How to Photoshop Someone Out of a Picture (AI & Classic Tools)

Remove a Person with Photoshop Generative Fill (AI Method)

Generative Fill is one of Photoshop’s newest AI-powered features and has quickly become a popular way to remove people from photos. Instead of manually sampling nearby pixels, Photoshop uses AI to generate new content that blends with the surrounding area.

This method works especially well when:

• The person is clearly separated from the background
• The background has enough visual information for AI to recreate
• You want fast results with minimal manual work

How to Remove a Person in Photoshop Using Generative Fill

Step 1. Open your image in Photoshop.
Make sure you’re using a recent version of Photoshop that supports Generative Fill.

Step 2. Select the person you want to remove using the Lasso Tool or Object Selection Tool.
Aim to include the entire person, and slightly expand the selection beyond the edges to help the AI blend the background more naturally.

Step 3. Click Generative Fill in the contextual task bar.
If the bar isn’t visible, you can also access Generative Fill from the Edit menu.

Step 4. Leave the prompt empty and click Generate.
This tells Photoshop to automatically fill the selected area based on the surrounding content without adding new objects.

Step 5. Review the generated variations and choose the most natural-looking result.
Toggle between the options, zoom in to check details, and regenerate if the background looks inconsistent or repetitive.

While Generative Fill is fast and convenient, it isn’t perfect. In complex scenes, such as busy streets, repeating patterns, or detailed textures, the AI may produce inconsistent results or visible artifacts. In those cases, classic tools or more controlled methods can deliver cleaner outcomes.

How to Photoshop Someone Out of a Picture Manually

#1. Object Selection Tool & Content-Aware Fill

When dealing with photos where the background is relatively simple, and the subject you want to remove stands out clearly, the Object Selection Tool is a great starting point. This tool quickly isolates the subject, while Content-Aware Fill blends the removed area seamlessly with the surroundings.

For instance, I'm editing this photo of three people running side by side. I want to remove the person on the far left to focus on the other two. Here's how to remove a person from a photo in Photoshop with the Object Selection Tool.

Step 1. Open the image in Photoshop.

Step 2. Choose the Object Selection Tool on the left toolbar. If you don't see it, hold down the Quick Selection Tool to reveal it.

Step 3. Click to select the person you want to remove. Photoshop will automatically detect and select the subject.

Step 4. Go to Edit > Content-Aware Fill from the top menu bar. In the workspace that appears, Photoshop will automatically generate a fill based on surrounding content.

Step 5. Use the Sampling Brush Tool to modify the green overlay if the fill isn't satisfactory.

Step 6. Select Output To New Layer and click OK to apply the fill.

#2. Patch Tool & Content-Aware Fill

When dealing with complex backgrounds or when you need more control over the area to be filled, the Patch Tool combined with Content-Aware Fill is highly effective. This method allows you to manually select the area to remove and choose a source area for the fill, providing greater precision.

Here's how to remove a person from a photo in Photoshop with the Patch Tool.

Step 1. Open the image you want to edit and create a new layer.

Step 2. Find and select the Patch Tool in the toolbar on the left. If it's not visible, click and hold the Spot Healing Brush Tool to reveal it.

Step 3. Draw a selection around the person you want to remove, and set the Patch option to Content-Aware.

Step 4. Check the Sample All Layers box.

Step 5. Click inside the selection and drag it to an area that resembles the background behind the person. Photoshop will use this area to fill the selection.

#3. Remove Tool & Content-Aware Fill

Photoshop offers a straightforward way—Remove Tool—to eliminate unwanted elements from your photos. The Remove Tool is one of Photoshop's latest and smartest features, powered by advanced AI technology. It uses Content-Aware Fill to analyze the surrounding area and intelligently replace the content where an object or person is removed.

Related reading: how to remove passport background

Here's how to remove a person from a photo in Photoshop with the Remove Tool.

Step 1. Select Remove tool from the toolbar under the Spot Healing Brush Tool group.

