Install the Layer panel in Photoshop

Last updated: October 30, 2026

Install the Layer panel in Photoshop and sign in, so you can generate and edit on the document you already have open, with results coming back as layers.

Before you start

  • Photoshop on macOS or Windows, with the Creative Cloud desktop app signed in. The download page lists the minimum Photoshop version for the current build.

  • A Layer account. The panel is free with every plan, including the free one; generations use your workspace's Creative Units, as they do in the browser.

  • An internet connection. Generation runs on Layer, not on your machine.

  • If your company signs in to Layer with single sign-on (Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace or another provider), first sign in to Layer in your default browser through your identity provider, for example from the Layer tile on your Okta dashboard. The panel's sign-in then only asks you to confirm a code, never for a password.

Steps

  1. Go to layer.ai/integrations/photoshop and click Download for Photoshop. You get one .ccx file for macOS and Windows.

  2. Double-click the .ccx. The Creative Cloud desktop app installs the panel in a few seconds.

  3. Restart Photoshop, then open Plugins and choose Layer AI. Dock the panel wherever you keep your tools.

  4. The first time it opens, the panel asks you to sign in. Click Sign in on Browser.

  5. Your browser opens Layer's sign-in page, and the panel shows a code. Sign in with your Layer account and confirm that the code on the page matches the one in the panel.

  6. Back in Photoshop, the panel opens with Layer's tools.

Result

The panel stays signed in between Photoshop sessions. Pick the workspace and project at the top of the panel; everything you generate is saved to a Layer session you can open in the browser, so the rest of the team sees it without an export.

Production tips

  • Choose the project first. Generations are filed under the project shown at the top of the panel. Set it before you start so the work lands with the rest of the feature.

  • Use your selection as the mask. Marquee, lasso or Select Subject before running an edit, and only the selected area is regenerated.

  • Keep results non-destructive. Each result lands as a new layer above its source. Mask it, blend it or delete it without touching the rest of the document.

  • Roll it out to a team. The .ccx is the same file for every machine. Share the download page link, and each artist signs in with their own Layer account.

If something goes wrong

  • Layer AI is not in the Plugins menu. Restart Photoshop; a panel registers only on launch. If it is still missing, check that your Photoshop version meets the minimum on the download page and that the Creative Cloud desktop app is signed in, then double-click the .ccx again.

  • The install fails with a permission error on a work computer. Your company manages Creative Cloud and does not let you install plugins yourself. Ask your IT team to install the panel for you: they can deploy the same .ccx to managed machines with Adobe's Unified Plugin Installer Agent.

  • The sign-in page asks for a password, and your company uses single sign-on. You don't need a separate password. Sign in to Layer in your browser through your identity provider (for example your Okta tile), then click Sign in on Browser in the panel again. You can't sign in to a Layer plugin covers this and the panel's other sign-in messages.

  • Couldn't start sign-in. Please try again. Check your internet connection and click Sign in on Browser again. If you closed the browser page, click Reopen the sign-in page.

  • Your workspace is missing after you sign in. You signed in with a different account than the one invited to the workspace. See You can't sign in or can't see your workspace.

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