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Apple has introduced a Clean Up tool feature in the Photos app as part of the third developer beta update for iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1.
The Clean Up tool is part of Apple Intelligence features, allowing users to remove unnecessary objects from your images. This tool automatically detects background elements in photos and suggests removing them. Alternatively, you can simply circle or press on an object you want to remove.
When an object is removed from an image, it also removes shadows or reflections. Then, it uses AI to generate a complementary background to fill the space left behind by the removed element.
Here’s an example of “Clean Up” removing people from the background & repairing a wall.
Not bad.
(iOS 18.1 Beta 3) pic.twitter.com/vi0mPG1jGZ
— Brandon Butch (@BrandonButch) August 28, 2024
You can use it with all types of images in your camera roll, whether they were taken with an old iPhone or iPad or even with a DSLR. The Clean Up tool is very similar to the Magic Eraser that Google recently launched for the Google Photos app.
While Apple will release the latest iPhone 16 series on September 9, users won’t be able to use the Clean Up tool and other Apple Intelligence features right away. The Apple Intelligence features will likely start rolling out with the iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 updates, which will be available to the general public in October.
While these tools provide a unique way to edit images, their availability will potentially make it harder to trust the authenticity of an image when users can simply delete people or items from a scene.
