
Ultimately, this technology is a significant value proposition for designers. While the individual features may not be entirely novel in the broader software landscape, their native implementation within Figma is transformative for user workflow and efficiency. This suite of tools represents more than just a new feature set; it is a clear indicator of the future of design software, where the boundaries between creation, editing, and collaboration are increasingly nonexistent.
