SCHEDULE: Tue 10 Nov 2026, 14:00 GMT (embargo). Drafted from the Axicom pre-briefing recap – check against Adobe’s final press release before publishing and add product links.

By Alastair Jennings

Adobe has used its MAX 2026 conference to push its agentic AI tools deep into Creative Cloud, with Creative Agent arriving in flagship apps including Illustrator, Premiere and After Effects, new Relight and Generative Restyle tools in Photoshop, and a preview of Creative Cloud MCP that lets third-party AI agents work directly on native project files.

We joined Adobe’s pre-briefing ahead of the show, and the message was clear: people bring the vision and judgement, while Adobe’s tools and agents carry out more of the work. For photographers and video creators, the most interesting part of the announcement isn’t a single new feature but the way Adobe is opening Creative Cloud up to AI agents – including ones it doesn’t make.

Creative Cloud MCP opens the door to third-party agents

The biggest shift is Creative Cloud MCP, which launches as a preview. It allows creative pros to direct their preferred third-party AI agent to make changes locally in native Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere and After Effects project files on their own computer. Crucially, the files stay fully editable, so you can step in at any point and refine the work by hand.

That matters for anyone who has been wary of AI tools that flatten or bake in edits. If an agent can sort, adjust and prepare layered files while leaving every layer and adjustment intact, it starts to look like a genuine assistant rather than a filter.

Creative Agent moves into the flagship apps

Adobe Creative Agent, previously confined to beta products, is expanding into Illustrator, Premiere, InDesign, After Effects and Frame.io, as well as across Adobe Firefly. The idea is that you can describe a multi-step job in your own words and have the agent orchestrate Adobe’s tools, and selected third-party AI models, to carry it out while you stay in control of the outcome.

Adobe is also previewing always-on agents, designed to keep recurring work moving – such as organising assets and checking quality – even when you step away from the computer.

New tools in Photoshop, Premiere and InDesign

Alongside the agents, there are new features in the flagship apps. Photoshop gains Relight and Generative Restyle, plus new image adjustment and retouching tools and performance improvements. Premiere adds Color Mode and AI-powered video and audio creation directly within the timeline, while InDesign introduces Co-editing.

Firefly becomes the AI creative studio

Firefly now brings together Adobe’s creative tools, what Adobe calls the industry’s top AI models and Creative Agent in one place. New additions include a design editor, upgraded video and image editors, a gallery of Quick Actions, a design-to-code tool for creating apps and websites, and Firefly Graph for building custom, repeatable workflows.

We’ll be testing the new Photoshop tools and Creative Cloud MCP as soon as they reach our machines, and we’re particularly keen to see how well third-party agents handle real-world photo editing workflows on local files.

Key features

Price and availability

Adobe has not yet confirmed individual release dates or pricing for every feature; Creative Cloud MCP and always-on agents launch as previews. Full details will be available on the Adobe website.