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.

[leahmaryx]

This feature is such a game changer, but I find the round brush hard to use when tryng to remove/subtract things that positioned next to straight edges. Therefore the option to have different shapes or even a freestyle brush would be a huge improvement please!

[Jordan26437343lemp]

I'm trying to get into using Lightroom's new AI Generative Erase tools, but odd (I think) behavior I've experienced was with an image in which I was trying to remove a car from the foreground. The good news is that in a way it did so, but the bad news is that it just replaced it with a different car! As if my problem wasn't the presence of the car itself but what kind of car it is! Obviously that's not the case -- what I was hoping for was a normal-looking street where the car was located. Is this is a known bug, or am I doing something wrong here? Thank you.

[hanomann]

I think the selection had the form of a car. Try to enlarge the selection a little, so that it gets another form.

[Jordan26437343lemp]

Thanks, but no, didn't work unfortuantely. I'm wondering what the rationale even is there, though. If it recognizes the object as a car and I'm using generative ERASE (not "replace!"), why would I need to do that? How would adding "non-car" subject matter help it erase the car? 

[John R Ellis]

"I'm wondering what the rationale even is there,"

The Remove tool always replaces the selection with something else that it think matches, generated from its millions of training photos. If you don't select all of an object, its shadows, and its reflections and a generous boundary around it, then Remove will generate a replacement trying to match what remains, often generating a similar object.

[JohanElzenga]

To build upon what @John R Ellis said: do not try to make a tight selection like you would do with traditional tools. Make a very generous selection and make sure you include everything that could be associated with the object. I have seen very funny results if you leave just a trace of the original object. For example: I tried to remove two big dustbins from a photo. The result was almost like Lightroom played a prank on me. Like it said: "If you remove the dustbins, then people will throw their rubbish on the floor", so it replaced the dustbins by a big pile of rubbish...

[Jill299390946ga3]

Mine half the time completely removes  the object, the other  half of the time replaces it with something strange.

[John R Ellis]

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.

[John R Ellis]

[Oops, the forum sent me your original post just now as a "new" message. Ignore my reply.]

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 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.

[Jordan26437343lemp]

I tried working with that a bit and will continue to try, but I feel I should attach the image (right out-of-camera as requested, not the exported jpeg) just in case. It's probably something Adobe should see! Here you go. 

PS. Thanks for the warning. No, the forum would not let me attach it directly.  https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1cgvvh3g9stnjpr9tcpgc/DSC_3709.NEF?rlkey=u03ohy0j922n6yhwjkvypzb2o&st...

[John R Ellis]

Which care are you trying to remove?

[John R Ellis]

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

I was able to quickly remove all the cars in the fore and middle-ground using Generative AI + Object Aware:

[Jordan26437343lemp]

That's incredible work! 

To answer your question, though, the one I was specifically trying to remove was that minivan -- the first (almost) full vehicle on the road. You wanted the original photo so that's what I provided, but in reality, I had already cropped the image a bit so that the first one you see just a little of was no longer even there without my having to erase anything. 

So, in the spirt of "teaching a man to fish," just to be clear, you clicked on the icon that looks like a little padlock, made sure the second little padlock was selected (not heal or clone), left "object aware" and "generative AI" checked, brushed over it, and just clicked "Apply?"

[John R Ellis]

@Jordan26437343lemp, I've attached a screen recording showing Remove mode removing that car from the uncropped original photo, using the options Generative AI and Object Aware.

"in reality, I had already cropped the image a bit so that the first one you see just a little of was no longer even there without my having to erase anything."

That crop is causing Remove to replace the car with another car. I've attached a second screen recording showing exactly what happens.

Remove always looks at all the pixels of a photo, even those that have been cropped out. When you crop out part of the car and then select it with Remove, not all the pixels of the car get selected. As it always does, Remove tries to replace the selected pixels with a new generated image that best matches the surrounding unselected pixels. Since there are bits and pieces of car surrounding the selection, Remove does a good job of generating a replacement that matches!  It can't simply replace the partially selected car with pavement since that would look very jarring against the remaining unselected parts of the car.

So the rule is: Remove first, then Crop. (Or remove an existing Crop, then Remove, then reapply the Crop.) The article above explains that there are other ways pixels can get cropped out: Lens Corrections, Transform, and with some cameras, the hidden cropping that occurs when you first import the photo.

This is tripping up many, many people, as seen in this thread. Adobe has designed all the Remove tools (Remove, Heal, Clone) to be applied first, before you use Crop or AI Masking. But that doesn't match the natural workflow of many people, who want to do the "big" edits first (Crop, Exposure, adjust with masks), decide if the photo is a keeper, and only then clean up instrusive objects and spots. In that workflow, it would be wasting time to clean up the photo first with Remove only to decide it's not a keeper.

[Jordan26437343lemp]

That's awesome -- thank you! Yes, that did work a lot better. Attached is the final product. 

[John R Ellis]

It still boggles my mind what AI can do compared to just a few years ago.

[Jordan26437343lemp]

Very true! Makes me wonder what's still to come. 

[Jill299390946ga3]

I'm having the exact same problem. So confused why it will remove a person but then replace it with a creepy person, clown, etc. It ends up being worse by adding a ridiculous object or person. 

[Jordan26437343lemp]

OP here. Yeah, I have to say I don't really understand what the thought process is when it comes to this. 

[phfsly]

I'm having the same issue. Removing a person leads often to get another person replacing the original one.

I always use the uncropped image to perform such action.

Once I got the first time a smaller person, the the second time (on the previous result) a child and then the third time a bird !

[JohanElzenga]

This is always caused by you leaving behind a trace of that person, or its shadow or reflection. Select generously and check for shadows and reflections.

[John R Ellis]

@phfsly: "Removing a person leads often to get another person replacing the original one."

Building on Johan's reply, 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.

[phfsly]

Thanks John and Johan for your answers.

I knew we need to include the whole person including the shadow.

However, I tried again and discovered very very light shadow I couldn't really see with the current settings of the image (becoming more visible in its entirety only with blacks at -100% in LR Classic).

Problem solved.

[John R Ellis]

@phfsly: "discovered very very light shadow"

I've encountered several situations with reflections and shadows that I just didn't notice the first several attempts, despite me being quite aware of the issue. Generative Remove is certainly determined to use all the info in the photo to generate the best possible replacement 😆

[ArcherA4]

I tried variations of this on a flapping goose standing in shallow water for practice - selecting deliberately badly as it had a well defined reflection and also some broken reflection around that

Body only/Body and just the strong, clear reflection both had elements of replace as expected but Body and generous selection of whole reflection did too

By experimentation the deciding factor to (excellent) complete removal was found to be selecting some choppy/splashed water behind the flapping goose - understandable but unexpected that the AI seemed to create something to create the area of choppy water too. Interesting whether that is a broader version of creating an object to create a visible consequence of an object beyond just shadow and reflection

I suppose a vote for being able to use that power to reverse the "problem" of the AI recognising consequences to be able to instruct the AI to please remove this object and anything you recognise as its consquences

Remarkable technology!