Apple continues to add the promised Apple Intelligence functionality to the iOS 18.1 beta. Beta 3, released on August 28, brought with it one of the hottest AI features on smartphones in 2024 – replacing objects in photos.
Tool Cleaning (there is no Russian localization yet), like other Apple Intelligence features, will become available this fall to all owners of iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, Mac and iPad users with M-processors.
I tried working with them, found several conditions and, overall, I am happy with the result. This is not an ideal solution and not an alternative to high-quality manual retouching in a professional photo editor. But the results can also be posted on social networks, and no one will suspect the bastard.
What is the Clean Up tool coming to iOS 18.1?
In simple words, you can select an area with an unwanted object in a photo and have it removed by artificial intelligence. The empty space will be filled with the closest content of the image.
I’m sure that many people here have taken quite a few photos, and not quite what they wanted got in: unnecessary objects, forces, and even people-leaders. The Clean Up tool in the iPhone will allow you to delete them or make them less noticeable in the frame.
Cleaning is part of the feature package. Apple Intelligenceworks completely locally (data is not sent to the Apple server) and uses only the power of the device’s processor. Google has functionally similar analogues in the new Pixel and Samsung in the current Galaxy line, but they work via the “cloud” and require an Internet connection.
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Similar features have long been available in tens of thousands of apps in the App Store, but typically require a paid subscription or opaque privacy policies.
How to Use Clean Up on iPhone
I would like to note that the feature works regardless of the language and region of the device. That is, you can use the Russian language of both Siri and the system itself. This feature is not available in the EU.
1. Open the application Photo and select the desired photo
2. Click the edit image button below
3. Click on the item Cleaning
4. Use your finger to outline the unwanted object in the photo.
When you first use Clean Up, you need to wait for the generative removal algorithm to load and then install it. On the iPhone 15 Pro Max, this process took about two minutes. After that, the function is available without the Internet.
It is not always necessary to highlight an object in a “circle”. Sometimes iOS itself highlights some objects that the AI considers unnecessary. In this case, it is enough to apply it to these objects once – and I disappear from the photos.
How well does Cleanup work in iOS 18.1?
Before and after editing photos with Clean Up
Like any other object replacement and generative fill tools, Apple’s new feature is basically a lottery. It’s impossible to predict whether the AI will be able to correctly identify and remove an object. The result of each attempt is unique.
If you fail to do this the first time, it is better to cancel the change and repeat the deletion again. Sometimes you have to do this five or six times before achieving a normal result. But sometimes it works right away.
The quality and correctness of filling the vacated space in the image (where the removed object was) changes exponentially depending on how monotonous and uniform the background is. Monochromatic or easily accessible backgrounds for AI, such as a fence or wall, almost always turn out well the first time. The situation with coronavirus is worse.
Interestingly, if you need to use Clean Up on a person’s face, Apple censors the result. You won’t be able to select a “mosaic” with such faces, it is superimposed on the photo until you change all the changes in the area of the person’s face. Some people won’t like this, because it turns out that the function is completely unsuitable for retouching a face.
Unlike similar solutions in the new Google Pixel, in iOS 18.1 it is not possible to add new objects or any features to the criteria of the area to be replaced.
The quality of the deletion, generative fill, and overall functionality may change by the final release of iOS 18.1. But even now, the feature has practical applications and can bring real benefits that are not often talked about in other trends in the development of AI in smartphones. Apple’s solution is definitely not the best on the market. But the fact that it works entirely on your device and is completely free is an undeniable plus.
Source: Iphones RU
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
