Use Photoshop's Generative Fill to Extend and Replace Image Areas

What This Does

Generative Fill uses Adobe Firefly AI to extend or replace any selected area of an image with context-aware generated content — letting you resize compositions, swap backgrounds, and add or remove elements without manual retouching.

Before You Start

• You have Adobe Photoshop (2024 or later) installed via Creative Cloud
• You're logged in with your Adobe ID (required for Firefly AI features)
• The image file you want to edit is open in Photoshop
• You have a subscription that includes Generative Credits (included in most CC plans)

Steps

1. Open your image and find the Generative Fill button

Open the image in Photoshop. You'll see a floating Contextual Task Bar appear below your canvas when you have a selection active. Generative Fill lives here — it looks like a small toolbar with a text field.

What you should see: When you first open an image with no selection, the Contextual Task Bar shows document info. Make a selection and it switches to show "Generative Fill" as an option.

2. Make a selection around the area to change

Use any selection tool to select the area you want to fill or replace:

• Rectangular Marquee (M) — for extending canvas edges or replacing rectangular areas
• Object Selection Tool (W) — click on an object to select it automatically (great for background swaps)
• Lasso Tool (L) — freehand selection for irregular areas

For background removal, use Select > Subject to auto-select the main subject, then Select > Inverse to flip to the background.

What you should see: A marching ants selection border around your chosen area.

3. Click "Generative Fill" in the Contextual Task Bar

1. With your selection active, look for the Contextual Task Bar at the bottom of the canvas
2. Click Generative Fill — a text prompt field appears
3. Type a brief description of what you want to fill the area with (or leave it blank for a context-aware fill that matches the surrounding image)
4. Click Generate

What you should see: Three variations appear in the Properties panel as a "Generative Layer." You can switch between them and keep generating more.

Troubleshooting: If the Contextual Task Bar is missing, go to Window > Contextual Task Bar to enable it. If Generative Fill is greyed out, check that you're signed in to your Adobe account.

4. Choose your best variation and refine

1. In the Properties panel (or the bar below the canvas), use the left/right arrows to cycle through the 3 generated variations
2. Click Generate More to get another batch of 3 options
3. The generated content is a non-destructive layer — you can mask, adjust, or blend it like any other layer

What you should see: Each variation is on a separate "Generative Layer" with a special AI icon in the Layers panel. Your original image is preserved underneath.

Real Example

Scenario: You've received a product photo taken in square format, but the client's website needs a 16:9 landscape banner. Extending it manually would take 30 minutes of careful cloning.

What you do:

1. Go to Image > Canvas Size and increase the width to the required dimensions
2. Select the empty white areas on the left and right using the Rectangular Marquee tool
3. Click Generative Fill and leave the text prompt blank
4. Click Generate — Firefly extends the image with context-matching background

What you get: A seamlessly extended background that looks photographed, not pasted. Three variations to choose the cleanest one from. The whole job: 3 minutes instead of 30.

Tips

• Leave the prompt blank for background extension and filling — Firefly is excellent at matching context without direction. Use a text prompt only when you want to replace an area with something specific ("replace with a white marble countertop").
• Generative Fill uses Firefly Credits. Most Creative Cloud plans include monthly credits; the feature shows your balance in the Properties panel. For high-volume work (product photo batches), credits can deplete — monitor your usage.
• The generated layer is non-destructive. If a client requests changes later, you can delete the generated layer and regenerate without affecting the original image.
• Use Select > Subject to auto-select product subjects for clean background swaps — combine with Generative Fill to replace backgrounds in seconds.

Tool interfaces change — if a button has moved, look for similar AI/magic/smart options in the same menu area.