How to cut someone out of a picture

Cutting someone out of a picture used to mean scissors and a shoebox. Now you can do it on your phone in a few taps or on a computer in a few clicks. The question is whether to crop them out or let AI fill the space—and which tool to use when the person is right beside you.

Before

After AI-edited

Crop vs. AI fill: when to use each

Cropping is the simplest way to cut someone out. You drag the edges of the photo until the person is outside the frame, then save. It works best when the person is at the edge and there's room to spare. You keep the original quality because no pixels are generated—only removed.

AI fill, which includes tools like iPhone Clean Up, Google Photos Magic Eraser, and Samsung Object Eraser, removes the person and fills in the background behind them. You keep the full frame, but the filled area is generated, so quality depends on how much the tool has to guess.

When to crop

• The person is at the edge of the photo.
• Losing part of the scene is acceptable.
• You want the fastest, cleanest result with no generated pixels.

When to use AI fill

• The person is in the middle of the frame.
• You need to keep the full background—a landmark, a group, or a composition that matters.
• Cropping would cut off something important on the other side.

How to cut someone out on your phone

All three major phone platforms now have a free eraser built in. Each one works by marking the person you want to remove and letting the AI fill the space.

iPhone Clean Up

Clean Up is part of Apple Intelligence in the Photos app. Open a photo, tap Edit, then Tools, then Clean Up. Tap or brush over the person, and the app fills in the background. It needs a supported device—iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Pro, or certain iPads—running iOS 18.1 or later.

Google Photos Magic Eraser

Magic Eraser is in the Google Photos app on Android and iPhone. Open a photo, tap Edit, then Tools (or Actions on Android), and tap Magic Eraser. Circle or brush over the person, tap Erase, and save.

Samsung Object Eraser

Galaxy phones have Object Eraser in the Gallery app. Open a photo, tap the pencil to edit, tap the three-dot menu, and choose Object Eraser. Highlight the person, tap Erase, and save.

How to cut someone out on desktop

On a computer, Photoshop has the most control. The Remove tool lets you brush over a person, and Generative Fill can rebuild the background from a selection. Both require a paid subscription and some practice with selections and layers.

Free alternatives include GIMP, Photopea (browser-based), and various online erasers. Most work like the phone tools: you mark the person, and the app fills in the space. Results vary, and some sites add watermarks or require registration.

Why phone erasers struggle with the person beside you

Built-in erasers are designed for distractions—a stranger walking past, a trash can, a stray arm at the edge. When the person you want to remove is right next to you, shoulder to shoulder, the tool has to rebuild a lot of background at once. Overlapping arms, shared shadows, and heads touching all make it harder.

These tools also require you to brush around the person yourself. For a small figure, that's easy. For someone taking up half the frame, it takes patience, and the result can still look smudged.

Describe-to-remove: another approach

Remove Your Ex works differently. Instead of brushing, you describe who should go in your own words— like "the man on the right in the grey jacket." The AI identifies the person and removes them, which can help when they're overlapping you or hard to brush around cleanly.

It's not magic. Close couple selfies and arms draped over shoulders are still the hardest cases. But describing beats brushing when the free tools leave smudges or miss edges. You can upload up to 10 photos at a time, and each includes a free second edit if the first isn't right.

Credits cost $2.99 for 1 photo, $4.99 for 5, $9.99 for 15, or $24.99 for 50. There's no subscription—buy once and credits never expire. See the pricing page for details.

Tips for a clean result

• Try crop first. If the person is at the edge and you can afford to lose some background, cropping is faster and cleaner.
• Start with a high-resolution photo. More pixels give the AI more to work with when filling in the space.
• Describe clothing and position. When using Remove Your Ex, be specific—"the woman in the blue dress on the left" is easier for the AI than "her."
• Check at full size. Zoom in on the edges where the person was. If something looks off, try the free second edit with a clearer description.

Which approach fits your photo?

• Person at the edge, background doesn't matter: crop.
• Small figure in the background: phone eraser.
• Person beside you, overlapping, or in a group: describe-to-remove with Remove Your Ex.

You can mix methods: crop away what you can, use a free eraser for distant figures, and save Remove Your Ex for the close-up where your ex's arm is around your shoulder. More on the tools themselves in the best app to remove a person from a photo and how to remove a person from a photo without Photoshop.