Adobe previews expanded controls for Photoshop's Content-Aware Fill

Adobe's next Photoshop release will give users more control over the Content-Aware Fill feature. If you've used the tool, you know that it lets you remove objects from a photo -- like people, signs or equipment. Photoshop then generates pixels to fill in the blanks. Now, Photoshop will let you determine which pixels it uses to fill the voids. Adobe released a sneak preview today.

When it's time to create the sampling area, you'll have three options: rectangular, auto and custom. The rectangular option creates a box around your selection and takes pixels from that box -- this is how Content-Aware Fill works now. In the next release, the auto option will scan the image and create fill with pixels that match those immediately around the object you're erasing. The custom option lets you hand-pick which pixels Photoshop will use.

We might expect more details on Photoshop's Content-Aware Fill at Adobe MAX. The annual conference begins November 4th. We'll keep our fingers crossed, too, that Adobe brings these controls to After Effects, which got the Content-Aware Fill tool last year.