Free · 8 min read
AI photo editing tools for designers
Which AI tools help you edit photos: remove distractions, improve quality, extend the frame or change a detail with text. What's free, what's paid, and how to respect consent when editing photos of people.
- Which tool to use for the task: remove an object, improve quality, extend the frame
- What you can do for free in Google Photos, Gemini, ChatGPT and Upscayl
- Where retouching ends and deception begins: rules for photos of people
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5 steps to careful AI photo editing
- 1
Step 1
Define the task and pick the tool
- 2
Step 2
Remove distractions from the frame
- 3
Step 3
Improve quality, but don't expect miracles
- 4
Step 4
Change details with a text prompt
- 5
Step 5
Respect ethics and the consent of people in photos
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This guide is for you if you are
Preparing photos for a layout
Client shots with stray people in frame, cables, or too low a resolution for a banner.
Working without Photoshop
You're looking for a quick way to remove distractions or improve a photo online or on your phone.
Editing photos of people
You want to know what you can change without permission and what you can't, and how to avoid awkward situations.
In short
- Name the task first: remove an object, raise the resolution, extend the frame or change a detail. Each has its own tool.
- You can start for free in Google Photos (Magic Eraser, AI Enhance), Gemini and ChatGPT (edits by text) and Upscayl (upscaling on your computer).
- AI upscaling invents details rather than restoring real ones: it won't save an out-of-focus photo.
- Always keep the original: Google Photos has Save as copy, Photoshop lets you edit on a new layer.
- Don't change a person's face, body or the context of their photo without consent, even if the tool technically allows it.
5 steps to careful AI photo editing
- 1
Step 1
Define the task and pick the tool
"Improve the photo" is several different tasks, and each is best handled by its own tool. Here's how to split them:
- remove distractions (passers-by, cables, litter): Magic Eraser in Google Photos, Remove tool in Photoshop;
- improve quality and resolution: Unblur and AI Enhance in Google Photos, Generative Upscale in Photoshop, free Upscayl;
- extend the frame if the photo is cropped too tight: Auto frame in Google Photos, Generative Fill in Photoshop;
- change a detail with words ("make the sky an evening sky", "remove the cup from the table"): Gemini, ChatGPT, Edit image in Adobe Firefly;
- cut an object out of its background is a separate task, covered in How to remove the background from a photo.
💡 Before any edit, save the original as a separate file. AI edits sometimes look fine on a phone and bad on a large screen, and getting back to the original should be easy.
- 2
Step 2
Remove distractions from the frame
In Google Photos on Android, open the photo, tap Edit → Search and type Magic Eraser. Then tap the object, circle it or brush over it and tap Erase; you can add to or subtract from the selection with Refine selection. Most editor features need Android 8.0 and at least 3 GB of RAM, and some are Pixel-only. In Photoshop, use the Remove tool:
- loop around the object with a brush slightly larger than it, and Photoshop removes it and fills the space;
- Find distractions detects typical distractions on its own: people, wires and cables;
- Mode lets you choose whether to use generative AI: Auto, on (in the cloud or on device) or off;
- Create new layer puts the edit on a separate layer for non-destructive editing.
💡 Adobe offers a 7-day Photoshop trial, and you can cancel for a full refund within a further 14 days. For learning, that's enough to try the Remove tool and Generative Fill.
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- 3
Step 3
Improve quality, but don't expect miracles
AI upscaling helps when a photo is too small for a banner or print. But remember how it works: Upscayl's developers say outright that it guesses what the details could be. So it helps with small and pixelated shots, not blurry or out-of-focus ones. Options:
- Upscayl: free, open-source software for Windows 10+, macOS 12+ and Linux; it needs a Vulkan-compatible graphics card and doesn't work on most integrated graphics;
- Generative Upscale in Photoshop (Image → Generative Upscale): pick a model and scale, and the result opens as a new document; it uses 10 generative credits for images up to 25 MP and 20 for 25–67 MP;
- Unblur in Google Photos (Actions tab) for blurry shots; improved Unblur needs at least 4 GB of RAM;
- AI Enhance in Google Photos generates several automatic corrections, and you pick one.
💡 After upscaling, check the photo at 100%: AI may invent letters on signs, extra fingers or strange skin texture. For a portfolio, an honestly small photo beats a nicely invented one.
