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Remove distractions in a photo with Generative Remove

Last updated on Oct. 14, 2024

Lightroom

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Learn how to remove distractions in a photo with the Adobe Firefly Generative Remove tool in Lightroom.

Try it in the app.
Remove objects in a few simple steps.

Open Remove in Lightroom

Try Remove in Lightroom

With Generative Remove, powered by Adobe Firefly generative AI, you can easily remove distractions and unwanted objects in a photo. Once you identify and highlight an object using the brush mask, Adobe Firefly automatically removes it and generates a fill that blends with the rest of the frame.

Additionally, access:

Remove tool - Lets you brush away an area of your photo and fill it with generated content.
Clone tool - Replicates the pixels from the source to the target area.
Heal tool - Considers the colors and tones surrounding the target area, borrows content, and blends everything.

Lake landscape photo with an object selected to be removed

Lake landscape after the boat has been removed

A scenery where a boat has been removed with the 'Use generative AI' feature. Slide to see the before and after images.

Tip:

You can use Detect objects and Use generative AI together to automatically select the object in a photo and generate AI-powered variations to replace the masked object.

Use generative AI to remove distractions

The Use generative AI option in the Remove tool uses Adobe Firefly to effectively remove distractions in a photo. This feature can remove unwanted objects like vehicles, signboards, poles, and more, even on complex backgrounds. Ensure your brushes cover the main object and lighting elements like shadows and reflections. Lightroom will automatically detect and remove the object and fill the area with the generated content.

In Lightroom on desktop, open a photo in the Edit view and select .
To remove an object with Generative AI, select the Use generative AI and brush over the object that you want to remove.
In the Selected menu, adjust the following and then select Remove.
- Add - Add more objects to the selection.
- Subtract - Delete objects from the selection.
- Overlay color - Select the color of the Remove overlay.
- Size - Adjust the brush size to make a selection.
Lightroom will generate three different variation options. You can also select Refresh to develop three new variations.
Select as necessary:
- Show Overlay on Hover - This helps you view the mask overlay when you hover over an image.
- Visualize Spots - This helps you visualize spots to make accurate selections. You can also adjust the Threshold using the amount slider.

Note:

Select to learn more about Generative AI User Guidelines.
Copy and Paste edit settings are available for Use generative AI.
See Lightroom Academy tutorials to learn how to avoid and reduce distractions in photos.

Use Detect objects to remove objects

The Detect objects option allows you to remove an object by circling it or scribbling over it. When you scribble over an object, Lightroom automatically detects and masks it. You can use Detect objects with Use generative AI. To use Detect objects individually, de-select Use generative AI, which is turned on by default.

In Lightroom on desktop, open a photo in the Edit view and select .
To remove an object with Detect objects, select Detect objects and loosely circle or scribble over the object that you want to remove. Lightroom will automatically detect the object and mask it.

Tip:

Select Detect objects and Use generative AI together on a photo for best results.
In the Selected menu, adjust the following and then select Remove.
- Add - Add more objects to the selection.
- Subtract - Delete objects from the selection.
- Overlay color - Select the color of the Remove overlay.
- Size - Adjust the brush size to make a selection.
The object is highlighted in a photo after applying the 'Use generative AI' and 'Detect objects' options.
If you use the Detect objects option independently, Lightroom will analyze the image and select the source area by default. To change the source area, use Cmd+drag (on MacOS) or Ctrl+drag (on Windows) over the photo. Select Refresh to fill the area with new content.

If you use the Detect objects and Use generative AI options together, Lightroom will analyze the image and generate three variations. Select Generate to regenerate another set of variations.