Apple’s new Clean Up tool makes its debut with iOS 18.1 (on supported devices and country regions)—not the first in the realm of object removal, but it’s now seamlessly integrated into Photos on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Say goodbye to extra apps and downloads! Much like Adobe’s Content-Aware Fill and Generative Remove features in Lightroom and Photoshop, it employs a familiar painting method—just circle, tap, or swipe, and watch distractions vanish. The charm of Clean Up lies in its speed and simplicity. It’s quick, easy, always at your fingertips and free as part of the regular system update.
Meanwhile, Google continues to enhance its Google Photos app with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) features like Magic Editor, which lets users not only remove but also reposition elements within their images. Samsung and Xiaomi are also ramping up their AI-driven editing tools, offering options like background replacement, detailed filters, and facial adjustments. While these features undoubtedly appeal to casual users, they also ignite a broader discussion about authenticity in photography, which prioritises capturing genuine moments and accurately representing subjects—a philosophy that holds significant relevance in our image-saturated world. Apple is taking a cautious approach towards the use of AI in photo editing, expressing concerns about the technology's impact on how people perceive the authenticity of images.
Supported Devices:
iPhone Models: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
iPad Models: Any iPad with an A17 Pro or M1 chip and later.
Mac Models: Any Mac with an M1 chip or later.
To access the Clean Up feature, ensure your device is running iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1.
iPad Models: Any iPad with an A17 Pro or M1 chip and later.
Mac Models: Any Mac with an M1 chip or later.
To access the Clean Up feature, ensure your device is running iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1.
To use Apple’s Clean Up tool.
Open the Photos App: Find the photo you want to edit.
Tap “Edit”: Select Edit to enter editing mode.
Select the Clean Up Tool: The Clean Up tool icon, typically represented by an eraser symbol in the editing toolbar.
Mark the Area: Use your finger to encircle, draw over or tap the object you want to remove. The tool will highlight the selection area.
Let Clean Up Work Its Magic: Once selected, Clean Up will automatically replace the object with surrounding pixels, blending it seamlessly with the background.
You can tap “Done” when satisfied, or undo and try again if needed.
Tap “Edit”: Select Edit to enter editing mode.
Select the Clean Up Tool: The Clean Up tool icon, typically represented by an eraser symbol in the editing toolbar.
Mark the Area: Use your finger to encircle, draw over or tap the object you want to remove. The tool will highlight the selection area.
Let Clean Up Work Its Magic: Once selected, Clean Up will automatically replace the object with surrounding pixels, blending it seamlessly with the background.
You can tap “Done” when satisfied, or undo and try again if needed.
Going, Going, Gone...
Apple’s initial venture into AI-powered object removal is mostly a success, effectively fulfilling its promise of cleaning up images by removing unwanted elements. I also appreciate that images edited with the Clean Up feature are tagged as "Modified with Clean Up," with embedded metadata indicating that alterations have been made.
Apple isn't the only one striving for transparency in AI-edited images. Other initiatives, like Adobe's Content Authenticity Initiative, employ similar metadata systems to differentiate between authentic and AI-modified content. Although Apple has implemented its own tagging system for edited photos, it’s still uncertain whether it will align with broader efforts like Adobe's Content Credentials.
