Explanation of generative credits: how to track and make the most of AI usage

Over the past few years, Adobe has been perfecting more and more the tools powered by generative AI within its programs, such as Photoshop or Illustrator. However, the use of this technology has a cost that many users may not be aware of.

That is why we have generative credits. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of them or don’t quite know what they are for: below, we will explain in detail everything you need to know about generative credits.

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What are generative credits?

Although many may not be aware, using generative AI has a cost that is much higher than you might think. Generating images, text, and more involves a significant process behind it, which entails the use of very expensive hardware, a lot of energy, server usage, storage, and a long etcetera that would warrant another article altogether.

In Adobe, generative credits are the currency of the platform we have to generate images, graphics, texts, or apply effects.

They are available in almost all Adobe programs, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, In Design, Adobe Express, etc.

Where can I check my credit number?

Any Adobe user can see the number of credits they have in the following way:

• First, you will need to go to the Adobe website and log in with your user account.
• Once you do this, it will take you to the Home of Adobe. Once here, go to the top right corner and click on your user image; it is a round icon located all the way to the right.
• This will open a small window with options, and the Generative AI section will also be displayed. Here you will see the number of credits included in your plan and those you have already consumed in the month.

You can also check it within Adobe programs, as long as they are updated to the latest versions. To do this, you just need to do the same as we described earlier: access the icon of your profile within the program.

Tips for Saving Generative Credits

Within our plan, we have a series of included credits that should not be wasted aimlessly. Credits are consumed when using features powered by Firefly or by other third-party models (Google, ChatGPT, etc). Using Generative Fill within Photoshop, for example, consumes one credit per generation.

Adobe divides the generative AI functions into standard and premium. Within the standard category, there are actions like Generative Fill, Generative Expand, Text to Image, and similar features, all within Photoshop. In Illustrator, for example, they would be Text to Vector Graphic or Generative Recolor. Standard functions generally consume one credit, except for some that consume a bit more.

On the other hand, the premium features encompass more complex and advanced actions, such as those that can create video for example. Features that use third-party models like Google or OpenAI are also considered premium. If you use them, they will cost you many more credits than the standard ones, although the number will depend on what you do.

As you can see, every action has a price and if you want to save the most, you should use your head a little:

• Prioritize manual adjustments before resorting to AI. We know it’s the easiest option, but it’s worth taking a moment to see if there are things we can do ourselves.
• Plan what you want to do before acting. Think carefully about your prompt, review it, and ensure it has all the necessary information, this way you will save yourself from doing extra tests.
• Take advantage of stock resources. There are thousands of resources, both video and photo, that are free and available to you.
• Don’t experiment in vain. Exploring new ideas is fine, but it’s not necessary to make dozens of generations if you don’t have a clear purpose.

How much do generative credits cost?

Have you been excited using AI features and run out of credits? It’s a more common scenario than you think. If your counter is at zero, you can always buy credits through an additional subscription to your Creative Cloud.

Here are several options, depending on whether you are a private individual, student, teacher, or a company. Prices range from $9.99 (€11.17) to $199.99 (€223.68), and you can purchase from 2,000 to 50,000 monthly credits.

From this link you can check each plan, price, and what is included in each of them. Almost all plans also have a free trial period of 7 days, where you can see if the number of credits is sufficient for you or not.

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