How to Remove Unwanted Objects from a Photo on iPhone (Magic Eraser)

TL;DR

Paint over what you want gone with the Erase tool and an on-device inpainting model rebuilds the background. Brush a little past the edges and work in passes. It extends the surroundings; it cannot invent what was hidden, so big or busy removals need care.

The problem

The shot is perfect except for a stranger in the frame, a power line across the sky or a bin by the doorway. Cropping loses half the photo, and cloning the background by hand needs skill, a desktop editor and a lot of time. Online object removers want the photo uploaded, which is a poor trade for a private picture.

How PhotoRepair does it

You paint a mask over what you want removed. An on-device inpainting model (LaMa) then fills the masked area with a continuation of what’s around it. To keep a small removal sharp, the model works on the region at close to native resolution in overlapping tiles rather than squashing the whole photo.

Steps

  1. Open Erase and choose a photo.
  2. Brush over the object. Cover the whole thing, including its shadow, and go a little beyond the edges.
  3. Run it and wait a few seconds.
  4. Use the compare view. If a trace remains, paint over it and run again.
  5. Save to Photos or keep it in the library.

For better results

  • Brush slightly past the edge. The tool also expands your mask a little, but a fringe left behind is the most common flaw.
  • Include shadows and reflections. A removed person with a shadow left on the ground looks odd.
  • Work in passes. Remove the big object first, then clean up what’s left.
  • Small beats large. A bin on a lawn is easy. A bus in front of a building is hard.
  • Simple backgrounds win. Sky, grass, sand and walls fill well. Faces, text and complex patterns don’t.

The honest limit

The model is a fill model: it extends the surroundings into the hole. It cannot know what was behind the object, so it never recreates real hidden detail. If the result looks wrong, try a smaller mask or a different crop. See erase fixes.

Free vs. Pro

Free users get 3 AI edits a day; Pro is unlimited. See Free vs. Pro.

FAQ

Does it upload my photo? No. The erasing model runs on the device.

Is Erase free? Erase is an AI edit, so the free plan allows 3 finished AI edits per day. Pro is unlimited.

Why does the fill sometimes look smudged? The model continues the surrounding background into the gap. On busy or patterned areas, or with large removals, it can repeat or blur. See the guide on erase fixes.

Can it remove crowds? Not reliably. Remove People is hidden in the app until the quality is good enough. Remove people one at a time.

The app PhotoRepair →