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]

Google translation of the error: "Generative deletion failed. We have encountered a problem and are unable to complete your request at this time. Please try again later."

In LR running in English, that error appears as, "We've encountered an issue and can't complete your request at this time. Please try again later."

Sometimes firewalls and anti-malware mistakenly interfere with LR's outgoing network connections. Try these initial troubleshooting steps to identify if that's the issue:

1. Temporarily disable any firewall and anti-malware package on your computer.

2. Connect your computer to a different network (phone hotspot, coffee-shop wifi, neighbor's network, etc.)

[Aplanc]

Did you check if you had an internet connection? You need it

[JeroenMentens]

I get this error message when I start lightroom while my VPN connection is starting up as well and can't connect. 

Restarting Lightroom after fixing the VPN solves the problem 

[Lenkaland]

Feature is improving. Would be great if it had a simple checklist, like similar, nearby, or nature. Doesn't have to be as extensive as Photoshop, but when it's stuck on replacing a shed with other sheds (even though I want grass), it would be great if I could point it towards what I'm trying to acheive. 

[John R Ellis]

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

When I carefully selected the background behind the dog's head in your exported JPEG, it replaced the blurry shed with out-of-focus grass:

The metadata indicates you've cropped a Canon 5D Mark IV 4480 x 6720 to 4052 x 6078. This suggests that you cropped the raw first and then applied Remove. Since Remove looks at all pixels (cropped and uncropped), it's probably matching the cropped-out, unselected pixels of the shed. 

The current design of the tool requires that you apply Remove first, then crop.  See this article for how to remove objects more reliably:
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/generative-remove-replace/

[nrbiocom]

After a few poasses of generative AI, my cursor turns into a Zoom cursor and nothing I do can restore the normal cursor and options.  Only a program restart fixes it.

[John R Ellis]

@nrbiocom: "my cursor turns into a Zoom cursor and nothing I do can restore the normal cursor and options.  Only a program restart fixes it."

Try resetting LR's preferences:
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/articles-page/how-do-i-reset-lightrooms-preferences/

LR sometimes soils its preferences file, and resetting it can fix all sorts of wonky behavior. That article explains how to restore the old preferences if resetting doesn't help.

[vegasmike702]

this is why we should have the option of moving the editing blocks around to our custom preferneces. 

[Nina38019435pivx]

Horrible tool to remove objects! It always messes up! I can do a better and a quicker job by removing objects manually myself! Thank you but no Thank you. I really had better expectations from this so called advanced way! Very disappointed. 

[jrsforums]

Horrible!...??  Could not agree with you less!

[John R Ellis]

@Nina38019435pivx: "It always messes up!"

I think many people posting here would disagree. 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.

[Andrew_Hill6878]

It is an early access, adobe rely on your input to understand what you’re
experiencing. I agree to the fact that it’s not there yet but it will.
Until then keep using photoshop for big removals .

[Arnold-Norway]

Before such criticism you should really learn how to use the feature, and remember - keep your OS and GPU up to date.

I have used the tool a lot, on both Windows and Mac, and it works really really well, even in the Early access stage.

[Mark White1958]

Gamechanging! This is so amazing and the settings in lightroom make it so easy to use. I dont know how you do it, its like magic. Thanks Adobe.

[ML USA]

I am using LR CLassic on a MacBook Pro and was trying to remove a branch the was in front of a photo of a bird. Not only did it remove the segment I had tried to replace, but it seemed to move the whole branch to the other side of the bird, while restoring the blocked feathers PERFECTLY! I cannot get over what an amazing feat of software programming this is and how many photos it will rescue. Thank you!!! 

[David NGA]

All these AI Tools are laughably bad. Yes I know that this is new technology but it really needs more work before being put into adobe professional applications. It is rare that whatever results AI produces are considered "useable" in professional applications. I work in a team of photographers and we often gather around and share how baddly photoshop and lightroom AI remove tool is, like we want a post removed with nothing but blue sky in the background and the result is a headless chicken or a deformed human. Adobe professional photographers are laughing at you, this compiled with the distrust of adobe amongst the younger generations is not looking good for you all. 

bad, 

[John R Ellis]

@David NGA: "we want a post removed with nothing but blue sky in the background and the result is a headless chicken or a deformed human."

See this article for how to remove objects 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.

[SHU YUAN_CHENG9490]

使用起來感受相當輕鬆快速，在刪除的部份還有三種可以選擇，希望在文字類的AI能有多一點亞洲文字，謝謝。

[sethplus]

Often it will just regenerate the object which I am trying to remove fully if it lands on a crop boundary. It would be helpful to have an option for prompts, just like Photoshop, to tell the tool "sidewalk" for example when removing a car, so that it doesn't generate another random car unless I manually remove it before using the AI.

[John R Ellis]

@sethplus: "Often it will just regenerate the object which I am trying to remove fully if it lands on a crop boundary."

That's because Remove is designed to look at all the pixels of the photo, including those that have been cropped out. So when you select an object up to the edge of the crop boundary, Remove tries to match the cropped-out pixels that haven't been selected.  Apply Remove first, then Crop. See here for more details:

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

[rollo_9518]

Generative remove is sometimes extremely useful. I have gotten better at how to prompt a better result. One issue that I struggle with is removing an object from grass or asphalt. It does a good job, however, the replaced area is de-focused and looks softer than the surrounding places. I think the area can be sharpened a bit more by GR without introducing odd artifacts.  

[John R Ellis]

@rollo_9518: "the replaced area is de-focused and looks softer than the surrounding places."

There have been a fair number of complaints about this.

[Serene_fun5C98]

It's good aplication and helping us to edit my product

[Ben Fleming]

Great success in removing a large object in the foreground of a landscape shot. Sometimes, for whatever reason, the results don't always work.

[John R Ellis]

@Ben Fleming: "Sometimes, for whatever reason, the results don't always work."

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.