Clean up your photos

Use the new Al-powered Clean Up tool to remove unwanted objects

- GEORGE CAIRNS

APPLE INTELLIGENCE IS finally here and that means Photos now has added image-editing superpowers, thanks to the new AI-assisted Clean Up tool.

In older versions of Photos for Mac, you could try using the Retouch tool to replace unwanted spots or blemishes, but it struggled to remove larger objects without leaving smudged or blurry pixels. And there was no Retouch tool in the iOS version of Photos. The new AI-powered Clean Up tool does a much better job of replacing unwanted objects (such as a distracting background photobomber) to create a cleaner shot. We're looking at Clean Up on the Mac and iPad here, but the tool is available in the iOS version of Photos too.

The Clean Up tool works amazingly well, but it can struggle on occasion. We'll show you how to access artificial intelligence tools from other apps from within Photos, so that you can call on an alternative AI resource, such as Pixelmator Pro ($49.99, www.pixelmator.​com/pro), to help.

HOW TO Use Clean Up on Mac

1. Access Clean Up

To remove unwanted objects click Edit. Click on the Clean Up button (or press Cmd+4 for that workspace). In the Clean Up pane, drag the Size slider to choose a large brush tip. Spray the brush over the unwanted object.

2. Make a selection

Your selection doesn't have to be very accurate. After you spray, Apple Intelligence analyzes the unwanted object, which glows with colors (like those around the edge of an iPhone's display when Siri is summoned).

3. Finishing touches