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App for cleaning up pictures

Aside from buying a New phone for $$$$, I’m asking if anyone can recommend an affordable app that deletes ‘extras’ from your photos?
A friend has the newest iPhone and was showing me this feature. Amazing! So many times when trying to get a shot you wait and wait for that person free moment and it never seems to come, or I lose my patience. Also, they showed me how they can take out a branch or wire or even garbage on the ground.
Any personally used app recommendations will be appreciated.

Posted by
12640 posts

I would just use AI to do that. You can use CharGPT or Claude or any number of them, and they will do a decent job of removing them. Even the free versions will do it, although you will be limited as to the number of photos per day you can adjust. Just be specific about what you want and if you don’t like it, give it further instructions.

I used it to fix a recent photo that was a bit blurry and it did a great job.

Posted by
4065 posts

I use the feature on my iPhone, but also have the Lightroom app from before I had this phone. I was able to do a lot with that app, including erasing all those other tourists;)

Posted by
5060 posts

I will try both of these methods and let you know how they worked.

Posted by
4224 posts

What phone do you have now? iPhone? Android?

I have a Google Pixel phone (Android) and the magic eraser function is embedded in the resident photo app, and has been there for many years. According to the interwebs you can get Google Photos for the iPhone (with some conditions like iOS version and Google account).

Posted by
911 posts

What phone do have now? If iPhone, you will need a recent one that can operate iOS 18
Then follow the instructions below:

Using the Native Photos App (iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence)

If your device supports Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or newer, and iOS 18+), you can use the built-in AI cleanup tool.

Open the Photos app and select the picture you want to edit.T

ap the Edit icon (the sliders at the bottom of the screen).Select Clean Up from the editing menu.

Your iPhone will automatically detect and highlight people or distracting objects in the background. Simply tap a highlighted subject to remove it.

For more precise control, you can zoom in (using two fingers) and manually brush, scrub, or draw a circle around the person you want to remove.
Once the person is gone and you are happy with the results, tap Done. If the edit isn't quite right, you can tap the Undo button or Reset and try again.

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-apple-intelligence-in-photos-iphf7de217f0/ios

Posted by
5060 posts

I have a iPhone 14 pro.

I downloaded the Lightroom, at least i tried. I had to Download Adobe first, get an authorization code, go through my e-mail account, then sign up for a free 7 day Trial. It isn’t expensive, just $49.99 per year, but i had a hard time erasing items - i first took off not enough, then too much (my cousin’s leg), then had to start over. Then I had to open a New album to save the picture. I have to admit, after an hour of doing all this I gave up and deleted everything.

Maybe the saying is true, you can’t teach an old dog New Tricks, at least not this one.

My husband said He’s just gonna get me an updated phone before our next trip at the end of August.

Posted by
1931 posts

I find it amusing to see people trying to use their phone as a PC.

The new version of Photoshop Elements should do what you want, but it's a desktop app, not mobile - either Windows or Mac. You can usually find it on sale for $69 - which buys you a three year license.

Posted by
5060 posts

Markcw - I don’t have any photos on my desktop so that’s out.

CL - I’ll try google tomorrow, thanks

Posted by
32716 posts

Barbara,

If you're mostly interested in the Magic Eraser function, you can to do that with the built-in camera app on your present iPhone 14. Look for the "Eraser" in the bottom right of the menu. Once you've finished the edit, tap the "Done" button at the top right. The current built-in photo app in the iPhones is very capable of editing many of the aspects of photos.

If you want something more advanced and powerful, have a look at Snapseed - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/snapseed-photo-editor/id439438619 . It's a free app and provides extensive editing capabilities. However you'll have to spend some time to learn how to use it. The nice thing about these apps is that it's easy to revert to the original if you don't like the edit.

Posted by
5060 posts

Ken, the 14 pro does not have clean up editing capabilities. But I will check out the app you recommended.

Posted by
5384 posts

Barbara, just so you know, it doesn't have to be the newest phone. My 16 Pro does this and it is wonderful. When I upgrade my phone, the reason is always because I want the better camera, since I don't use any camera except my phone.