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

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

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:

[Leandro_Barreto]

What I have to say is worrying. I used LR Classic between January and February 2025 for HDR editing of photographs of houses and environments. I needed to remove objects in bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms and other indoor and outdoor locations. RAW files for HDR merging into DNG files.

I've edited 8K videos, generated NeRFs and Gausplatting AI, 3D modeling, VR, AR, coding in Python, VFX, and heavy post-production on this desktop PC. However, using LR Classic was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, because it's an incomprehensible level of slowness and strange behavior of the software.

System information: i7 4th generation, 24GB RAM dual channel, RTX 2060 SUPER 8GB, 1TB SSD M2 for system and 2 SSD 240GB for data and another for cache. Win 10. Everything original, recently installed, optimized, safe and clean, to work with high performance.

Using AI to remove objects at times the result was good. However, sometimes the worst possible result, such as replacing a vase with a HUMAN HEAD, or a pair of sneakers that turned into a child on a shelf. Continuing a surface and removing objects on it was initially possible, but I think that now the update has ruined this work. Whatever it is, the AI ​​creates a kitchen sink where there should be a wooden or stone surface.

And worse: I noticed that using AI removal in LR was CHANGING ALL THE LIGHTING IN MY IMAGE. This means that all my work was being ruined by this tool and this made me waste a lot of time and many hours fixing what I had already done and the AI ​​ruined. I witnessed both unexpected changes in light and color in my edits. They are images of environments and each image needs to have continuity of light and color between them. This type of task in LR has become a torture because everything in this software behaves almost randomly.

I saw in a comment that the ideal way to use AI removal is to select everything around what I want to remove and that the image should be original and in high resolution, but the original HDR image is sometimes too dark and needs to be worked on before using AI. And the more I work on lighting and use masks, the heavier the processing becomes. Processing is endless suffering, such agony that I wonder if LR is really useful. There is no such suffering in Photoshop. Another point is identifying objects for removal, which is not as efficient as in Photoshop.

After 1 month of using it daily just for this work, I can say that there are still some challenges with this AI. I have witnessed abnormal and strange behaviors in general use of LR. It seems that in these latest updates my LR has taken on a life of its own, as if an independent AI was somehow altering my actions and modifying my edits and settings. Learning my work in LR perhaps?! And if that is the case, this is dangerous, if not at least unethical. I felt like I was Adobe's little slave, unwittingly training its AI while it messed up my work and learned from my techniques.

It would make sense for an AI to learn from my work if I were part of an "insider" program or beta version of the software, which Adobe already has. However, I don't use beta versions when I'm actually working, and I never sign up for "insider" user programs because I find them too evasive. I felt very bad, exploited, and harmed when I almost lost a job because of LR. The software wasn't like that. It declined in quality, performance, and security.

[johnrellis]

@Leandro_Barreto: "However, sometimes the worst possible result, such as replacing a vase with a HUMAN HEAD, or a pair of sneakers that turned into a child on a shelf. "

Let's tease apart the various issues you've described. 

When LR "replaces" an object rather than "removes" it (by replacing it with innocuous background objects), that's usually because you haven't selected all of the object (even disconnected parts), its reflections, or its shadow. In that case, LR tries to generate a replacement matching what's unselected.

See this short article for details on 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.

[Leandro_Barreto]

Unfortunately, due to contractual issues with the company that hired my services, I cannot reveal anything that was worked on in LR on that occasion. I can say that even though I selected the entire object, shadows and reflections, I still had a hard time actually removing the object. I am not making this up or lying, but reporting a fact, a real problem with the product.

Selecting all parts of the object, even if there is an intersection of other overlapping objects; selecting only parts of the object; selecting the object plus shadows and reflections; it doesn't matter, I eventually had the problem reported.

Sometimes it worked perfectly. Other times I had to use masks over masks to get a result that removed everything. I was removing a bottle of shampoo from a shelf and the AI ​​created a bar of soap or a medicine box in its place. So I create a mask to remove the soap and the AI ​​creates a ball of paper or some random object. The third or fourth time, with luck, the AI ​​manages to clear the space.

[johnrellis]

@Leandro_Barreto, without example photos, your feedback won't carry that much weight with Adobe. There are dozens of "problem" photos posted in this thread, and with nearly all of them, we've been able to show how to quickly remove objects.

