Adobe adds hands-on image and PDF editors to ChatGPT plugin
New side-panel controls keep Photoshop, Adobe Express and Acrobat edits synchronized with the chat conversation
Adobe has added interactive image, design and PDF editors to its ChatGPT plugin, bringing direct controls into side panels alongside the conversation. The update allows users to describe an edit in chat, make targeted adjustments in the editor and continue the same task without re-uploading a file or restating the earlier work.
Adobe said the global rollout across ChatGPT’s web and app experiences would begin Sept. 29, alongside OpenAI’s DevDay 2026 announcements. It extends Adobe’s existing creative and productivity tools in ChatGPT with what the company describes as hands-on editing.
For images, users can select an object or brush over an area, ask ChatGPT to make a change through the Adobe plugin, then refine the result with controls such as hue, saturation, contrast and brightness. The editor dynamically presents controls suited to the requested edit and limits them to the selected object or area.
Adobe’s example involves removing a stray napkin from a photograph of a latte, then selecting the cup to adjust its brightness and contrast. The image and design editors are powered by Photoshop and Adobe Express, and their edits remain synchronized with the ChatGPT conversation as context.
The PDF editor, using Acrobat tools, lets users revise text and highlight passages directly in the document rather than moving to another workspace. A selected passage can then guide the next request in ChatGPT. In Adobe’s contract-review example, highlighting payment terms prompts the plugin to find other material on payments or invoicing, with Acrobat marking relevant passages for comparison.
As we reported on Sept. 25, Adobe had also expanded its tools into Google Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude, bringing conversational image, design and document work to those assistants.
Adobe said it had recently unified its creative and productivity tools into a single plugin experience across ChatGPT, Claude and Slack. In ChatGPT, the new interface is intended to pair conversational prompting with direct adjustment of the resulting work.