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Rikk Flohr_Photography
Community Manager
August 13, 2024
Question

P: Generative Remove Feedback (Lr Classic & Lr Eco)

  • August 13, 2024
  • 610 replies
  • 562956 views
This post applies to Lightroom Classic and the Lightroom Ecosystem products.
Camera Raw feedback can be found here.
 
Generative Remove makes it easier to remove unwanted objects and distractions with a simple gesture, even on complex backgrounds. For more accurate results, be sure to include the object's shadow in your selection and/or expand its size. 
 
Detect Objects uses AI to find the objects underneath a brushed area. The masked areas will now appear larger than the Early Access version of this feature. You can also circle objects for quicker selection now. 
 
We have also updated the spot selection experience to make it easier to manage variations, switch the fill type, refine the selection area, or re-generate as needed. 
 
Batch updating is also now supported for Generative Remove spots. 
 
Try out the latest updates and share your feedback with us here. Please also include the following details in your post: 
  • App version
  • System details
  • Example image(s) if you wish to share

Our team continually monitors this thread to track issues for future improvement. Thanks!
 
Lisa Ngo: Lightroom Product Manager

 

Posted by:

610 replies

Participant
April 14, 2025

A few months ago, I was really impressed with the remove option. I was deleting people from my photos like crazy. I haven't had the same results lately, which takes up a lot of time, and usually ending up not even being able to do it. Can we return to the previous iteration of remove AI feature, please?

johnrellis
Legend
April 14, 2025

There has been no change in Generative Remove since it graduated from "technology preview" in LR 14.0. LR 14.0 did enable the option Detect Objects by default, which doesn't work well, especially with skinny objects and objects near the edges of photos -- keep it unchecked. 

 

If this doesn't help, please attach a full-resolution JPEG exported from the unmodified original photo (not a screenshot). With nearly every one of the many dozen problem photos posted here, we've been able to show how to quickly remove the desired objects.

Participant
April 14, 2025

I much prefer the old version. I dislike this upgrade very much

C.Cella
Legend
April 14, 2025
quote

I much prefer the old version. I dislike this upgrade very much


By @crystal_allan0231

 

There has been no upgrade.

If you find that Generative Remove is NOT giving you the results you want then you best chance is to file a bug report and attach some sample images.

 

  1. .

Adobe can collect them and train the MachineLearning to do better.

 

Or you can share examples here.

 

 

johnrellis
Legend
April 14, 2025

As indicated by C.Cella, the core Generative Remove AI model hasn't changed. But one thing that has changed since the beta version in LR 13: The option Detect Objects is now on by default. Uncheck Detect Objects before brushing a selection -- it doesn't work well, especially with skinny objects and along the edges of photos. if it doesn't help, please attach a full-resolution JPEG exported from the unmodified original photo (not a screenshot). With nearly every one of the many dozen problem photos posted here, we've been able to show how to quickly remove the desired objects.

Participating Frequently
April 13, 2025

Generative Remove is working much better this past few days.   But I still cannot remove electrical or telephone wires effectivelyl yet.   

 

johnrellis
Legend
April 13, 2025

@CaroleSD: "But I still cannot remove electrical or telephone wires effectively yet."

 

Uncheck Detect Objects before brushing a selection -- it doesn't work well, especially with skinny objects and along the edges of photos. Select a margin around both sides of the wire.

 

Make sure you select all the wires that are touching each other, and select all of the wire even if it is partially obscured by other objects.

 

If this doesn't help, please attach a full-resolution JPEG exported from the unmodified original photo (not a screenshot). With nearly every one of the many dozen problem photos posted here, we've been able to show how to quickly remove the desired objects.

 

 

Participant
April 12, 2025

The AI remove tool used to give me seamless extended backdrops but lately there is a clear indication of where the brush starts and ends - if you look at the top right corner of this image where the backdrop ends and where I attempted to use the tool to extend it, you can clearly see the brush stroke and the line where the generated backdrop starts. This is a serious flaw and it was NOT always like this! But in the last few weeks it has been happening to my images almost every time I attempt to do this. Would love to see this fixed so that it performs how it was months ago. Thank you for your time! This tool has seriously changed my work for the better, but now I'm used to this as a quick fix.

C.Cella
Legend
April 12, 2025

@RM Photography the model was not changed.

The issues you see now always existed.

 

@johnrellis has detailed several methods to improve the chances of success when using Genrative Remove.

Check his posts in this thread.

 

Participant
April 10, 2025

Getting a "Generative remove failed. We encountered an issue with your results. Please view our guidelines and try again" error message on trying to remove some figures from the background of an old family slide-scan.  As error messages go, this is cosmically unhelpful, and the internet and this forum was not much better.  No, it's not my network. No, it's not my firewall.  So what was it?  Why is Lightrooom now throwing a hissy fit when it's done literally hundreds of images without a problem?

Some sixth sense gave me the answer. The picture is one of my dad, sunbathing, and the figure I'm deleting is just behind my dad's bare upper body.  So I seach for the error code and add "flesh" to the search...  Oh NOW something explains the problem! It sees flesh and thinks it must be dodgy.  

