Adobe announced on Thursday that it is acquiring Topaz Labs, a company specialising in artificial intelligence models for video and image enhancement, to integrate into its creative business unit. Topaz Labs, which has operated for over twenty years and recently won an Emmy for production technology, develops tools such as Astra for video upscaling and Wonder for image retouching. The firm also created technology that allows large video models to run on consumer-grade graphics cards. Adobe plans to incorporate these models into its Firefly AI application alongside existing features in its image and video editing suites. While some Topaz tools are already available within the Creative Cloud ecosystem, the acquired assets will remain accessible as standalone services through Adobe’s website. Deepa Subramaniam, vice-president of product marketing for Creative Cloud, stated that professionals can use these products to sharpen details, reduce noise, or restore archival footage when combining real-life footage with AI clips. She noted that Topaz brings deep expertise in optimising complex models to run directly on devices, which should deliver faster experiences and make advanced AI more accessible. This move occurs as Adobe faces competition from Canva and Blackmagic Design, with the acquisition intended to prevent users from switching to rival software and to encourage them to stay within the Adobe ecosystem. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
- Topaz Labs has operated for more than two decades.
- The acquisition will integrate Topaz models into Firefly and other editing suites.
- Tools will remain available as standalone services via Adobe’s website.
