Have you ever taken a great photo only to realize someone photobombed the shot? Or maybe you have an old family photo that would be perfect for your social media profiles if only you could remove that one awkward relative. 

 

Fear not—removing a person from a photo doesn’t have to be difficult or leave your image looking fake. With the right techniques and tools, you can seamlessly erase someone from your pictures. 

 

Here are 10 expert tips for removing a person from a photo like a pro.

 

Tip #1: Use the Clone Stamp Tool

One of the most basic yet effective ways to remove a person from a photo is with the Clone Stamp Tool. This allows you to “paint” over the area you want to remove with nearby pixels that match the surrounding area. 

 

Start by selecting a soft-edged brush and sampling an area near the person you want to remove. Then carefully stamp over the person, blending the edges as you go. Be sure to sample new areas frequently to maintain realism. With patience, you can get great results from the Clone Stamp Tool alone.

 

Tip #2: Utilize Content-Aware Fill

For a faster solution, try using the Content-Aware Fill tool. Select the area you want to remove and hit delete. It will automatically analyze the surrounding pixels and generate new content to fill in the gap. While not always perfect, Content-Aware Fill can do an impressive job of removing objects seamlessly with just one click. For best results, remove smaller areas piece by piece rather than large portions all at once.

 

Tip #3: Blend Layers Strategically

Create a new layer above the photo layer and use the Clone Stamp Tool to sample pixels from the surrounding area and “paint” them onto the new layer over the person. 

 

  • After selecting the Clone Stamp Tool, set your brush to a soft-edged medium size appropriate for the scale of the removal. 

 

  • On the new layer above the photo, start sampling pixels from an area near the edge of the person by holding Alt/Option and clicking. Begin “painting” these sampled pixels over the outer part of the person, blending them into the surrounding area.

 

  • Sample new reference points frequently as you work inward to maintain accurate color and texture matching. 

 

  • For hair or other fine details, use a smaller brush size. When filling larger, more homogeneous areas like clothing, a larger, softer brush works better.

 

  • The luminosity blend mode causes the layer to blend based on lightness/darkness, leaving color intact. 

 

  • This results in a very natural tone that doesn’t appear masked or artificially replaced. Play with the layer opacity until the removal is near invisible, then refine further.

 

You can create multiple clone layers for different sampling points and blend them together. For example, one layer for the left side is sampled from the left, and another layer has details on the right. This layering approach allows you to not only remove a person from a photo but also selectively refine different areas until they are perfectly seamless.

 

Tip #4: Consider Frequency Separation

For tricky removals involving things like hair or fabrics with intricate textures, try using the frequency separation technique. This involves separating the image into two layers: one containing detailed textures and one containing gradual color transitions. Remove the problem area on each layer separately before recombining for a realistic result.

 

Tip #5: Patch Large Areas Carefully

When removing a person from a photo or large object, it’s best to patch the area with seams rather than try to clone over the whole void. Cut matching sections from around the photo and rearrange them like a puzzle over the empty space. Blend the seams with healing brushes for a cohesive final image.

 

Tip #6: Mask and Refine Edges

After cloning or patching an area, use Refine Edge to create a selection mask around the removal. Adjust the radius, contrast, and feathering to get clean edges. Then apply layer masks to hide any imperfections. For the most natural look, also use the History Brush to sample colors from nearby and paint them softly around the edges.

 

Tip #7: Try Removal Apps For Quick Fixes

YOUCAM is one of the most user-friendly and powerful photo editing apps available today. With its intuitive interface and one-tap filters, it makes enhancing selfies and portraits incredibly simple and quick. 

 

  • Beyond just beautification features, YOUCAM also offers powerful removal tools that can save the day in many photo situations.

 

  • One of the standout features of YOUCAM is its person-removal tool. It uses advanced AI and machine learning to detect and remove person from photo with a single tap. 

 

  • This allows you to easily extract yourself from group photos to share solo selfies on social media. 

 

The AI is accurate at discerning edges and removing backgrounds around the subject for a seamless cut-out.

 

Tip #8: Consider Filling Gaps With Scenery

Rather than trying to clone over a large empty space, consider filling it with another part of the scene if possible. For example, if you remove someone from a group shot, you could patch the void with more of the background landscape. Or replace a person with more of the room they were standing in. This often looks more natural than trying to perfectly recreate what was there.

 

Tip #9: Blur Problem Areas Strategically

As a last resort, try using blur to disguise problem areas rather than removing a person from a photo entirely. For example, you could blur a face rather than attempt to remove facial features. Or soften hair or fabrics rather than reconstruct textures. Strategic blurring can draw less attention to removals than imperfect cloning, sometimes.

 

Tip #10: Know When to Give Up Gracefully

Not every photo is salvageable. If you’ve tried all your removal techniques and the image still looks obviously altered, it may be best to simply crop the shot rather than risk a fake-looking result. Don’t be too hard on yourself; some photos just weren’t meant to have certain people removed. Focus your efforts on images where natural removals are possible.

 

Final Words

In summary, with the right tools and techniques, you can seamlessly remove unwanted people, objects, and distractions from your photos. But removal also requires patience and practice to master natural-looking results. Start with small, low-risk projects and work your way up to more complex removals as your skills improve over time. With some experimentation, you’ll be an expert photo editor in no time.