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Can I use AI to edit a photo?

If you want to know how to use AI to edit your photos, here's how
Last Updated on June 27, 2023
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Artificial intelligence algorithms have been causing a stir in the creative sector in recent years. Given all the developments in the world of generative AI and art, it’s only natural to consider the possibility of using AI software to streamline the process of editing your photos. So, can you use AI to edit a photo?

Here, we outline some features you can expect from AI photo editing software and a brief overview of three AI photo editing software that you can check out. If you’ve found yourself asking if you can use AI to edit a photo, then look no further.

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What does an AI photo editor do?

AI photo editors use AI techniques such as machine learning to create an automated photo editing experience. It can save photographers hours, turning massive amounts of work into just simple clicks.

Here are some examples of what an AI photo editor might be able to do for you:

  • Detect what kind of photo you took (such as landscape, or portrait) and suggest appropriate edits or tools.
  • Upscaling and sharpening low-resolution images.
  • Automatically make simple adjustments to contrast and shadows, colors, and light levels.
  • You can select a subject and cut it out from the background with ease.
  • Background remover features can replace the sky with a different one, and match the lighting in the rest of the image.
  • ‘Facetune’ edits to automatically smooth out skin, brighten up eyes, and other features.

What AI photo editors can I try?

Here are three different AI-based photo editing applications that you might want to try if you’re interested in using artificial intelligence to help you edit some photos, portrait or landscape.

Adobe Photoshop AI – Generative Fill

Generative Fill has bought the wonders of AI into the infamous software Photoshop. It uses Adobe Firefly engine, an advanced AI tool, to turn text prompts into outstanding edits within seconds. It streamlines the creative process and enables users to experiment with quality ideas and concepts at a faster pace, using the same functions as DALL-e 2 or Stable Diffusion. You will still be able to go back over the edited images to manipulate them to your exact preference, and you don’t lose any creative control previously offered in Photoshop.

With their advancements in Photoshop and Generative Fill, Adobe has worked to blend generative AI into the mainstream creative industry. We’ve got a rundown on how to use Photoshop AI if this seems like it could be the one for you.

Luminar Neo Pros

With a user-friendly interface, Luminar Neo is in a way working to make AI, and perhaps even the creative industry of photography, more accessible through their photo editing program. Unlike Generative Fill, it is fully AI-powered and the integration of artificial intelligence is fundamental to the experience of using Luminar Neo.

The software can offer you AI image enhancement and color enhancement, raw photo editing, and lens correction to name a few of its abilities. The editing is non-destructive, so after suggesting a variety of filters and photo enhancements, you can use a slider to vary how strongly the levels of effects are added to your photo. There is overall a good balanced workflow between the user and the AI.

Lensa – mobile AI photo editor

AI image editor Lensa describes itself as an “all-in-one” image editing app. It is a mobile app easily accessible on your phone, either Android or iPhone.

It relies on simpler AI algorithms than other models such as Generative Fill. However, Lensa is well-known for its Magic Avatar feature, which has trained a Stable Diffusion model using various selfies to generate out-of-this-world AI portraits. Aside from this, Lensa handles portraits well and offers all the photo editing features you could desire, and more. This includes a retouch tool that can automatically identify and edit portraits, as well as background or sky removal at just a touch.

Final thoughts

Hopefully, this dive into how AI can edit your photos and what software you can use has been helpful and provided you with some options to get started using artificial intelligence to explore your creative output. If this topic has caught your interest, you can go deeper into the world of creative AI by reading about the best AI for engaging visual content, or even venture into using DALL-e or Midjourney to move from photo editing to photo generation.

Marla writes across a wide range of topics across PC Guide, including AI, PC hardware, and news on the latest tech releases. She's a passionate writer that's interested in the future of technology.