How to Remove Objects From Your Images Without Using Photoshop
It hurts to do what seems like a fantastic shot, just to spot an unwanted intruder in the frame. Maybe you weren’t aware that there was a huge coffee stain on your shirt, or maybe someone nearby accidentally photographed the bomb. But before you turn to Photoshop, you can try the free option first.
I’ve used Photoshop in the past, but I’ve never been good at it. I could handle basic editing tasks, but if I wanted to do something remotely complex it would take longer than it was worth. I don’t even have the software, so to use it today, I would have to combine a talentless hack with a load on my wallet. To quote each ad: ” There has to be a better way.”
Cleanup.pictures lets you remove unwanted objects for free
If you find yourself in a boat like this, or just enjoying a fun photo hack , you need to check out cleanup.pictures . In fact, everyone needs to check cleanup.pictures. It is both an effective tool for removing unwanted objects from your photos, as well as a fun party trick. It works so well, you want to try it on every photo, asking yourself, “Is this actually going to remove this?” again and again.
There are so few apps or features these days that really amaze me, but when I first used cleanup.pictures I made an audible “Damn it!” (apologies to neighbors). The first image I tried was on my computer. I wanted to see if the utility could remove the artwork in the middle of the frame, leaving the oddly shaped building intact in the background. All you have to do is upload your photo to the site, and then use a brush to paint over the object you want to remove.
I was not expecting this removal. I mean, look at what’s going on here: This funny piece of art is blocking out most of the unusual glass building. I really couldn’t imagine a free web app erasing the hollowed out cube from this image when I just outline the outline …
Of course, this is not ideal; In the end, I do not give him a difficult task. But if you share this photo with a friend without showing him the original, he may not notice anything unusual. Essentially, a glass building looks the way it should; the only real mistakes here are the light pole and the base of the artwork, which blend into the background enough to hide from most viewers.
How does cleanup.pictures work?
While cleanup.pictures may sound like magic, it’s obviously computer science. The web app created with ClipDrop uses large mask painting (LaMa) from Samsung’s AI lab, which analyzes your photo to “redraw” the area of the object being dropped. It takes the information it sees in your photo and, based on the models the system has been trained on, fills in the gaps to the best of its ability.
Your mileage may vary, especially depending on the type of problem you’re throwing at cleanup.pictures, but you may find that the web app does its job well enough not to bother a friend who is good at Photoshop. Cleanup.pictures may not yet be able to replace those editing skills, but I think we’re getting there.
If you’re a Google fan, this feature might sound just like one of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro highlights, the Magic Eraser. If you buy one of these smartphones, you have the cleanup.pictures feature built right into the camera app. This suggests that artificial intelligence and machine learning are quickly making “professional” tools available with a tap or swipe. In portrait mode, our photos looked like they were shot with expensive DSLRs, and while a trained eye could easily tell the difference, many people can’t. The same can be said for cleanup.pictures, which begs the question: Why spend money on industrial grade software or hardware when the free option is enough for most of us?