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.

[John R Ellis]

@Zaj89: "In the imageg you can clearly see a lighter area of rwmoved object."

Did you apply a Sky mask before doing Remove?  If so, do Settings > Update AI Settings to recompute the mask.

If that 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.

[Zaj89]

thanks for the tip, ive deleted the sky mask and the crane is than removed well (despite the building and trees of the backgroung are blurred in the spot where was the crane). Also, changes in newly applied sky mask do visualize the AI deleted area. 

[Amri_Amri6511]

GOOD JOOB MR

[Rebecca vH]

I love the fact I can take people out of pictures but it doesn't always.  It sometimes replaces it with another object.  I just want the people our.

[John R Ellis]

@Rebecca vH: "It sometimes replaces it with another object.  I just want the people out."

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.

[Woody9987]

In over 50% of my attempted edits, Generative AI Remove doesn't remove anything.  It functions like "Generative Replace".  I will try to remove a twig or some other distracting element and I get three new variations of the twig.  And it makes no difference how many times I hit refresh, I still get three variations of the twig.  So I have to go to Photoshop to remove the distracting element.  Is there anyway to train the Generative Remove tool so that at least one of the three variations presented actually removes the primary object selected?

[Zaj89]

Hard to say without an example. Attach an example.

[John R Ellis]

@Woody9987: "In over 50% of my attempted edits, Generative AI Remove doesn't remove anything.  It functions like "Generative Replace". "

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.

[conway2wong]

Incredible AI selective edit (removal). May I ask is it possible to selective by luminance Range like create new mask? because sometime the photo has some overexposure area which lack of details to recover. It would be great if user can select those overexposure area by luminance range and allow AI to generate the details back. Many thanks!

[sb2314]

I have been marginally successful in removing glare from glasses by
circling the spot and using generative remove in Photoshop.

--
Sent from Gmail in PC

[Al Phillips]

This is my first try, very pleased.

[DSDegochan]

Wooooo, un buen ahorro de tiempo y de recursos, al no tener que ir y volver del Photoshop para sacar cosas pequeñas, Esto es genial para fotografía de eventos, cumpleaños y porq no también sesiones en exterior. 

[TripsDaCrow]

i love that they brought ai remove inside lrc one thing i would love to see fixed, is the way you select the object you wanna remove, when trying to remove a thin leash attached to a bird a model was olding while standing in front of a well known beautiful car, it wasnt easy to object select just the leash with no bleeding.

[Neil Brayshaw]

Loving generative AI feature until it suddenly stopped working. Running LR Classic on 2017 iMac 27inch Retina, just updated to Mac OS 13.6.9 Ventura and whether that is the issue, not sure, but AI no longer works.

[John R Ellis]

@Neil Brayshaw: "Running LR Classic on 2017 iMac 27inch Retina, just updated to Mac OS 13.6.9 Ventura and whether that is the issue, not sure, but AI no longer works."

1. Do the other AI commands work, such as Sky and People masks?

2. If they don't, do the menu command Help > System Info and copy/paste the entire results here.

[Phototopos]

Biggest flaw for me is that some times leaves a line which is obvious even with the image at small size. In addition the replaced area needs some noise in order to simulate the rest of the image. I know that is suggested that you denoise first but I think the way to go is to introduce a noise slider for the area replaced.

[John R Ellis]

@Phototopos: "Biggest flaw for me is that some times leaves a line which is obvious even with the image at small size."

Are applying Generative Remove on top of an AI mask, e.g. Sky? In Develop, do Settings > Update AI Settings to recompute the mask. If that's not the issue, 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.

[richardr75333445]

Use to work great. It would remove the selected item. Now half the time it wants to replace it, not remove it. Seems like a step backwards

[John R Ellis]

@richardr75333445: "half the time it wants to replace it, not remove it."

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.

[Karrie2558914421p7]

Pretty impressive guys! Cleaned up a lot of distractions in my photos.

[ArcherA4]

It is probably a measure of how good and how useful this feature is that I spend a lot of time hopping between Generative Remove & Content Aware Remove ie from unwanted objects to dust spots/bits of debris etc

I know about the Ctrl-Alt-G shortcut but I feel that the processes are sufficiently different/have distinct enough roles to warrant a separate mode button within Remove

(You may also get fewer bitter complaints that Generative Remove takes too long to remove dust spots from people unable to read Tips...)

[DMG#3]

have used this on sports photos and it is awful ... nothing at all like the "marketing" leads to believe... want to remove arms or heads or reflected light and when using the tool, in the methond mentioned abobe the AI provides awful subsititutions.... wont use it and appears once again adobe is over-promising and making the user interface complicated and cumbersome.

[John R Ellis]

@DMG#3: "want to remove arms or heads ... the AI provides awful subsititutions"

When you select just part of a body or other object, Generative Remove will often try to generate a replacement that matches the unselected part of the object, rather than replacing it with background. If you select all of the body or object, including its disconnected parts and shadows it casts, Remove usually does a much better job. 

See this article for more 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, 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.

[Arnold-Norway]

I like the AI Generative Remove, even on this early stage. There is a lot to learn, possibly every situation is different, and many situations need different aproach.
I think it is irrelevant to talk about remove or replace. Every object we remove from a photo, has to be replaced by something. Otherwise there will be a blanc space or a hole in the photo. I think some background or combination of background and object has to be filled in.

I will show two photos, that are very different. 
The person leaving the consert is maybe quite simple.

The microphone in the face of the artist was very difficult. The microphone, tripod and wire had to be removed in increments. I guess many situations are not a one-click-remove, but need more than one step and some finetuning.

[John R Ellis]

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@Arnold-Norway: "The microphone in the face of the artist was very difficult. The microphone, tripod and wire had to be removed in increments."

Did you have Object Aware selected? Using your screenshot with Object Aware selected, it didn't automatically select the entire microphone and cable, and I had to manually use Add to include them all in the selection. But then Apply did a good job of replacing the entire selection on the first try: