What’s New in Photoshop Version 26.10 (August 2025)

Photoshop 26.10 dropped in August 2025, and while it’s not a massive overhaul, it brings smart features that make life easier—especially when you’re designing shapes like stars, polygons, or working with tools that used to be finicky. As someone who’s had to fake stars in vectors by hand, I’m pretty excited.

The Headliner: The New Star Tool

This is the biggest “I can’t believe this wasn’t already a thing” feature.

• Photoshop 26.10 introduces a dedicated Star tool in the Shapes tool group in the Tools panel. Previously, star-like shapes were made using the Polygon Tool or Pen Tool workarounds.
• With the Star tool, you can draw star polygons directly on the canvas by clicking and dragging.
• The Contextual Task Bar (i.e. the bar that appears when the tool is active) allows live tweaking of key parameters: number of points, inner and outer radii (how deep the “valleys” of the star are), and then styling options like Fill & Stroke colors.

What this means practically: you can make perfect star shapes without switching tools, pulling in ruler guides, or converting shapes later. It saves time, keeps vector work clean, and reduces the headache when exporting or aligning shapes.

Other Enhancements & Fixes

Alongside the Star tool, version 26.10 brings several bug fixes and workflow improvements. Not all are flashy, but many are the kind of thing you’ll notice if you’ve been frustrated by quirks.

Who This Update Helps Most

• Graphic designers who use shapes, logos, or need precise stars in illustrations. The new Star tool will cut down on the workflow complexity.
• UI/UX designers who reuse or adjust shapes directly (for icon sets, badges, etc.). Flexing fill, stroke, and radius without leaving the shape tool is a win.
• Artists who frequently need vector shapes for compositing, motion graphics, or pattern creation. More control, fewer conversions.

If you are mostly doing photo retouching or pixel work, the update won’t change your daily bread much, beyond improved stability and fewer bugs.

How to Start Using the Star Tool

Here’s a quick checklist to try it out immediately:

1. Update Photoshop via Creative Cloud to version 26.10.
2. Select the Shape tools group → look for the new Star shape. If you don’t see it, check tools hidden under the Polygon or Custom Shape tools.
3. Click and drag on the canvas → the Contextual Task Bar appears. Play with the “Number of Points,” inner/outer radius sliders, stroke vs fill.
4. After placing a star, you can still adjust inner/outer radius via shape properties (in the Properties panel) or via the control handles.
5. If you hit a bug (for example, with gradients or layer names), check if there’s an update patch—Adobe has fixed those in 26.10. 

What’s Still Not Perfect (What Folks Are Waiting On)

While Photoshop 26.10 introduces some great features, users have noticed a few areas that could use more attention. One recurring complaint is that zooming feels a bit “jumpy” when moving in and out quickly. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it does interrupt the otherwise polished workflow. 

Performance on very large files—such as projects with more than a hundred layers or high-resolution panoramas—still heavily depends on the power of your hardware. In other words, if your machine is struggling, this update won’t magically fix everything. 

Finally, while the new Star Tool is convenient, it doesn’t replace more advanced options like the Curvature Pen or Custom Shape tools. If you need stars with unusual spikes or organic, uneven edges, you’ll still need to rely on those traditional methods.

Final Thoughts

As someone who’s drawn way too many beating-heart stars and custom polygons by hand, Photoshop 26.10 hits the sweet spot of “useful without overkill.” The Star tool is simple but powerful; the bug fixes are small but meaningful. If you update, tweak a few shapes, test out the new gradients, and see how much less friction you feel in your everyday shape/illustration tasks.