Step 2. Adjust the brush size to make it slightly larger than the area you want to fix. Turn on Sample all layers to sample data from all visible layers. Turn off Remove after each stroke to allow for multiple strokes of the brush before applying the fill. You can also select your preferred setting (Auto, Generative AI on, or Generative AI off) from the Mode dropdown menu when removing the object.

Step 3. Draw a loop or brush over the person you want to remove. Photoshop will automatically analyze the surrounding area and fill in the selection.

Step 4. Save the edited photo once satisfied.

When Photoshop Isn’t Enough: Using an AI Eraser for Cleaner Results

Photoshop works well for many scenarios, but removing people can become time-consuming in crowded scenes or images with complex textures. Even with Generative Fill, results may vary, often requiring multiple selections and regenerations to look natural.

In these cases, a dedicated AI eraser can be a practical alternative. Instead of manual selections, AI eraser tools automatically detect people and remove them in a single step, making them useful when speed and consistency matter.

For example, Aiarty Image Enhancer includes an AI-powered eraser designed specifically for removing people while preserving background details. It can be helpful when working with multiple photos or scenes that produce inconsistent results in Photoshop.

Key features of Aiarty Image Enhancer’s AI eraser include:

• Automatic detection and removal of people .
• Cleaner background reconstruction in busy or textured scenes.
• Minimal manual input compared to Photoshop tools.
• More consistent results across multiple images.

AI erasers aren’t meant to replace Photoshop, but they can complement it well—handling fast, repetitive removals while Photoshop remains better suited for precise, manual edits.

How to Remove a Person Using Aiarty's AI Eraser

Step 1. Open the image in the AI eraser tool. Import the photo you want to edit. No manual selection is required in most cases.

Step 2. Enable the AI eraser option. Click on the "Editing Mask" button, then use the "Brush+" tool to select a size, then apply the brush stroke until the entire object and its shadow are covered. Be careful not to select too much of the background.

Step 3. Click "Apply" button, the AI will automatically detect and remove people in the image. You can repeat this step until the final result is perfect. Then click the "Finish" button

Step 4. Optionally, you can also upscale your photo by 2x, 4x, 8x, or directly to 4K/8K/32K with natural details. When you're done, tap the "Single Export" to save the erased person photo with quality enhanced.

Tips for Natural-Looking Results

When removing people from photos, the goal isn’t just to erase the subject—it’s to make the image look as if no one was ever there. No matter whether you’re using Photoshop tools or an AI-based enhancer, these tips help keep your results natural, realistic, and visually consistent:

• Enhance image quality with realistic details: After removal, background areas often lose sharpness or texture. Restoring fine details in surfaces like grass, walls, or pavement helps the edited area blend seamlessly with the rest of the image.
• Keep perspective and geometry consistent: Pay close attention to lines, angles, and depth. Distorted floors, walls, or horizons can make even clean edits look unnatural.
• Match lighting and color tones: Ensure brightness, contrast, and color temperature remain consistent across the image, especially in the area where the person was removed.
• Watch for repeating patterns: Tools that fill backgrounds automatically may duplicate textures or objects. Repetitions in clouds, bricks, or foliage are often the first signs of editing.
• Refine edges and transition areas: Focus on the boundary where the subject was removed. Soft, gradual transitions look far more realistic than sharp or uneven edges.
• Avoid over-processing: Over-sharpening or excessive smoothing can introduce an artificial look. Leaving subtle imperfections often makes the final image feel more authentic.

Conclusion

Removing a person from a photo in Photoshop can be simple or complex, depending on your background and tools. For straightforward edits, the built-in Remove Tool or Generative Fill works well. For more intricate scenes, combining Photoshop tools with patience or even AI-powered erasers, yields the cleanest results. Remember, attention to texture, color, and edges is key to keeping your image natural and believable. With these tips, anyone can confidently remove unwanted subjects and create polished, professional-looking photos.