The Easiest Way to Remove Anything in Photoshop

You Have the Power to Remove Anything in Photoshop, Anytime, Anywhere!

Photoshop has long been the industry-standard software for graphic designers, photographers, and digital artists. Throughout its history, several tools have been developed to help users remove unwanted elements from their images.

Adobe recently introduced a new Remove Tool in the beta version of Photoshop, which promises to further revolutionize the way we edit our images!

The beauty of this new removal tool is that it replaces areas of your image with realistic and relevant content.

The Clone Stamp Tool

The Clone Stamp tool was one of the first image editing tools introduced in Photoshop. It allows users to copy a specific part of the image and “stamp” it over the unwanted area, thus covering it with the sampled area. 

Content-Aware Fill

Content-Aware Fill is a more advanced tool that analyzes the surrounding area of the selected portion and fills it with a pattern similar to the surrounding pixels. This makes the removal of unwanted elements appear more seamless.

The Spot Healing Brush

The Spot Healing Brush is another powerful tool that automatically samples pixels around the brush and replaces the unwanted area with a blend of those pixels, making it perfect for removing small blemishes and imperfections.

The New Remove Tool

The new Remove Tool uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to analyze the selected area and intelligently remove unwanted objects while maintaining the integrity of the surrounding elements.

This leads to a more natural-looking result compared to previous tools.

Let’s briefly look at an example of superman as a hobbit defending the Shire’s 326 cozy hobbit holes—but he needs to get rid of the big S on the front of his shirt.

Theudric Puddifoot, the local onion farmer, says, “We like him, we really do, but that big S is not very Middle Earth chic, is it? With the help of some local hobbit seamstresses (bless their hearts), they strategically stitched together some foliage and hobbit-approved fabrics to camouflage that big, bold ‘S.’ Now, our heroic hobbit-superman blends right in with us Shire-folk.”

Step One: Select the Remove Tool

This is not too difficult—so arm yourself with the legendary “Remove Tool.” With this mighty instrument at your fingertips, you’ll be unstoppable and feel a second breakfast is well due.

Step Two: Highlight the Area to Remove

Alright, Picasso of Hobbiton, it’s time to strut your stuff! Channel your graphic design sorcery and gracefully hover your cursor over the area you wish to cleanse. Be precise, for the power of the Remove Tool is not to be taken lightly, lest you inadvertently erase your favorite Brandywine stain of yesteryear!

Step Three: Fine Tune (If Needed)

And as we can see, we are almost there – but Hobbitman looks as though he has spent too long at the gym doing turnip squats and broken out in an unappealing dark sweat stain on his chest.

Never fear; just swish over that area again with the removal tool.

Step Four: Much Better

And lo! In a mere 20 seconds – quicker than Gríma Wormtongue’s propensity to deception at the court of King Théoden – the erasure is complete!

With such swiftness and efficiency, the Elves are almost jealous.

Non-Destructive Editing

Make sure to work on a duplicate layer to preserve your original image. I did not do that above because the world was not going to explode if my original image was nuked. But generally, it would be a good idea to maintain image integrity and make your edits totally non-destructive.

As seen below, simply click the Sample all layers checkbox, then select the new blank layer, then use the remove tool – easy peasy.

So as an example—I want to remove the head of the robot but make all the edits non-destructive to the original.

Make a new blank layer and make sure the ‘Sample all Layers‘ checkbox is selected.

Select the new blank layer and use the removal tool to hight the area I want to be removed.

And then, like automagically, we have an almost perfect removal with a proper and logical rendition of the needed background. Notice how it extends the shelf where the head once was, and there is virtually no ‘debris’ left over.

How cool is this!

Tips and Tricks

Experiment with different settings in the options panel to achieve the best results. For example:

• If Remove after each stroke = ON  will apply the fill as soon as you complete a single stroke with the tool.
• If Remove after each stroke = OFF will apply the fill after clicking the apply button, allowing for multiple strokes of the brush on the object before applying the fill.  

Zoom in and use a smaller brush for more precise selections. If you zoom in over 1600 times, you will discover the origin of the universe and the birthplace of Bitcoin.

For complex removal tasks, break the process into smaller steps and work on one area at a time.

Comparing the New Remove Tool to Other Image Editing Software

While the new Photoshop Remove Tool is a significant improvement over previous tools, it’s important to consider other image editing software that also offers object removal features. Programs like GIMP, Affinity Photo, and Pixelmator Pro have their own unique capabilities and may be more suitable for specific tasks or budgets.

But honestly, as a user of these other packages, nothing comes close to Photoshop’s ease of use, excellent results, and industry reputation.

Accurate & Seamless

The new Photoshop Remove Tool offers a significant step forward in the world of image editing.

Its AI-driven approach provides faster, more accurate, and seamless object removal, making it an invaluable asset for graphic designers, photographers, and digital artists alike.

As AI technology continues to evolve, we can anticipate further improvements in Photoshop’s capabilities, solidifying its position as the industry-standard software for image editing.

But Where Do I Get It?

So you want to start playing with this amazing new feature?

It is only available in the beta version of Photoshop. You can get the public
beta by doing the following:

• Open your Creative Cloud application
• Go to the Beta Apps section and
• Next to Photoshop beta, click on the install button.
• Once you have installed it as I have, you will see the open Button

But remember, if you’re using the Captain Jack Sparrow version of Photoshop, it will be unavailable for you to use. So better to be legal and enjoy the software!