Why does Lightroom’s Generative AI keep replacing objects instead of removing them?

Have you tried out Lightroom’s new Generative Remove tool yet? It was introduced as an Early Access feature in last week’s Lightroom updates. There’s been loads of great feedback, but a lot of people are reporting that it’s replacing objects instead of removing them. So what’s the trick?

Like any tool, you need to know how to use it properly to get the best results. There’s a few important details you need to know:

Too tight a selection can cause the person or object to be replaced instead of removed, so leave enough of a border. The amount of additional space that an Object Aware selection adds is a good guide.

Select the entire object/person, including its shadow, reflection, and any disconnected parts (such as a hand on someone else’s shoulder). Otherwise, the AI tries to rebuild the object based on what’s left behind. For example, if you select a person and miss their feet, Lightroom tries to rebuild a new person to fit the feet!

Remove first, crop later. If the selection is against a crop boundary, Generative Remove generates new pixels to match the hidden section instead of removing it entirely. This is because you might choose to adjust the crop later. To avoid this, use the Remove tool first, then Crop.