[johnrellis]

@Leandro_Barreto: "I noticed that using AI removal in LR was CHANGING ALL THE LIGHTING IN MY IMAGE."

Many of LR's settings, such as Shadows and Highlights, are computed based on the current contents of the image (users have been quite satisfied with that adaptive behavior for many years). This is why Adobe recommends apply Remove very early in the workflow.

"but the original HDR image is sometimes too dark and needs to be worked on before using AI."

If you're having problems seeing the object to be removed, bump up Exposure, apply Remove, then reset Exposure.

[Leandro_Barreto]

Okay, it's still a rework. And in addition to the exposure, it also changes the temperature. It could be an optional extra, but it is indeed a flaw and a problem.

The AI ​​shouldn't change the lighting of the entire environment because I modified the brightness of the sun that was blown out in the sky and showing flares. It shouldn't make the environment dark because I removed the sun itself from the sky to make the sky clear or replace it with a cloud. Removing an object shouldn't change the light or the color. If LR is used to work with Light and Color and a tool changes that, LR becomes obsolete. It doesn't make sense to me.

[johnrellis]

@Leandro_Barreto: "Learning my work in LR perhaps?! And if that is the case, this is dangerous, if not at least unethical. I felt like I was Adobe's little slave, unwittingly training its AI while it messed up my work and learned from my techniques."

Adobe Firefly (the service used by LR's Generative AI Remove) doesn't train on user content:

https://helpx.adobe.com/firefly/get-set-up/learn-the-basics/adobe-firefly-faq.html

Last year, there was a big brouhaha with many claiming that Adobe was training on Creative Cloud users' content. The brouhaha was caused by poorly written cover-their-legal-buttocks terms of service, but Adobe reacted quickly and significantly clarified theirs terms of service and their FAQs and help.

[Leandro_Barreto]

I don't know what poltergeist took over LR, but there came a time when my settings started to get messed up. I don't know if it was a cache, a server connection or something like that, but the impression I had was that my edits started to look different, very noticeably.

It would start with a value that I used in the edit and end up with another one involuntarily while I was editing another image in the album. They would suddenly get darker, or suddenly get lighter. The temperature, saturation, exposure, everything would change. I was using LR without any problems for two weeks until an update came out and this bizarre behavior happened for about 4 days until it stabilized. It started with the same problem with light modifications on using AI remove tool. That's why I suspect some automation or malfunction in LR. And there's no keylogger or hacking, because I'm very careful and have extreme control over my equipment and network.

In addition, Meta claimed not to use sensitive user data, but we have the example of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and Meta's own social experiments that manipulated users' psychological health by inducing depression. So I apologize for not really believing what is written there in Adobe's terms and conditions and for suspecting some abnormal behavior that I have highlighted. I do not trust any company. And if I pay for a service or product, I have every right to question something that I have highlighted as strange.

Anyway, I had better results and much more efficiency using Photoshop. LR seems to have declined a bit in quality. It did not have so many problems 5 years ago. It was a very good software.

[johnrellis]

@Leandro_Barreto: " I had better results and much more efficiency using Photoshop."

Note that Generative AI Remove in LR uses the same Firefly service as Generative AI Remove in Photoshop.  LR does have the Detect Objects option, on by default, which doesn't work well. That leads people to think PS's Generative Remove is superior to LR's, but if you turn off Detect Objects, you should get the same results in both apps.

[ABkc4here]

I want to remove an object not add one. If I wanted an Ai hallucination, I'd ask for an AI hallucination. 

What the in the blazing 18th level of hades even is this??!?!?!?!?

[johnrellis]

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@ABkc4here: "I want to remove an object not add one."

Your screenshot is a good example of what happens when you don't select all the parts of an object (the red thread on the right) and the shadows cast by the object.

Here's what happens when I select the hallucinated object but not the thread or the shadows:

Selecting the dangling thread still generates a snowball, as Remove tries to match the unselected shadow:

Adding the shadow to the selection completely "removes" the object:

Note that I always uncheck Detect Objects -- it doesn't work well, especially with skinny objects and along the edges of photos. 

See this short article for more details on how to remove objects 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.

[rollfilm]

So far, this is amazing! Thanks!

[hanna_2225]

hi! It doesn't work....

[johnrellis]

@hanna_2225: "Generative Remove Failed. We've encountered an issue and can't complete your request at this time. Please try again later."