- 4
Step 4
Change details with a text prompt
The most flexible way is to upload a photo and describe the change in words. Several tools work like this:
- Gemini: upload the photo to the chat and say what to change; image editing is on the free plan but only for users 18+;
- ChatGPT: upload the image and describe the edit, or select an area with the selection tool; it works on all plans, but OpenAI warns selections aren't always precise;
- Adobe Firefly: Image → Edit image, upload the photo, pick a model and describe the change in everyday language: "change the color of the third vase to mustard yellow";
- Generative Fill in Photoshop: select an area and type what should appear there, or leave it blank so Photoshop fills it from the surroundings; the result appears as a new layer.
💡 Free users of Photoshop on the web, Firefly and Adobe's mobile apps get a limited number of free generations per day. How to phrase the prompt itself: How to write prompts for AI image generation.
Photo looks odd after AI? Show it to the community and get tips on fixing it → - 5
Step 5
Respect ethics and the consent of people in photos
AI lets you change anything in a photo, which is exactly why the rules matter more here than in ordinary retouching. In Gemini's terms, Google specifically warns against violating other people's copyright and privacy, and content that breaks the rules may be removed. Simple principles for a designer:
- edit only photos you have the rights to: your own, a client's by agreement, or licensed for it;
- don't change a person's face, body, age or expression without consent: even a "slight improvement" can offend;
- don't change the context: adding someone to an event they weren't at, or removing someone from a group photo, isn't retouching, it's forgery;
- hide what isn't yours to show: Google Photos has a Redact tool to blur or remove sensitive info (a license plate or an address, say), and recipients can't undo it after you share;
- label AI edits in a case study: images from ChatGPT carry embedded Content Credentials and a SynthID watermark, and Google Photos shows "AI info" for edited photos.
💡 Content Credentials are easily lost when you take a screenshot or convert a file, so don't rely on them alone: if a photo is heavily edited with AI, say so in the description.
You're not alone with these questions
We counted what people ask about most in our community. AI tools are the fourth most popular topic, after learning, portfolios and Figma.
Messages by topic in Spaceberry Community, July 2024 — November 2026. Keyword search.
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Questions and answers
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How can I improve photo quality for free?
For small and pixelated shots there's free Upscayl for your computer: it upscales images with AI but needs a Vulkan-compatible graphics card. On a phone, try AI Enhance and Unblur in Google Photos. Free Adobe users also get a limited number of daily generations in Photoshop on the web and Firefly. None of these tools will restore a photo taken out of focus.
Can I edit photos of other people with AI?
Technically yes, but only with rights to the photo and the person's consent if you change how they look or the context of the shot. In Gemini's terms, Google specifically warns against violating others' privacy. Safe edits are color, light and removing litter from the background. Don't change faces or bodies, or add someone where they weren't, without permission.
Why does a photo look strange after AI upscaling?
Because the model doesn't know what the original showed, so it invents details. That's where "plastic" skin, odd letters or extra elements come from. Upscayl's developers say plainly that it guesses details and doesn't help with blurry photos. Check the result at 100% and use a smaller scale factor if needed.
Which is better: Photoshop or free AI tools?
For a quick edit on your phone, Google Photos, Gemini or ChatGPT is enough. Photoshop gives more control: edits on separate layers, a choice of whether to use generative AI, and precise selections, so it's more reliable for client projects. Photo editing basics without AI: [Lightroom for beginners](/en/guides/lightroom-for-beginners).
Is the Spaceberry community paid?
No. Spaceberry Community is a free Telegram community supported by Spaceberry Foundation, a non-profit organization. All you need to join is a Telegram account. Inside are 1,504 designers who discuss each other's work, plus regular design games: the same brief for everyone, a deadline and a community vote. Conversations are in Ukrainian.
Edit one photo and show the result
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Updated · Spaceberry Foundation
Sources:
- Google Photos Help — Edit your photos (Android)
- Gemini Apps Help — Generate & edit images
- Gemini — subscriptions (Ukraine)
- OpenAI Help Center — Images in ChatGPT
- OpenAI Help Center — Provenance signals in OpenAI-generated content
- Adobe Help — Remove objects in Photoshop
- Adobe Help — Generative Fill in Photoshop
- Adobe Help — Generative Upscale in Photoshop
- Adobe Help — Generative credits FAQ
- Adobe — Photoshop free trial
- Adobe Help — Edit images using text prompts (Firefly)
- Upscayl — README on GitHub