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

This thread is now closed. Please update to LrC 14.x or LrD 8.x. If you wish to provide feedback, please go to the new article.

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 (Dec 2024):  With the new release, it is no longer necessary to perform Generative Remove Operations prior to Cropping. 

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 issues by following the guidance provided in this linked tutorial. https://www.lightroomqueen.com/generative-remove-replace

The recommended order for applying edits is:

1. Denoise 
2. Heal (includes Generative AI Remove)
3. Crop (includes traditional Cropping, Lens Correction, Transform, or any operation changing the geometry of the image, including round-tripping to PS to use Gen-Expand)
4. Global Edits
5. AI Selective edits (Sky, Person, etc)
   
   If you deviate from that, you may see the removed object remain 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.

[Anne27463624wqqc]

🤣🤣🤣🤣
Anne Heyerly
Eugene, OR
Please excuse spelling errors and gibberish created by the miniature keyboard on my iPhone thingy

[mary claireb19843695]

Agreed! 

[P21910559kll8]

Yes, agreed. Is there a way to indicate remove instead of replace?

[johnrellis]

@P21910559kll8: "Is there a way to indicate remove instead of replace?"

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

[andrew1505]

I'd say "Remove" really acts like replace probably 19 times out of 20. It's a laughable shadow of the Remove AI tool in PhotoShop.

[johnrellis]

@andrew1505: "I'd say "Remove" really acts like replace probably 19 times out of 20."

Remove works very well following the guidance in this article (summarized in the top post here):

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, so we and Adobe can see the issue in detail. With nearly everyone who has posted a problem photo, we've been able to show how to quickly remove the desired objects.

[sujithg52397190]

It removes the object, but I had to refresh the result at least 7 times to find the result where it actually removed the object. Ideally, this should be the first in the results. And most of the results appeared quite artificial.

[BetsyHa]

Agree with the above, I tried to remove a rock from a portrait and it replaced it with someone's head. I don't understand the logic there. 

[Fernando33119179d9zc]

Brutal!!!

[sfazio12]

Love how it removed spots, but yesterday the spot removal no longer is removing to bug in my images.

[KendallS]

I found that drawing, what seemed to be too much margin around the object to be removed, yielded a successful removal. And if it didn't work the first time, I clicked the "refresh" button.

[prgal]

Agree, its frustrating when you try to remove an object and instead Adobe places another image instead of removing and puting the background as requested. Especially when you can't tell it what you want it to do with a prompt. 

[johnrellis]

@prgal: "you try to remove an object and instead Adobe places another image instead of removing and puting the background as requested"

See this 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, so we and Adobe can see the issue in detail. With nearly everyone who has posted a problem photo, we've been able to show how to quickly remove the desired objects.

[Gerald36453231giy4]

Sometimes it works great, especially when removing objects, but sometimes it just offer cracy replacements instead of just considering the sourounding background. To remove cables or fences it works really pour, other programs can do that much better already.

[johnrellis]

@Gerald36453231giy4: "sometimes it just offer crazy replacements instead of just considering the surrounding background."

See this 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, so we and Adobe can see the issue in detail. With nearly everyone who has posted a problem photo, we've been able to show how to quickly remove the desired objects.

[sb2314]

Adobe as a software editing leader should figure out a way one can mask the entire fence with chain link or otherwise and seamlessly remove and replace the background. If it kept the same resolution in doing so it would be fantastic and a real game changer.

[CaroleSD]

I thought that the tool was working better about  month ago.   I can't seem to delete anything and keep the surroundings.   Too much is added in that does not belong, even without generative ai.  

[johnrellis]

See this 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, so we and Adobe can see the issue in detail. With nearly everyone who has posted a problem photo, we've been able to show how to quickly remove the desired objects.

[AnaLima]

A Remoção Gerativa também permite que você escolha entre várias variações, porem nao permite ainda que voce diga o que deseja , fiz um teste e ele me trouxe muitas variações mas nenhuma delas estava a contento.

[JBedfordPhoto]

Great start! I love the addition of this tool to LRCC 13.3 - amazing that Adobe was able to slap this technology onto RAW files. 

The first improvement that I see could be made is a feathering option for the selection. The transitions under light fall-off are still quite hard-edged and noticeable. 

[Barry Young]

Better seams and outlines is something we are working on.

Barry

[umlautnord]

This is very good to hear.

[Ben Willmore]

Sweet!

Doesn't work to start by defining an area with Clone tool, switch the already applied retouching to Remove and then turn on the Generative AI checkbox. It presents the usual progress bar, but does not produce a generative result. (LRC on M3 Macbook Pro running Sonoma on HEIC panorama from an iphone)

Would love to see you allow us to use it to fill the empty/white areas at the edge of an image after appling Transform features such as upright, but it currently can only work within the original image area.  

[JustGuy]

Hi, started using Generative remove today.  I had taken a series of images and found that the sensor on a camera, not often used had been fungussed!? It was a great day and was disappointed that all the images were wasted. However, I found that Generative Remove has cut the work down in this instance quite dramatically, and saved the day, but it still onerous. Luckily the areas affected are block colour but in the more detailed areas I found that I needed to use a much smaller cursor size, but it worked, after a fashion. 

Adjustable Feathering the cursor might help. I also had a glitch (hockey-stick glitch) every so often (pictures attached) which I could not explain - just went to undo and waited a few seconds.  In addition, would it be possible to save the actions of Generative Remove as a mask that could be used on the other imagesof the same batch? Thats all. Thanks

[Ian Lyons]

Using Generative Remove for spot removal is not recomended as it is much slower than using the standard heal tool.

Please refer to the FAQ provided by Adobe for guidance on whcih of the Remove tools is bested suited to particular tasks.

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-cc/using/generative-remove-faq.html