Adobe added a new Rotate Object tool to Photoshop in version 27.6 that uses AI to generate the unseen sides of a photo subject. The tool gives four controls for X and Y rotation, perspective, and the pivot point, and it previews edits at lower resolution before cleaning up. In tests, the feature produced convincing new views and paired well with Photoshop's Harmonize color-and-light matching. Those outcomes speed certain compositing tasks, but they still need hands-on skill and cleanup.

How the tool works

Rotate Object is an Edit-menu command in Photoshop and also appears on the contextual menu bar. It treats a selected 2D region as if it were a 3D object. You can tilt it around the X axis. You can spin it around the Y axis. Still you can change perspective. And you can pick a pivot point at any corner to control the rotation center.

The tool does more than simple pixel rotation. Photoshop fills in the image areas the camera never captured. The AI generates the missing faces and edges. At first it shows a lower-resolution preview. After you finish the transforms, Photoshop runs a cleanup pass to refine detail.

Hands-on results

When tested with a warm-lit MacBook Pro photo and a cooler image of headphones, Rotate Object produced a believable new angle for the headphones. The AI generated the side and bottom views that didn't exist in the source photo. The generated views matched the basic shape and texture well enough to make the headphones read as three-dimensional in the combined image.

Pairing the rotation with Harmonize improved the result. Harmonize adjusts color, light, and shadow to fit a target background. Using both tools together made the headphones sit more naturally next to the laptop. The combination also exposed limits. In one example the AI added a glowing circle that isn't part of the real product. That artifact shows the system can invent plausible but incorrect detail.

Where it helps and where it doesn't

Rotate Object speeds workflows that once needed more manual work. Photographers and retouchers often composite items from different shots. They used to rely on manual painting, clipping, and 3D models to show unseen faces.

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Rotate Object automates part of that process by guessing the hidden areas and generating matching pixels.

But the tool doesn't remove the need for human judgment. Good results still require selection care, masking, and cleanup. The AI can misread materials or invent elements that look right at a glance but fail on close inspection. That means editors must verify detail, fix artifacts, and decide whether the generated geometry fits the object.

Interface and control

The UI exposes the four main controls clearly. Users can nudge rotation around the horizontal axis or around the vertical axis. They can dial perspective deeper or shallower. And they can choose which corner acts as the center of rotation. These knobs give editors predictable control over how a subject reorients in space.

Because the tool shows a lower-resolution preview, you can iterate quickly. You get an idea of how the object will read before Photoshop spends time on final rendering. That preview plus the final cleanup pass strikes a balance between speed and image quality.

The AI builds new faces from a single view of an object. It doesn't let you seed the rotation with multiple source angles. That means the system must infer unseen geometry and texture from the one image you give it. When the subject is complex or has fine printed detail, the guesses can be wrong.

Photoshop's approach favors convenience over strict accuracy. It aims to create a visually plausible new angle rather than a photo-accurate 3D reconstruction. For many compositing tasks that trade absolute fidelity for speed, that trade-off will work. For technical product work that needs exact dimensions or unaltered markings, the tool may fall short.

Start with a clean selection. The better the initial mask, the better the generated result. Use the preview to try rotations and perspective quickly. Then finish with Harmonize to match color and lighting between layers. Finally, inspect generated areas at full resolution and paint or clone where the AI stumbles.

Rotate Object can be a fast way to show alternate views in marketing mockups and mood boards. It also helps photographers when a second photo isn't available and a convincing three-quarter view is needed. Still, pro retouchers will treat the generated pixels as a first draft, not a final deliverable.

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Rotate Object appears under the Edit menu and contextual bar in Photoshop v27.6, offering four controls, X axis, Y axis, perspective and pivot, but generated pixels should be reviewed and refined.

This article was created with AI assistance.