P: New AI-powered Generative Remove (Early Access) available across all surfaces.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

This post applies to Lightroom Classic and the Lightroom Ecosystem products.
Post Camera Raw feedback here

The Lightroom team is sharing an early look at Generative Remove, which makes it easier to remove unwanted objects and distractions, even on complex backgrounds, with a simple brush stroke. Generative Remove is powered by Firefly AI.

How to use Generative Remove on a desktop:

• You can find Generative Remove under the newly renamed Remove panel (aka “Heal”).
• Make sure the “generative AI” checkbox is enabled before you start brushing (note: when unchecked, Lightroom will use Content-Aware Remove to fill your brushed spots). 
• By default, you will be given a moment to refine your selection with an add or subtract brush. Remember to include shadows for a more accurate result! You can also skip this step by holding down ‘CTRL’ on windows or ‘CMD’ on mac as you finish your brush stroke. 
• Once you’re ready to apply and have accepted the terms, Generative Remove will use Firefly AI to remove your distractions and intelligently fill in the space that’s left by the removed objects. 
• Note: stable internet connection is required to use this feature.
• Generative Remove also lets you choose from multiple variations, so you can pick the one you like best, giving you full creative control. 
  
  Checkout the FAQ and Best Practices

Please give it a try and share feedback and/or report variations in this community forum. It would greatly help to include details like which app you are using (i.e., Lightroom Classic or Camera Raw) and other system details. Our team will continually monitor this thread to track issues to improve the future experience.

Lisa Ngo: Lightroom Product Manager
Posted by: Rikk Flohr 

Update:

Here are some tips if you are having issues with the feature replacing your object instead of removing it. 

• Enlarge your selection - if your brush stroke is too tight, you will have unexpected results.
• Remember that removing an object means painting over it, its shadow, its reflection, and any non-contiguous pieces. If you leave behind a shadow, a reflection, or a disconnected piece (e.g., a hand on a shoulder), the AI will attempt to create something to cast the shadow, reflect, or complete the unbrushed discontinuous item. You can avoid these issue by following the guidance provided in this linked tutorial. https://www.lightroomqueen.com/generative-remove-replace
• The recommended order for applying is: Denoise - Heal (includes Generative AI Remove) - Crop/Edit - AI Selective edits. If you deviate from that you may see the removed object remains as a ghost image. If this occurs you will have to use Update AI Settings, which can be found under the Develop module 'Settings' menu.

[Noah30475559gvnp]

For everyone I made a video with a fix for this problem! https://youtu.be/JDsF6oTD5Q4?si=M1-bBoPMI6B-QLzB

Hope this fixes it all for you too

[johnrellis]

Thanks for posting that video. To help others figure out quickly whether that video applies to them: it shows how to adjust the rules of the Windows Defender Firewall to stop blocking LR's networking requests. This won't help those whose LR is getting blocked by third-party security packages (anti-malware / anti-virus) or network routers.

[Jim 185]

If you crop an image and then apply Gen remove, it frequently does not do a full remove, it picks up something outside the crop

[johnrellis]

@Jim 185: "If you crop an image and then apply Gen remove, it frequently does not do a full remove, it picks up something outside the crop"

Right. Remove operates on the entire, uncropped image, so Remove first, then Crop. See this article for more on how to use Remove:

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

[Danny3094590247at]

Adobe should just have a a button called remove next to Object Aware.  Remove tool doesn't remove. It just puts in another person or object.

[johnrellis]

@Danny3094590247at: "Remove tool doesn't remove. It just puts in another person or object."

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

If that doesn't help, please attach the original photo here (not an export) so we and Adobe can see the issue in detail. If the forum won't let you attach it, upload it to Dropbox, Google Drive, or similar and post the sharing link here.

[Aplanc]

Sometimes you need to repeat the remove more than once. It usually works

[thomasi94485472]

I love this tool, it´s a great progress for speeding up retouching. Please could you remove this eraser icon which shows up inside the brush area after applying this tool in LR classic. If you have got very small objects to remove it really disturbs selecting one of the 3 variants.

[johnrellis]

@thomasi94485472: "Please could you remove this eraser icon which shows up inside the brush area after applying this tool in LR classic. "

Set Tool Overlay to Auto or Never, and the icon will disappear. Keyboard shortcut H cycles through the options for Tool Overlay.

[Dean380625132ql4]

Great to have this in Camera RAW, thank you!

[Mosb38064585hj1i]

very powerful

[Andy1549]

I'm using LRC on the photo plan - auto updates. The tool has been updated recently (last 2 weeks?) and now has two options and imho doesnt work as well as it used to whatever I try. I used it a lot (alongside healing) to remove the collar on a few polar bear shots last month. It seemed to know what I was trying to do, excellent - and even managed to remove a whole donkey from another photo (not in the Arctic!) Anyway, my point is, it isnt as smart as it was based upon my recent experience with a very simple remove. Feels like a step backwards.

[johnrellis]

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

@Andy1549, the previous three tools are still present and haven't changed.

