We've all been through the situation of taking a perfect photo, only to see it ruined by a mugger or an unwanted object, like a trash can! While Apple's Clean Up tool is limited to iPhone 15 Pro and later, there are apps you can use to remove distracting elements from images on older iPhones.
1. Use Google Photos' Magic Editor tool
Google initially introduced an AI-powered feature called Magic Eraser to remove unwanted objects as an exclusive feature for the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro series. However, the feature is finally coming to other devices, including iOS.
While it may seem ironic to use a direct competitor to Apple's Photos app, Google Photos, on the iPhone, the app's merits must be given. The best part is that it works just like Apple's Clean Up tool, one of the Apple Intelligence features introduced with iOS 18.1. Even better, all you need is an iPhone running iOS 16 or later.
If you subscribe to a premium Google One plan with 2TB or more, you can edit as many photos as you want with Magic Eraser. Otherwise, you will only receive 10 Magic Editor saves per month. If you only need to edit photos occasionally, the free saves are more than enough!
If you don't have the Google Photos app installed, start by downloading the app on your iPhone, signing in to your Google account, and granting the necessary permissions to access your device's photo library.
Once setup is complete, here's what you need to do:
- Switch tabs Photos and find the photo you want to remove unwanted objects from. Click to open the photo.
- Select Edit From the menu bar at the bottom of the screen, select Tools and click Magic eraser. You will see two tabs: Erase and Camoflouge. Make sure to select the first tab!
- Like Apple's Clean Up feature, Google Photos will try to identify unwanted objects first. If you find what you're looking for, just tap the highlighted suggestion and the app will do its magic.
- If not, manually draw over the distracting part you want to remove. It may take a few tries to get the perfect result, so keep drawing until the object disappears.
- Once you're satisfied with the image, tap Done.
- To save to your camera roll, tap Save and choose Save or Save as Copy.
In the screenshot above, the author wants to take the phone off the table and focus on the plate of tacos. Because Google doesn't automatically recognize it, the author manually drew it on the phone with his finger and it disappeared within seconds as if it had never been there!
2. Use this website for one-time cleaning
You might not want to go through the trouble of downloading and setting up Google Photos just to remove the trash from the background of an image, especially if it's a one-time task.
In that case, cleanup.pictures website is a great alternative. Here's how to use it:
- Visit the website and choose Tap here to load your picture. Then, choose where to import the photos: Photo Library, Take Photo or Choose File.
- Although you can upload images of any size, the free version shrinks images and only allows exporting at 720px. For now, press Continue with SD.
- Now, draw on the object you want to delete. For maximum precision, adjust the brush size by dragging the slider Brush left or right. When you're ready, press Clean.
- To compare before and after versions, toggle the switch next to the eye icon.
- Wait a few seconds! To save the photo, tap the icon Save in the upper right corner of the screen and select Save Image.
It's as simple as that! As you can see in the screenshot above, the article edited the same example and the results are identical. While the site offers great results for quick fixes, it's not the most convenient option if you plan to clean up your photos regularly.
There is also no need to sign up for the premium version of the site. Instead, opt for a Google One subscription or a premium iPhone photo editing app that offers additional tools along with the Clean Up feature.
While it's unfortunate that Apple limits the Clean Up feature to iPhone 15 Pro models and above, both the alternatives mentioned above can help you achieve similar results in seconds.
