The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in photo editing may be a controversial issue, but it’s safe to say that it’s here to stay. While most ethical questions surrounding the use of AI in photography focus on the creation of entire images, most AI-based tools available worldwide best photo editing software are rather harmless when it comes to the question of ethics and authenticity.
At this point you may be wondering where we are going, as any use of AI surely goes against the veracity of photography, but there is an extremely simple argument here. Not to mention one that includes using Photoshop’s Generative Fill feature in a specific way. I don’t want to get bogged down in the AI debate so we can put that aside, and some of that was covered in an interview in the AP Christmas issue with Italian photographer Andrea Pizzini who creates incredible images of Sony cameras using AI.
The majority of AI-based tools in editing software are designed to save time and generally make complex tasks easier to complete. They are not here to trick, cheat or anything else, they are both practical and powerful in equal measure. Photoshop has gradually grown in this area with many tools now available to photographers, ranging from intelligent selection refinement to special effects to cloning and much more. Most, if not all, of the results from these tools can be obtained in a manual and more time-consuming manner. So I would say that taking advantage of these tools is more often than not a wise decision.
Photoshop is an AI powerhouse
This is far from a definitive list of Photoshop’s AI-powered features, but some you can take advantage of include Neural filters, generative filling, generative expansion, sky replacement.
Subject Selection, Sky Selection, Intelligent Refine Edge and Removal Tool. Of course, Generative Fill and Generative Expand are by far the most controversial options available, but even these can be used in a way that does not harm the authenticity of a photo when used outside of a news or reporting context.
Our goal here will be to use Photoshop’s AI-based features for cloning in different situations, as well as using a simple background to change a photo from portrait to landscape format. Everything can be done manually, and these modifications are frequently made to images for personal, editorial and advertising purposes, but the most important thing is that the essence of the image is ultimately not changed.
How to use generative extension
1. Adjust the crop
Select the Crop tool and set the Ratio to the desired setting and make sure Fill is set to Generative Expansion. Next, drag the crop guide over the image so that it covers the area surrounding the image that needs to be enlarged. Here it has been configured to convert the image to portrait format with a simple background to landscape format.
2. Generate expansion
Press Enter and the generative fill cropping will begin, and after about 20-30 seconds you will be presented with three fill options. Just left-click on each one to see which works best for you. If you’re happy with it, close the dialog box and the fill will be applied to a new layer, but otherwise, move on to the next step.
3. Create more development options
If you are not satisfied with the fill options presented, simply press the Generate button in the dialog box to generate three additional options. You can continue to press the button to add more fill options until you find an option that suits you. Each option presented will have subtle or significant differences to provide choice.
Use AI for seamless cloning
Remove complex elements in seconds using the delete tool and generative fill.
Cloning and healing can be laborious tasks; they are rarely enjoyable, always a chore, but they can certainly be rewarding when completed. One of the benefits of some of Photoshop’s AI-powered tools is that they can simplify more complex cloning jobs, saving a huge amount of time and sometimes even frustration. You just need to know what to use and when to use it.
Minor tasks like spotting and removing simple items are always best done with tools like the Healing Brush. But depending on the task at hand, the removal tool and, in some cases, generative fill can simplify what needs to be done to produce a seamless result in seconds rather than minutes. Additionally, if you don’t have the skills to perform these tasks manually, AI can help you get where you want to be.
Try the removal tool
1. Paint on the object
Select the Removal tool found in the Healing Tool menu in the Tools panel. Paint over the object to be removed, making sure to overlap the surrounding area, as this will help facilitate more efficient removal. It takes a few seconds to render the object deletion.
2. Evaluate deletion
Check the area where the object was removed to make sure it looks natural. Here you can see that the left edge of the bush and the reeds look wrong, so we will need to run a few more passes of the Removal Tool over these areas. Areas like this require a little more work due to the fine detail.
3. Run more passes
The removal tool can be applied to the same area as many times as you want, so you can keep painting over it until you’re happy. A good way to work is to create a new empty layer in step 1 and make sure the Sample All Layers option is checked so you can delete the layer if necessary and start again.
Use generative fill to remove elements
Generative fill is best known for adding elements in images, but it can also be used to remove them. To do this, simply draw a selection around the object that needs to be removed, including the space around it, then click the Generative Fill button in the context taskbar. Pressing the button opens the dialog box for entering word prompts, but leaving it blank and then pressing the Generate button forces the tool to delete or edit the selected area. For the image used here, the removal tool was unable to effectively fill the uniform masonry, but the generative fill was able to remove the panel in seconds while retaining the texture and lighting present.
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