Adobe announced Thursday that it's acquiring Topaz Labs, the Emmy-winning maker of AI models for video and image enhancement, and folding it into its creative business.
Topaz Labs has operated for more than two decades and won an Emmy last year for its production tech. Professionals rely on this software.
The startup's core products are two AI models: Astra for video upscaling and Wonder for image retouching. Topaz also engineered a way to run large AI video models on consumer GPUs—significant for creatives without enterprise-level hardware.
Adobe already offers some Topaz tools inside Creative Cloud, but this acquisition deepens the integration. The company plans to embed Topaz's models into Firefly, its AI-centric media editing studio, plus other image and video editing suites across its portfolio.
Deepa Subramaniam, Adobe's VP of product marketing for Creative Cloud, says the combination enables new workflows: professionals can sharpen details, reduce noise, restore archival footage, and blend live footage with AI clips without leaving Adobe's ecosystem.
The strategic goal is clear. Adobe competes with Canva and Blackmagic Design, which owns DaVinci Resolve, for creative software dominance. By absorbing Topaz Labs, Adobe signals that its users won't need other tools.
The deal closes in the second half of 2026. Adobe has integrated AI throughout its applications, and this acquisition shows the company intends to give creatives no reason to look elsewhere.
