How to Remove Distractions from Photos Using Apple Photos Clean Up Tool
Sometimes a great photo is almost perfect — except for a person in the background, a stray object, or something pulling attention away from the moment. Apple Photos now includes a Clean Up tool designed to fix exactly that.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how the Clean Up tool works in Apple Photos, what it can remove, how to use it accurately, and which devices support it. Everything here matches exactly what’s shown in the video.
🎓 What You’ll Learn
What the Clean Up tool does in Apple Photos
Which iPhones support the Clean Up feature
How to access Clean Up while editing a photo
How automatic object detection works
How to manually remove objects with touch gestures
How to zoom for better accuracy
How to compare the edited photo with the original
How to save or revert Clean Up edits
🧹 What the Clean Up Tool Is Designed to Do
The Clean Up tool in Apple Photos is designed to remove unwanted people or objects from the background of a photo. It uses Apple Intelligence to analyze the image and intelligently fill in the removed areas.
This tool works best for background distractions and simple objects. It is not intended to reconstruct large missing areas or heavily detailed foreground subjects.
📲 Devices That Support the Clean Up Tool
The Clean Up tool is limited to devices that support Apple Intelligence.
Clean Up is available on:
iPhone 16 models
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPad mini with A17 Pro
iPad with M1 or later
Mac with M1 or later
The tool is not available on standard iPhone 15 or earlier models due to hardware limitations.
🖼 How to Access the Clean Up Tool in Photos
To start using Clean Up:
Open the Photos app
Select the image you want to edit
Tap the Edit button at the bottom of the screen
Select Clean Up from the editing tools
Once enabled, Apple Photos begins analyzing the image.
✨ Automatic Object Detection
When Clean Up is active, Apple Photos may highlight objects it believes can be removed. These areas often appear with a subtle glow.
You can:
Tap highlighted objects to remove them automatically
Allow the system to fill in the background
This works well for people, reflections, and simple background elements.
✍️ Manually Removing Objects
If an object is not detected automatically, you can remove it manually.
Manual removal allows you to:
Draw around an object using your finger
Circle or brush over distractions
Remove items Apple did not detect on its own
This gives you more control when automatic detection misses something.
🔍 Zooming for Accuracy
For more precise edits:
Use two fingers to pinch outward to zoom in
Zooming helps target smaller details
Precision improves the quality of the final result
Zooming is especially helpful when removing reflections or distant background elements.
🌊 Removing Reflections and Subtle Details
The Clean Up tool can also detect reflections, such as people reflected in water or glass.
In many cases:
The tool removes both the object and its reflection
Additional taps or manual circles can refine results
This makes the edit feel more natural and complete.
🔄 Comparing the Edited Photo to the Original
Before saving, it’s helpful to compare your changes.
To compare:
Tap Adjust at the bottom
Tap and hold the middle of the screen
Apple Photos will toggle between the original and edited versions so you can confirm the result.
💾 Saving or Reverting Change
When you’re satisfied:
Tap Done to save the edited photo
At any time, you can:
Revert to the original photo
Remove all Clean Up edits
The original image is never permanently lost.
