Generative artificial intelligence is transforming creative work in myriad ways, with AI features creeping into software for everything from image manipulation to 3D modelling and video generation. But text continues to be a challenge.
AI image generators have got a lot better at rendering words, and some can now generate legible text in image on demand at least some of the time, although any text in backgrounds still tends to be garbled. So the Firefly-powered AI text generator, Text Effects in Adobe Express, is pretty impressive. It can output the words you want in the graphical style you ask for ready to be dropped into a design project. But how well does it work? I tested it out as part of our Typography Week.
What is Adobe Firefly Text Effects?
Text Effects is a tool in Adobe Express that allows users to render words or short phrases in stylised forms via text prompts. For example you could ask it to write the word 'Goo' in green slime or the word 'Gold' in... well, gold.
It will generate four options for each text prompt. If you get one that like, you can use it in a design within Adobe Express or download it as png file, ready to edit drag into Photoshop or any other image editing program to add to a poster, flyer or other design.
How does Adobe Firefly Text Effects work?
The tool works much like an AI image generator, since that's pretty much what it is. But there are parameters specific to text. You choose the font you want to use, and then you write the text that want to appear in the text field as if you were using the text tool in any design software. Then you describe the effect you want to create in the generate text effects field (or choose one of the sample effects). Hit 'generate' and your words will transform into something approximating the description you added.
You can change the tint and style for more colour and effect options, and you can add an outline or shadow and change the opacity and text arrangement. You can also animate the text generated, although the animations very basic and more like transitions than fully blown animations.
Adobe Firefly Text Effects verdict
It's impressive that Adobe's Firefly AI model can create text effects at all when you consider how badly many AI image generators handle text, let alone apply the requested styles with some amount of accuracy. But is the tool actually useful for anything? Sure. Just bear in mind that it isn't an AI font generator. You can't use it to create working typefaces to use in other programs. All it does it generate an image, that happens to be in the shape of letters.
But it does have real use cases within the remit of Adobe Express. This app and browser-based program is aimed at small businesses and creators who want to create their own social media content, perhaps without having any design skills or training, or the experience of using professional design software. And Text Effects is a viable tool for that market.
If you're looking to generate an eye-catching thumbnail for YouTube or a visual for an engaging social media post, using Adobe Text Effects can be an option for something that looks different and stands out. The uses are limited though. Generations often look unpolished, the resolution isn't high enough for printed materials and there's no consistency in the output.
Like with AI image generators, using even the exact same prompt will generate different results each time, so there's no way to create a consistent style across a range of assets unless you write out the texts all at the same time. Given that achieving good results can take quite some time, most people could just be better off choosing a good typeface.
I found that the tools works best with Adobe's suggested effects, some of these can look quite well-executed. Using text prompts was a lot more hit and miss. Text often had the strange artifacts and hallucinations that we've come to expect in AI-generated visuals. Sometimes random words will appear within the letters themselves, and sometimes the patterns just look a mess.
It seems to respond to only very simple prompts too, which doesn't allow for designs to be fine-tuned with any kind of precision. I tried to generate a text with the colour and texture of a hairy bee but couldn't get it not to include images of actual bees in the generation.
There is another potential use in ideation, though. It's a fun tool to use for testing out ideas, which you might want to work up yourself using graphic design software. Typographers might even be able to use it to try out ideas for typefaces (see our article about why typographers don't need to worry about AI.
Is Adobe Text Effects free?
Text Effects is free to use in Adobe Express but some options require a premium subscription. With free use, you'll have limited downloads of the texts that you generate.
This article was produced as part of Typography Week, held in association with Monotype.
