How to Make Sure You Have the Photoshop 2026 Update

Before anything else, make sure you actually have the April 2026 release. The version number you want is Photoshop 27.6 or higher.

Open the Creative Cloud desktop app, go to Help > Check for Updates, and then update Photoshop if a new version is available. Sometimes the Creative Cloud app does not automatically detect the latest release, so this manual check is important. You can also see the full list of new features on Adobe’s official page.

Feature 01

Layer Cleanup — The One You Will Actually Use

Of all the new features, Layer Cleanup is the standout in Photoshop 2026 digital scrapbooking. By the time a page is finished, your Layers panel is usually a mess. There are duplicate photo layers, empty layers from accidental clicks, and dozens of unnamed layers like “Layer 47 copy 2.” Layer Cleanup tackles both problems in one click.

Look at the bottom of your Layers panel for a small broom icon. Click it, and a Layer Cleanup dialog opens with two options: delete empty layers and rename layers automatically based on content.

The auto-rename is what makes this useful. Instead of “Layer 12,” it will name the layer something descriptive like “yellow flower” or “kraft paper.” For a scrapbook page with 40+ layers, this is a real time-saver, especially if you ever come back to a saved PSD a year later and try to figure out what is what.

Anna’s Personal Opinion: As someone who quickly gets lost in the creative process and is eager to create her next page, this is a game-changing feature that I quickly adopted to save me my time and sanity 🙂

Feature 02

Rotate Object — Better Embellishment Angles

Rotate Object is the feature getting the most attention online, and it is genuinely clever. The tool takes a flat 2D element — say, a button or a flower from a digital kit — and lets you rotate it in 3D space as if it were a real object. Then you apply the rotation, and Photoshop renders it back to high resolution at the new angle.

For digital scrapbookers, this matters most for embellishments. If you have a flat button you want to look like it is tilted slightly toward the viewer, Rotate Object lets you do that without hunting for a different angle in the kit. The same goes for tags, photos, ribbons, and word art.

How to use it on an embellishment

A word of caution. Rotate Object uses generative AI behind the scenes, so it consumes generative credits. Therefore, save it for embellishments where the rotation actually adds something. For most flat layouts, your existing transform tools (Edit > Free Transform) are still the right call.

Anna’s Personal Opinion: I really wanted to love this one, but in addition to using generative credits (which means more cost to you), I have found it leaves a strange white halo around the element. Stick with the other Transform tools for now, such as Perspective, Skew, and Warp tools. Hopefully, this one will improve with age.

Feature 03

The Smarter Remove Tool — Cleaning Up Photos Faster

The Remove tool has had a quiet but useful upgrade. There is a new mode called Find Distractions that automatically detects unwanted distractions in your photo — wires, people in the background, general clutter — and removes them in one pass.

For scrapbookers, this matters when you are working with vacation photos, family pictures with strangers in the background, or shots where something is distracting or you wish to remove. In the past, you would use the Spot Healing Brush or content-aware fill, which worked but took time. Now Photoshop highlights what it thinks should go, and you click Apply.

To use it, select the Remove tool from the tools panel, then click Find Distractions at the top. Photoshop highlights the areas it wants to remove. Therefore, you can review what it found, deselect anything you want to keep, and apply the rest.

I clicked on the Find button next to the People option at the top of my screen — it certainly found all the people, but it removed parts of the cars as well.

Feature 04

Generative Fill With Better Reference Images

Generative Fill — the tool that lets you select an area, type what you want, and have Photoshop generate it — has been improved with the new Firefly Image 5 model. The biggest practical change is better support for reference images.

In other words, you can now upload an image as a style reference, and Generative Fill will try to match its look in whatever it generates. For scrapbookers, this is useful for two specific tasks. First, extending a photo background to fit a different layout (a horizontal photo into a vertical frame). 

However, a real warning. Generative Fill costs generative credits and still creates fairly low-resolution files, which is not what we want for creating beautiful printed books and albums. It’s also still highly unpredictable.

Anna’s Personal Opinion: I use the Generative Expand a LOT in my digital scrapbooking pages for extending photos, especially for use with clipping masks. I might use the Generative Fill for a bit of fun or to extend the imagery of my photos (such as a hand or foot), but mostly I find it’s like rolling the dice and hoping you’ll win! You can learn all my step-by-step approaches for Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements in this Digital Scrapbook Photo Editing: Enhance and Improve.

Feature 05

Redesigned Actions Panel for Digital Scrapbooking in Photoshop 2026

If you use Photoshop actions to speed up repetitive tasks (and most digital scrapbookers should), the new Actions panel is a meaningful upgrade. The biggest changes are natural language search, categorized browsing, and hover previews that show what an action will do before you run it.

In practice, this means you can type something like “drop shadow” or “convert to black and white,” and the panel will surface relevant actions, including any you have created or installed yourself. As a result, finding the right action takes seconds instead of scrolling through a long list.

For scrapbookers who use action sets — for shadows, blending modes, or finishing touches — the redesign is genuinely worth exploring. There are also new built-in actions, including grid presets that are useful for layouts.

Anna’s Personal Opinion: Honestly, I have not found any glaring benefit to this update as yet. It noticeably just looks a bit different. I have had to re-record one of the resizing actions that I use regularly, but the others seem to work just fine. I do not use a lot of actions in general.

What You Can Safely Ignore in Photoshop 2026 Digital Scrapbooking

Not everything in the April 2026 update is built for digital scrapbooking. Here is what you can skip without missing anything important.

• → Remove Reflections. Designed for photographers shooting through glass. So, unless you regularly photograph through windows or display cases, this one is cool and only occasionally helpful.
• → Dynamic Text. Useful for graphic designers making logos and posters. For scrapbook titles and journaling, your existing type tools work fine. The only exception would be this new playful, curved text option,
• 
• → Firefly Boards integration. For gathering ideas and inspiration. Most scrapbookers gather inspiration on Pinterest, Social Media, or digital scrapbooking galleries, so this is only helpful if you use it. It’s not something I would personally use.
• → Partner AI models (Gemini 3.1, Nano Banana 2). These are alternative engines for paid generative features. For our use cases, the default Firefly model is probably going to be your go-to.

A Quick Note for Elements and Affinity Users

If you are working in Photoshop Elements 2026 or Affinity Studio rather than full Photoshop CC, most of these features are not available — at least not yet. Elements 2026 has its own update with simpler AI-powered tools and new templates, but the high-end features (like Rotate Object and Layer Cleanup) are full Photoshop CC only.

However, the gap between Elements and full Photoshop has widened a bit with this release. As a result, if you are an active digital scrapbooker considering an upgrade, the April 2026 update is one of the strongest cases in years for going to full Photoshop. Layer Cleanup alone will save you a lot of time a year.

Read this post about the differences and how to choose between Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. I also share my personal thoughts about handling the frustration of growing subscription culture.

For Affinity users, the good news is that Affinity by Canva remains a strong, free digital scrapbooking software alternative program. The bad news is that none of these specific Adobe features have equivalents in Affinity at this time.

Photoshop 2026 Digital Scrapbooking: Final Thoughts

Photoshop updates can feel overwhelming, especially when most of the marketing focuses on photographers and designers rather than scrapbookers. However, the April 2026 release has more value for digital scrapbooking than most.

If you only learn one new feature, make it Layer Cleanup. Then play with the smarter Remove tool when you are working with photos. Finally, give the dynamic text a try to see if it fits your digital scrapbooking style.

Everything else can wait until you have a project that calls for it.