Have you ever captured a perfect photo only to have it ruined by an unwanted object or person in the background? The Windows Photos app now offers the perfect solution: the AI-powered Generative Erase tool.

The feature, which is an evolution of the Spot Fix Tool, is being released to Windows 11 (including Arm64 devices) and Windows 10, along with other AI editing tools like Blur Background and Remove and Replace Background.

How to Get It? The AI eraser tool is available in the latest update for the Photos app – version 2024.11020.21001.0 or higher – but it is currently being rolled out to only Windows Insiders. It's available in all Insider channels, including the Release Preview channel for Windows 10. However, it should soon roll out generally.

Use Generative Erase in Windows

With Generative Erase in the Photos app, you can easily remove any clutter or unwanted objects from your photos. This intelligent AI eraser creates more seamless results when removing distracting elements from your pictures compared to Spot Fix, even when you're removing large objects from your photos.

Before getting started, make sure that your Photos app is updated. Otherwise, go to the Microsoft Store > Library and click on 'Update' next to the Photos app if one is available.

Next, follow these steps:

  1. Open the photo you want to edit in the Photos app.
  2. Click on the 'Edit Image' option from the options at the top of the photo. You can also use the Ctrl + E keyboard shortcut.
  1. The image editor will load. Click the 'Erase' option from the toolbar at the top.
  1. Generative Erase will open in a panel on the right.
  1. Now, there are two ways to use the AI eraser: 'Auto Erase' or 'Manual Erase', which gives you more granular control. Let's see both in action.

Auto Erase:

  1. The toggle for Auto Erase is enabled automatically when you start using the Erase tool.
  2. Select the brush size from the right panel by adjusting the slider according to the size of the object you want to remove. The more precisely you brush over the object, the better the results will be.
  1. Then, simply start brushing over the object you want to erase; zoom in for greater control when working with smaller or more detailed areas. As soon as you release the mouse key, the AI will kick into action.
  1. Once it is done working, it will remove the object and replace it with a realistic background, blending into the existing background.
Tip: Use the Generative AI Eraser over an object multiple times if you don't get a satisfactory result the first time.
"What am I pointing at?"

Manual Erase:

  1. To use manual erase, first, toggle off 'Auto Erase'.
  1. Next, adjust the brush size using the slider.
  2. Now, with the 'Erase' option selected from the left panel, brush over the object(s) you want to remove. You can draw over multiple areas using the manual option.
  1. If you find that you've drawn over the areas you don't want to erase, switch to the 'Restore' option. Then, drag your mouse over the areas you want to un-select.
  1. If you want to un-select all the areas in one go, click on the 'Clear' button instead.
  1. Once you're happy with the areas you've selected, click the 'Erase' button, and AI will erase those areas.
  1. If you don't like the result, click on the 'Undo' button from the top.
  1. To save your edits, click the 'Save options' button from the top-right and select one of the options: 'Save as copy', 'Save' and 'Copy to clipboard'.

With the Generative AI Eraser, along with the other editing features, the Windows Photos app is a valuable companion for transforming your ordinary photos into stunning images – that too for free. As you can see, the results are rather impressive, and they're only bound to get better as the app gets out of Preview.