Exploring Photoshop’s New 3D Object Rotation Feature
Adobe has recently enhanced its popular Photoshop software with a highly anticipated feature: the ability to rotate 2D objects in 3D space. This latest innovation opens up exciting possibilities for creative professionals and enthusiasts alike. Let’s dive into what this feature offers and how it can transform your editing experience.
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Main Insights from ZDNET
- Photoshop can create details beyond the camera’s capture.
- The Rotate Object feature works impressively with Harmonize.
- High-quality results still require user expertise in Photoshop.
Adobe continues to innovate within its platform, especially with AI-enhanced features in Photoshop. Last fall, I enjoyed working with the Photoshop Harmonize feature, which automatically aligns an object’s color, lighting, and shadows to match its background. This new feature allows you to rotate 2D objects in 3D space, further expanding your creative capabilities.
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Witnessing this tool in action, particularly when paired with Harmonize, reveals its transformative potential.
Updating Your Photoshop
The Rotate Object feature is found in Photoshop v27.6. If you’re using an older version, you can easily update via the Creative Cloud app.
Interface of Rotate Object
Traditionally, Photoshop has allowed you to rotate objects in 2D space; however, the new interface enables 3D rotation while generating any hidden parts of the image.
The Rotate Object function can be accessed under the Edit menu and the contextual menu bar. The tool includes four primary controls: rotate around the X axis (1), rotate around the Y axis (2), adjust perspective (3), and rotate around any corner point (4).
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The AI generates the unseen details during rotation, but bear in mind that it may not always accurately represent the object. Although it lacks the ability to analyze multiple views of an item for enhanced accuracy, it still provides a basic outline.
Upon selecting Rotate Object, the AI presents a low-resolution preview of the object, before cleaning up the image post-transformation.
A Hands-On Demonstration
To illustrate the power of rotation and harmonization, I retrieved a vintage photo of a MacBook Pro. The warm lighting in this image pairs well with a set of AirPods Max, offering a contrast that showcases the potential of the Harmonize transformation.
In this composite, the headphones are rotated to reveal their sides and bottoms, which enhances the visual depth of the image. A point to consider: the AI inexplicably added a glowing circle effect, which isn’t present on the actual headphones. Nonetheless, the 3D rotation combined with the harmonious lighting creates a convincing overall composition.
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It’s easy to remove unwanted artifacts like the glowing ring using Photoshop’s rubber stamp tool or the generative fill option. While Photoshop automates much of the work, it still requires the user to have an understanding of composition, selecting the right angles, and positioning images effectively. Although I am not a master at these techniques, the result is passable.
Stepping Back in Time
For my next demonstration, I envisioned placing my mid-2010s Dodge Challenger in early 1990s San Francisco. Achieving this involved not just rotation but scaling and classic Photoshop techniques.
As evident, this output involved more than simply flipping the image horizontally. The entire vehicle was rotated, with the AI creating a realistic representation of the unseen side. Additionally, it generated appropriate shadows, which were adjusted from the front to align with the new perspective.
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For a more authentic look, I added a 2-pixel motion blur to the Dodge, reflecting the original film camera conditions, and incorporated noise to match the visual elements of the scene.
Limited Generative Credits
Despite having over 3,620 of my 4,000 generative credits remaining, I had to pause my work due to Adobe temporarily cutting off my access. The volume of images created in this article illustrates how quickly these credits can be utilized.
Realistically, that’s not many images, and for production work, it’s a rather stringent limit. Had a deadline loomed, I would have been frustrated with the cap, especially since my usage was only around 10% of my credits.
Given that it was late on the West Coast, it seemed unlikely that the servers were overloaded, although anything is possible.
Back In Action
The following afternoon, I regained access to the Rotate Object and Harmonize features.
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This time, I started with an image from a local car wash. Don’t question why I have such a photo! Smartphones certainly make it easy to capture a variety of moments. I decided to combine it with a photo of an off-brand LEGO WALL-E I built years ago.
In this example, the WALL-E image presents a view from a front corner. Since the AI lacks reference for the backside of the robot, the generated version has some inaccuracies, particularly with the back eyes. However, the combination of rotation and Harmonize makes it seem like WALL-E belongs in the scene.
Next, I took a front-quarter view of what appears to be a mid-1930s Ford pickup and transformed it into a side view, placing it next to a barn in Oregon.
Observe the midday shadow on the barn, indicating the high sun. In the original pickup image, the light comes from behind, casting a shadow forward. However, after the composite, the shadow has shifted primarily beneath the truck, giving a cohesive appearance.
A Challenging Composite
To conclude, I attempted a more complex image that posed some challenges. I used an image of a Dreo air fryer alongside a photo of a hotel suite’s mini-kitchen with the intention of placing the fryer next to the sink.
While the rotation was mostly successful, I struggled with achieving the correct perspective. There is a useful tool in Photoshop called Perspective Warp that can aid with this, but I couldn’t achieve the desired effect.
However, when I relocated the air fryer to the lower right corner of the counter, I successfully rotated it, utilized Perspective Warp for proper sizing, and applied Harmonize to create a seamless blend.
Unfortunately, the fryer’s reflective surface posed a challenge. I tried using Generative Fill to manage the excessive reflections, but either the AI fell short, or my technique did.
Do you trust AI to accurately fill in missing details, or would you prefer to tackle those elements manually? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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