Figma Adds AI Image Editing: Will Designers Trust Automated Edits?

Figma is making a clear push to keep designers inside its own ecosystem by rolling out new AI powered image editing tools that reduce the need to hop into Photoshop or other dedicated editors. 

Announced on December 10, the update introduces fast, targeted edits that are meant to feel more like practical “fix it right here” controls than open ended text prompting, especially for the common moments when a design is almost done but an image needs one precise adjustment (TechCrunch).

At the center of the launch are three tools that work with Figma’s lasso selection. With Erase object, users can draw around an unwanted element, including objects, people, or even text, remove it instantly, and have the background filled in behind it using AI. With Isolate object, users can separate a selected subject from its background so it becomes a movable, editable layer, making it easier to reposition a person or product in a composition without rebuilding the rest of the scene. Figma also says its selection workflow has improved so that moving isolated objects preserves the broader look of the image, such as color and background characteristics, and users can adjust attributes like lighting, shadow, color, and focus for selected areas (Verge).

The third feature, Expand image, is built for real world resizing problems, like turning a square image into a web banner or a mobile header without awkward cropping. Instead of stretching the original, the tool extends the image beyond its borders and generates new background detail that blends into the existing content, aiming to fit new aspect ratios without distortion. The Verge compares it to Adobe’s Generative Expand in Photoshop, while TechCrunch frames it as the kind of granular edit designers often need after generating or sourcing an image, even when they are not using text prompts at all (TechCrunch).

To make these edits easier to find, Figma is also centralizing image capabilities into a dedicated editing toolbar that includes existing features like background removal, which the company describes as one of the most common actions on the platform. The new tools are available now in Figma Design and Figma Draw, with access tied to paid “Full Seat” subscriptions, and Figma says it plans to expand availability across more of its apps next year. The timing is notable: competitors like Adobe and Canva have offered object removal for years, and the launch lands the same day Adobe is promoting creative features that can run inside ChatGPT, raising fresh questions about where AI editing will live, and whether Figma’s newest tools will eventually appear inside its own ChatGPT integration (Verge).

Figma’s official release notes add broader context around how the company is packaging AI across the platform. Alongside the new contextual toolbar for Expand image, Isolate object, and Erase object, Figma also updated its crop tool to make crop mode quicker to enter, added a new slider, and preserved aspect ratio behavior. On the admin side, Figma is rolling out AI credit tracking so individuals can see their balance and the credits used per AI action, while admins can view monthly usage from the billing dashboard, including how many users are consuming credits, who has exhausted included credits, and filters by seat type. The same notes also highlight improvements beyond imagery, including more responsive grids with “hug” sizing and fractional units, plus new options to manage multi brand design systems through extended collections and expanded variables tooling, including JSON import and export for variables (Figma).

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Works Cited

“Figma product news & release notes.” Figma, 9 Dec. 2025, https://www.figma.com/release-notes/.

Mehta, Ivan. “Figma launches new AI-powered object removal and image extension.” TechCrunch, 10 Dec. 2025, https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/10/figma-launches-new-ai-powered-object-removal-and-image-extension/.

Weatherbed, Jess. “Figma adds more Photoshop-like AI tools for image editing.” The Verge, 10 Dec. 2025, https://www.theverge.com/news/841431/figma-ai-editing-tools-erase-isolate-object.

Ecommerce Bridge. “ChatGPT Integrates Figma. Reveals AI Direction in E-commerce.” Ecommerce Bridge, 8 Oct. 2025, https://www.ecommercebridge.com/chatgpt-integrates-figma-reveals-ai-direction-in-e-commerce/.

Ford, Brody. “Design Software Startup Figma Files Confidentially for IPO.” LinkedIn, 15 Apr. 2025, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/brodyford_design-software-startup-figma-files-confidentially-activity