Alibaba's AI Breakthrough Turns Photos Into Editable Photoshop Files
Alibaba's AI Makes Photoshop-Style Editing Effortless
Designers know the pain of working with flat images - until now. Alibaba's artificial intelligence division Qwen has developed Qwen-Image-Layered, a revolutionary model that converts static photos into editable layered files automatically.

How It Works
The technology analyzes images and intelligently separates them into 3-8 independent RGBA layers with transparent backgrounds. Each element - whether it's text, objects, or people - becomes its own editable component, just like working with Photoshop layers.
"This changes everything," says digital artist Mia Chen who tested the tool. "Instead of painstakingly cutting out elements or redrawing sections, I can now modify specific parts while preserving the rest."
Practical Applications
The possibilities are exciting:
- Swap backgrounds with one click
- Resize or reposition individual objects
- Change colors selectively
- Remove unwanted elements cleanly
The layering isn't limited to initial segmentation either. Users can further break down individual layers for microscopic control over their edits.
Availability
In a move applauded by developers, Alibaba has open-sourced the technology. The model is available on:
- Hugging Face
- ModelScope
- GitHub repositories
The company hopes this transparency will accelerate adoption and inspire new applications in digital design workflows.
Key Points:
- Automatic layering - Converts flat images into editable PSD-like files instantly
- Non-destructive editing - Modify specific elements without affecting others
- Open-source access - Available for testing and development on major platforms