That badly written error message indicates that the Generative Remove command was unable to contact the Adobe Firefly servers to do the removal. Sometimes firewalls and anti-malware / anti-virus utilities incorrectly block some network requests from LR. Try these troubleshooting steps:

- Temporarily disable all the firewall / anti-malware on your computer. If that solves the problem, then add a specific exclusion for LR to the firewall's rules.

- Connect to another network, preferably one serviced by a different ISP. E.g. a Wifi connection of a neighbor, a coffee shop, work, or your phone's hotspot. Sometimes the routers in these networks block LR's requests, especially in authoritarian countries like China.

To help others, please let us know which of these work and which don't.

[Michael_Bues6754]

In my experience, the generative removal of objects works well. However, I always have issues with objects against the sky (cranes, power lines...)

[johnrellis]

@Michael_Bues6754: "I always have issues with objects against the sky (cranes, power lines...)"

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

2. If you applied Remove on top of an AI mask (e.g. Sky or Subject mask), do the menu command Settings > Update AI Settings to recompute the mask.

3. 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.

[jakobv90966696]

since the new update i have some issues on my Apple M2 Pro with lagging when using the healing tool.

also the generative fill seems to have a transparency

hope that helps to search for bugs 🙂

[C.Cella]

Many users speak there has been an update.
Did we really get a new Model for remove?

Because I see the same Model version for my old files and for those edited  now.

i.e

Before : 1.0.5-beta.1-1.2_1.2-8c2cea4-0.1.27.1r16.2,
Now:     1.0.5-beta.1-1.2_1.2-8c2cea4-0.1.27.1r16.2 

Some images have :  1.0.5-beta.1-1.2_1.2-8c2cea4-a6

Which rarely happened also with LrC 13

And this brings me to my complain: why is never possible to chose the Model version NOR is even mentions which one is in place?

Midjourney show the version used for the Generative Content

Adobe doens't.

We can never tell which MV was used.

We have ProcessVersion in LrC visible and selectable but not ModelVersion for Remove or even AI Masking.

The only two users here that can tell which MV is in used by each Remove Ai are @johnrellis and me.

.

[johnrellis]

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@jakobv90966696: "also the generative fill seems to have a transparency"

Two possibilities:

1. After clicking Remove, make sure the Opacity slider is set to 100:

2. If you applied Remove on top of an AI mask (e.g. Sky or Subject mask), do the menu command Settings > Update AI Settings to recompute the mask.

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.

[Pinner Photographer]

The generative remove in the latest release of Lightroom is working well but the user interface 

is all over the place. I get half a box showing me the optional results that tries to display before the replace is complete. There is then some screen redrawing on the right panel and focus seems to come and go.

[johnrellis]

@Pinner Photographer: "the user interface is all over the place. I get half a box showing me the optional results that tries to display before the replace is complete. There is then some screen redrawing on the right panel and focus seems to come and go."

First troubleshooting steps:

1. Restart your computer.

2. Update your graphics driver by going directly to the manufacturer's web site:
https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/troubleshoot-gpu.html#solution-4

3. Reset LR's preferences:
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/articles-page/how-do-i-reset-lightrooms-preferences/

LR sometimes soils its preferences file, and resetting it can fix all sorts of wonky behavior. That article explains how to restore the old preferences if resetting doesn't help.

4. Do the LR menu command Help > System Info and copy/paste the entire contents here so we can see exactly which versions of hardware and software LR thinks you're running and important LR options that are set.

[AJ73]

A simple scenario in removing a black cable in front of the sky results in just replacing the black line by a white. Several update cycles could not fix the behaviour. This is very weak. If this was the first version with generative remove OK, but this is not the case anymore.

Lightroom 14.2.

[johnrellis]

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LR does a good job of removing the wire from your screenshot:

Most likely you've applied Remove on top of a Sky mask. Do Settings > Update AI Settings to recompute the Sky mask. See this short article for Adobe's recommended order in which to apply editing operations:

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/generative-remove-replace/

[AJ73]

You are right, after refreshing the mask it works perfectly fine, thank you very much.

[Christophe Galinier]

Bonjour 

je trouve que sur MaC avec le dernier IOS la supression avec IA fonctionne trés bien je devais suprimer un gros camion d'un paysage