Gemini drops visible AI watermark toggle as GIMP 3.4, Lightroom edge sliders and Apple iOS 27 reshape creator tooling

Visible AI watermarks become optional across Gemini, Flow and Search

Google has rolled out a toggle that lets users switch off the visible watermark that previously marked Gemini-generated images, videos and songs. The change covers images produced by Nano Banana, video output from Omni, and songs from Lyria, and extends to the Flow surface, with Search support scheduled to arrive next. The visible mark can now be suppressed everywhere it is not mandated by local law, even though the underlying signal that flags the asset as synthetic remains in place.

For creators, the move removes one of the more conspicuous giveaways on shared AI output and puts pressure on platforms that rely on the visible badge for moderation, since provenance now depends on hidden metadata rather than the on-image overlay.

Adobe refines Lightroom masks and extends Content Credentials into AI agent workflows

Adobe's August update to Lightroom Classic introduced Feather and edge controls inside every AI mask, letting photographers push a selection inward or outward to place the boundary exactly where they want. In a landscape walkthrough the new edge slider is used to erase the thin white halo that has long appeared along ridge lines where a sky selection meets dark mountains. Separately, Adobe is pushing Content Credentials deeper into agent-driven Creative Cloud work, documenting how its C2PA-based chain of custody has to track multi-step AI edits where the pixels alone no longer tell the story.

The EU AI Act has required labels on covered AI media since August 2, 2026, sharpening the case for cryptographically signed provenance that survives copy, crop and re-export.

GIMP 3.4 previews a new project format and tighter PSD round-tripping

The GIMP maintainers have laid out a 3.4 preview that introduces a new project file format alongside improvements to Photoshop document support. Editors who move work between GIMP and Photoshop have long lost layer effects, smart objects and certain text data on the round trip, and the new build is framed as a step toward reducing that friction. A native project format also gives the application room to store its own non-destructive edit history without leaning on PSD as a universal container, which matters for anyone collaborating across the two tools.

iOS 27 brings Extend and Reframe into Apple Photos Clean Up

Apple's iOS 27 update reworks the Photos Clean Up tool and adds two new generative options, Extend and Reframe, that lean on a hybrid on-device and cloud pipeline. The split lets the device handle simple inpainting locally while pushing heavier generative work to Apple's servers, which keeps battery drain in check for routine edits. Extend fills space outside the original frame and Reframe recomposes a shot around a new subject position, both of which expand what a single phone edit can do without sending the file to a desktop suite.

xAI faces a growing federal class action over Grok image safeguards

A federal class-action lawsuit against xAI has picked up a new plaintiff, deepening the legal pressure on Grok's image-generation safeguards. The original complaint, brought by Tennessee teenagers whose childhood social media and yearbook photos were turned into non-consensual deepfakes, targets API access and platform-level controls rather than only the end user who was arrested. The expansion signals that plaintiffs are testing whether model providers carry responsibility for downstream misuse of image tools, a question that will shape how every generative image vendor documents its safety posture.

What creators can check next

Watch for Gemini Search to inherit the same watermark toggle once Google finishes the rollout, and audit any export presets that rely on a visible badge for compliance. Re-open landscape libraries in Lightroom Classic to test the new edge slider on halos you previously worked around by hand, and consider signing layered work with Content Credentials before passing files through AI agents. Track GIMP 3.4 release notes for the new project format and PSD round-trip behaviour before committing to cross-app archives, and confirm that iOS 27 device builds expose Extend and Reframe before relying on them for client deliveries.