Good grief, Adobe.  I understand it may take time to tune your AI to distinguish harmless from dubious images.  But if you must block us from using the product we are paying for IS IT REALLY ASKING TOO MUCH TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARE DOING IT?   Would it really be that hard?  Saying "see user guidelines" is NOT HELPFUL if we are not violating them in the first place!


johnrellis
Legend
April 10, 2025

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@defaultt4hs2n2vd37h: "Generative remove failed. We encountered an issue with your results. Please view our guidelines and try again"

 

Right, that unhelpful error message is issued in response to trying to apply Generative Remove to a photo that the Firefly service (underlying Generative Remove) thinks violates Adobe's "guidelines".  You can find those guidelines (restrictions) by clicking on the tiny ? button:

 

 

Lots of people have complained here that Generative Remove has too many false positives while identifying images that don't comport with the guidelines. Adobe, like the other major AI providers, is scared of the political fallout that would occur if their platforms were used for pornography (especially child pornography) and other "socially harmful" purposes. So they tune their automatic detection algorithms conservatively, erring on the side of too many false positives.

 

I have a plugin that uses Google Gemini to analyze images, and Gemini also has way too many false positives for pornagraphy. 

 

Participating Frequently
April 10, 2025

really,  really, awful for stars, milky way and aurora replacemnet when i just attempted to remove a power line - .also in removing something to match the Bokeh in portraits - the result is  awful. Better taking clean shots than dealing with this.

 

pointless paying monthly for this. I'll be keeping a look out to see if this comment is deleted.

johnrellis
Legend
April 10, 2025

[This post contains formatting and embedded images that don't appear in email. View the post in your Web browser.]

 

@kenjowen: "really,  really, awful for stars, milky way and aurora replacemnet when i just attempted to remove a power line"

 

Please attach a full-resolution JPEG exported from the unmodified original photo (not a screenshot). With nearly every one of the many dozen problem photos posted here, we've been able to show how to quickly remove the desired objects.

 

I found this extreme example photo via Google, and Remove did a decent job of removing the power lines and the tower:

 

 

 

johnrellis
Legend
April 10, 2025

@kenjowen: "removing something to match the Bokeh in portraits - the result is  awful."

 

Please attach a full-resolution JPEG exported from the unmodified original photo (not a screenshot) showing the problem. 

 

Here's an example where Remove did a good job of removing a distracting line from the bokeh background of a portrait:

  

 

brienr2018
Participant
April 9, 2025

I tried to remove a person and both set of AI did absolutely nothing.

 

johnrellis
Legend
April 9, 2025

@brienr2018: "I tried to remove a person and both set of AI did absolutely nothing."

 

1. Uncheck Detect Objects -- it doesn't work well, especially with skinny objects and along the edges of photos.

2. See this short article for how to remove objects more reliably:
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/generative-remove-replace/

Most complaints about Remove are addressed in the article. But if it doesn't help, please attach a full-resolution JPEG exported from the unmodified original photo (not a screenshot). With nearly every one of the many dozen problem photos posted here, we've been able to show how to quickly remove the desired objects.

Participant
April 8, 2025

Anyone else having this error? I can't use AI in lightroom at all. I have tried updating, restarting, and still cant' use. Going back to pulling into photohsop which is annoying when you get used to doing it in lightroom Anyone else?

johnrellis
Legend
April 8, 2025

@Jess35474710fnty: "Some Remove settings need to be updated"

 

These symptoms can occur when LR can't write the .lrcat-data file for some reason, either because LR has corrupted it or there is a permissions issue. LR stores computed masks in that file. Try these steps:

1. In LR, do Edit > Catalog Settings > General > Show. That will open Windows File Explorer on the current catalog folder.

2. Exit LR.

3. Move the file <catalog>.lrcat-data to the Desktop.

4. Start LR.

5. In Library Grid view (not Loupe view), select all photos and do Photo > Develop Settings > Update AI Settings. That will recompute all the AI masks, which could take a while.

Participant
April 8, 2025

I got to 'catalog' and not sure if you mean the most recent catalog file or what. As there are updated catalog files. Does it matter which one?

Participant
April 7, 2025

Could we please either have a bigger more obvious indicator that generative fill is on OR else the ability to turn it off without losing current selections.  It is a pain in the proverbial to select a score of e.g. dust spots on scanned slides and then notice AI is box-ticked so one either waits and waits and waits for AI you don't need, or else have to reselect everything.

And why is it only the first object where Adobe says "No, I know better, you wanted to delete *this* area, not the one you actually marked?"  Everything else it appears to process as marked, but not the first.  Annoying!

johnrellis
Legend
April 8, 2025

[This post contains formatting and embedded images that don't appear in email. View the post in your Web browser.]

 

@defaultt4hs2n2vd37h: "Could we please either have a bigger more obvious indicator that generative fill is on"

 

Are you referring to this?

 

"And why is it only the first object where Adobe says "No, I know better, you wanted to delete *this* area, not the one you actually marked?"  Everything else it appears to process as marked, but not the first."

 

Uncheck Detect Objects -- it doesn't work well, especially with skinny objects and along the edges of photos.

Participant
April 6, 2025

Hi, I would like to know if there is possible that remove tool can use reference photo to remove unwanted people in photo.

The case is I took a series of photos, ex:

Photo A: comes with me and scenery but there are some unwanted passers-by in it.

Photo B: comes with only scenery without any passers-by in it.

 

Can I use photo B as reference photo to use remove tool in photo A?

Means the generative AI can generate missing spot same as reality (photo B).

Thank you.

johnrellis
Legend
April 6, 2025

@Alluring_customer15D5: "Can I use photo B as reference photo to use remove tool in photo A? Means the generative AI can generate missing spot same as reality (photo B)."

 

Generative AI wasn't designed for that. You can use Photoshop's older tools to do it, e.g. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=photoshop+remove+people+from+scene+using+multiple+photographs&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS1064US1064&oq=photoshop+remove+people+from+scene+using+multiple+photographs&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTEwMTUzajBqMqgCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8