Clone:

Heal:

Remove (formerly called Content-Aware Heal):

The new Generative Remove is only invoked when you select the option Generative AI. The option Object Aware provides a new method of selecting pixels; if you don't check Generative AI, then the old Content-Aware algorithm will be applied to that selection.

So in your recent test, which tool and which options did you select?  

[Andy1549]

thanks for the reply John. Get the three tools still exist and I actually tried both remove options, assuming the object aware was the 'original eraser tool'. As is said I find it doesnt work as well, but if youre telling me its exactly the same code then maybe its just one of those things.

I see from other posts about using the tool before even basic changes like lens recognition which I will try in future. I'll make sure its first in workflow.

[johnrellis]

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

"assuming the object aware was the 'original eraser tool'"

No, Object Aware was added in LR 13.3. Adobe has confused matters by changing the names of these tools.

To get the original three tools, which haven't changed, click the Clone icon , the Heal icon , or the Remove icon  with Generative AI and Object Aware unchecked (to get what used to be called Content Aware). If you see one of those tools giving much worse results now, that could indicate a bug that Adobe should know about. Upload the original photo to Dropbox, Google Drive, or similar and post the sharing link here, so we can verify.

[jtu50]

Using LR Classic, Win 10. Generative erase misses the mark sometimes, where generative fill in PS gets it. Sometimes it does not erase the highlight area, but fills in the area with an unwanted image.

[johnrellis]

@jtu50: "...PS gets it. Sometimes it does not erase the highlight area, but fills in the area with an unwanted image."

When Photoshop gets it but LR doesn't, you likely are working with an image with Crop, Transform, or Lens Corrections enabled. Disable all of those before applying Remove. See this article for details:

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

If that doesn't help, please attach the original photo here (not an export) so we and Adobe can see the issue in detail. If the forum won't let you attach it, upload it to Dropbox, Google Drive, or similar and post the sharing link here.

[masahir0]

削除した部分が周りの背景と馴染んでおらず修正箇所がわかってしまう。

選択範囲のぼかし機能か、もしくは背景と完全に馴染むようにしてほしい。

[johnrellis]

Google translation: "The deleted part does not blend in with the surrounding background, so the edited part is obvious.

I'd like a selection blur function or something that will completely blend in with the background."

Sometimes it helps to expand the selection to include much more of the surrounding area, and Remove does a better job of matching.  If that doesn't help, please attach the original photo here (not an export) so we and Adobe can see the issue in detail. If the forum won't let you attach it, upload it to Dropbox, Google Drive, or similar and post the sharing link here.

[florianl66018671]

Not sure why Photoshop's remove feature had always been miles better than Lightsroom's... being both Adobe products. And I got to say that I will still have to go over in Photoshop when I want to do a good remove job. The new LR remove tool is not cutting it for me.

[johnrellis]

@florianl66018671: "Photoshop's remove feature had always been miles better than Lightsroom's"

When Photoshop's Remove is working better than LR's new Generative Remove, that's typically because you've got Crop, Lens Corrections, or Transform applied to the photo. LR's Remove looks at all the pixels of the photo, even those cropped out by those tools. Temporarily remove the crop, lens corrections, and transform and Remove usually works much better at the edges of the photo. See here for details:

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

If that doesn't help, please attach the original photo here (not an export) so we and Adobe can see the issue in detail. If the forum won't let you attach it, upload it to Dropbox, Google Drive, or similar and post the sharing link here.

[x JMPD x]

Generative Remove seems to struggle when trying to remove an object at the edge of the frame. It tries really hard to keep the colors at the perimeter of the original image the same, instead of just extending adjacent textures in the image like trees or walls all the way out the the edge.

[johnrellis]

@x JMPD x: "Remove seems to struggle when trying to remove an object at the edge of the frame."

Most likely you've got Crop, Lens Corrections, or Transform applied to the photo. Remove looks at all the pixels of the photo, even those cropped out by those tools. Temporarily remove the crop, lens corrections, and transform and Remove usually works much better at the edges of the photo. See here for details:

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

If that doesn't help, please attach the original photo here (not an export) so we and Adobe can see the issue in detail. If the forum won't let you attach it, upload it to Dropbox, Google Drive, or similar and post the sharing link here.

[heidid99034767]

The new Generative AI is pretty amazing. There's just one hitch that I would love to work out. Sometimes when trying to remove people, it replaces them with other people. I've tried making sure I select the entire group or person, even if they're split up behind, let's say, a guard rail. But it still replaces only with people. I've tried a few different refreshes but it still does it. It would be amazing if some of the 3 options were landscape instead or if there was a checkbox to replace with landscape instead. Thank you so much for all the hard work that went into this! It's already saving me so much time!

[johnrellis]

@heidid99034767: "it still replaces only with people."

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

If that doesn't help, please attach the original photo here (not an export) so we and Adobe can see the issue in detail. If the forum won't let you attach it, upload it to Dropbox, Google Drive, or similar and post the sharing link here.