I've got some vacation photos from last month with random people photobombing in the background. I've heard about AI tools that can just erase stuff, but I'm not sure which ones actually work well without making it look fake. What's everyone using these days?
The free option that's getting the most attention right now is definitely Adobe's Generative Fill feature in Photoshop, though you need to check if it's available in your subscription tier. It's genuinely impressive at inpainting - basically you select the object you want gone, and the AI fills in the background. Results are usually pretty natural looking because it's trained on massive datasets. If you're not into Photoshop, Google's Magic Eraser (built into Google Photos and Pixel phones) works surprisingly well for casual photobomb removal, and it's completely free if you use Google Photos.
For a standalone desktop app, Cleanup.pictures is browser-based and free to start with, though they have paid tiers. The output quality is decent for most scenarios. There's also Inpaint from getinpaint.app which gives you more control - you can paint over what you want removed and adjust settings like brush size. Windows users sometimes swear by TouchRetouch but that's not free. The real variable is how busy your background is. If there's a lot of detail or texture behind the photobomber, even the best tools might struggle and you'll see some artifacts or blurring. Simple backgrounds like sky or ocean? These tools handle it really well, maybe 85-90% of the time you get something that looks totally natural.
My suggestion is start with Magic Eraser if you're on Android or have Google Photos, since there's zero friction and it's free. If that doesn't cut it, try Cleanup.pictures - the preview is instant so you can see if it'll work before committing to anything. The key is having realistic expectations; these tools are magical for some situations but they're not perfect wizards yet.
Don't waste time with those sketchy browser-based tools that promise magic but usually leave blurry smudges or obvious artifacts. If you want genuinely solid results without paying, grab Photoshop's Generative Fill if you can access it, but honestly the free tier is pretty limited - I've had better luck with Cleanup.pictures or Remove.bg's object removal feature, both web-based and actually capable of blending things in naturally without making it look like you ran it through a cheap filter.
If you're looking for something that doesn't require a subscription at all, Cleanup.pictures is worth trying - it's web-based and honestly handles object removal pretty decently for casual vacation shots. The results aren't always perfect, but for random photobombers in the background it does a solid job without that telltale weird blur or smudging you get from older tools. Just upload, paint over what you want gone, and it processes pretty fast.
For something that's genuinely free with no subscriptions or sketchy workarounds, Photoshop's Generative Fill is solid if you happen to have access, but realistically most people end up trying Cleanup.pictures or Inpaint tools on platforms like Remove.bg since they work straight from your browser. The results really depend on how messy the background is - if it's something simple like sky or water behind the photobombers you'll get cleaner results than if there's a bunch of detailed textures to fill in.
Skip anything that requires you to upload photos to some random site you've never heard of - those sketchy desktop tools and unknown web services often leave weird artifacts or, worse, keep copies of your images. I learned that the hard way after trying some sketchy removal software years ago that left obvious blurry patches all over my photos.
The reality is that Cleanup.pictures actually does pretty solid work for vacation photobomb situations. You just drag and drop your image, circle or lasso what you want gone, and it handles the fill-in. Results aren't always perfect, but they're surprisingly natural-looking most of the time, especially if you're just removing people in the background rather than trying to reconstruct complex areas. It's genuinely free with no accounts or subscriptions needed.
If that doesn't cut it, Adobe's Generative Fill (if you have Photoshop access through a subscription) is noticeably better at blending, but that's only helpful if you're already paying. For most people dealing with vacation photo cleanup, the web-based option does the job without spending money or installing anything sketchy on your computer. Just manage your expectations - if someone's right in front of your subject covering critical details, no tool's going to make it look perfect. But for standard photobomb cleanup where they're off to the side? You'll be fine with the free route.
Cleanup.pictures actually does solid work for photobombers without needing any subscriptions, though I'd push back on the Adobe stuff since most people don't have those subscriptions anyway and the web-based tools have gotten surprisingly good at blending stuff naturally now! Just grab a few vacation shots and test it out - worst case scenario you waste five minutes.
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