Adobe's Project Indigo is now taking aim at one of the most tedious parts of photography: deciding whether a photo is actually good. The camera app's new feature will critique your shots using AI, and it can remove all kinds of backgrounds from images you snap. That pairing matters. Removing a distracting background is one thing. Having an AI tell you why your composition falls flat is something else entirely. We're not talking about a filter or a preset. We're talking about a tool that looks at your work the way an editor might, then tells you where it misses the mark.
For most of us, the hardest part of improving at photography isn't lack of practice. It's the absence of honest feedback. You can shoot a hundred frames and never know why ninety of them feel forgettable. Project Indigo steps into that gap. When it critiques your photo, it's not just telling you what's wrong. It's giving you a reason to re-shoot, re-frame, or re-think before you move on. That's a shift from "here's a tool to edit" to "here's a tool to see better." And that distinction is what makes this worth your attention. We're not saying AI will replace a human eye. But for someone who wants to get better without taking a course, this is a low-friction way to learn what works.
The background removal piece is useful, but it's the critique that changes your workflow. Think about what happens in practice. You snap a photo, the AI flags a cluttered backdrop, and you remove it. But if it also tells you that your subject is too centered or your horizon is tilted, you've just learned something you can apply to next shot. That's the difference between using a tool and building a skill. Adobe is betting that you want the latter. We'd agree, but with one caveat: the critique is only as good as the assumptions behind it. If the AI favors a certain style or composition rule, you might start second-guessing instincts that were actually fine. So treat its feedback as a helpful nudge, not a verdict. How to use AI to improve your photography and The best camera apps for manual control are good starting points for context, but the core takeaway is simpler.
What we would tell a reader who asked us about this is straightforward: try it, but keep your own eyes in the loop. The feature is a practical step toward making AI a creative partner rather than just a post-production afterthought. It's not about replacing your judgment. It's about giving you a second opinion that's always available. The open question is whether Adobe will let you train it on your own preferences, or if it stays generic. If the critique adapts to your style, it becomes genuinely indispensable. If it stays generic, it's still useful, just less personal. Watch for that detail. It will tell you whether Project Indigo is a gimmick or a real step forward.