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 issue 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.

[Rgrenader]

I tried using Gen AI Remove on an image containing an annoying No Trespassing sign.  The process ran, and instead of deleting the sign, Gen AI created a transparent "ghost" replacement.  

[Ian Lyons]

@Rgrenader 

The ghost replacement is likely because you'd previously applied an AI mask to the image (check for red dot below the Masks icon on toolbar). You can remove the ghost using the 'Update AI Settings' in Develop module Settings menu or within the mask panel itself as shown in attached screenshot.

[Rgrenader]

Nope.  I redid the removal process, using Gen AI, and this is the ghost image.

[Ian Lyons]

I had no problem removing the sign in your screenshot. Check the opacity setting is set to 100

[Rgrenader]

Thank you, that did it.  The default, which I had not adjusted in 95%, which explains the ghost images.

[Ian Lyons]

Thanks for confirming that issue is resolved. Hopefully, others will benefit for your post, etc.

[Rgrenader]

And this is something really cool.  Depending on the final look for an image, let's say you wanted to delete a person in the scene, but not completely.  By adjusting Opacity, you could make it look like there was a Ghost in your image..  Very cool

[Ran23946982ed6t]

I just can't remove simple spots I used to remove. Not in AI and not in the old way. Very strange behaviour. 
It use to be simple and now I'm stuck. 
WIN10 Classic 13.3.1

[John R Ellis]

@Ran23946982ed6t: "I just can't remove simple spots I used to remove. Not in AI and not in the old way. "

Check that the Opacity slider is set to 100.

[MPDAEF]

The heal and clone tools work for me pretty much as they used to. And the
"visualize spots" is the same.

[Gilson27377627vkkx]

Perfect

[jean-claudeg83383526]

Ne fonctionne plus depuis votre "amélioration"...réinstallé 2 fois lightrom pour rien.L'aide sur le site inneficace.Message d'erreur qui n'a pas de sens,je suis évidement branché,puisque je vous écrit..

  

[Noah30475559gvnp]

Here is the solution for now: https://youtu.be/JDsF6oTD5Q4?si=M1-bBoPMI6B-QLzB

[John R Ellis]

Thanks for posting that. So others can 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.

[jean-claudeg83383526]

  

[michaelp40534489]

The few times that I have used have worked extremely well. Guess this will only get better with time, great feature.

[jasonb62467498]

This is working very well so far.  My only critique of this tool and the remove tool on its own, is that the output is softer than the surrounding area.  Other than that, I'm very happy with the outcome.

[John R Ellis]

@jasonb62467498: "My only critique of this tool and the remove tool on its own, is that the output is softer than the surrounding area."

Sometimes Remove does a better job of matching the surrounding area when you increase the boundary around the object by a fair bit, more than you might initially do.

[Oliver35093935vjg2]

I have a really trick photo...the result is not 100% satifaction. 

[Oliver35093935vjg2]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalsublime/29457213097/in/album-72157672911150478/

Original pic

[Oliver35093935vjg2]

[John R Ellis]

I'm surprised it does that well. It did a very good job on the pool, a passable job on the face, hair and clothing of the musician, not so good with the syntehsized guitar. It's got the right font, font size, and color for the sign, but it's pretty clueless about matching the actual words!  

I tried many more variants, and it sometimes gets a better face, or a better guitar, but then something else will be not good -- can't get all the elements at the same time.

[rjb138]

Another vote for getting the "Subtract" tool correct.  "subtract" means "take away (something) from something else so as to decrease the size, number, or amount."  Maybe "remove" is a better  word - "take (something) away or off from the position occupied.' and "eliminate or get rid of."

It does NOT mean "substitute" or "replace".

Many of us just want to remove something from our photo - a person, maybe just a stray arm that intruded on the edge of a photo, an animal that strayed into the frame, etc.  Using the tool to remove an item and then getting options to replace it with a cat, another person, etc. is frustrating.  Maybe after a few tries, you get it right, maybe not. 

Maybe program/teach to tool to always offer "remove" as an alternative. 

[John R Ellis]

@jb138, 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.

[Thomas333118870hqt]

I am really liking the AI removal tool for cars and unwanted features in photographs. However the one worrisome thing is that it can also remove watermarks and thus our way and right to protect our photographic work from those that wish to steal it.