How to remove a person from a photo
To take someone out of your own photo — a stranger who wandered into the shot, an ex you'd rather not keep in the frame — upload it below, paint over that person, and click Erase. The AI fills the gap using the background around them. Please only edit photos you own or have the right to edit. Free, no signup, nothing is ever uploaded.
AI-generated content labels are protected by law and must not be removed. Please don't use this tool for that.
Erase Cat provides processing tools only — please make sure you hold the rights to what you process. See our Terms.
Step by step
- 1
Upload the photo
Upload the photo with the extra person. A shot where they stand clear of the background is easiest to repair.
- 2
Cover the whole person
Paint from hair to feet, include their shadow, and leave a small margin — missed edges tend to show in the result.
- 3
Erase and rebuild
Click Erase to rebuild the background. If a ghost edge remains, undo and re-brush just that sliver.
Before you erase a person
A person usually covers more area than clutter, so the single biggest factor is whether there's intact background behind them to copy from. Someone standing clear against a wall, beach or lawn removes cleanly; someone overlapping your subject leaves a gap with no information, so the AI can only approximate it.
Cover them completely, from stray hairs to the soles of their shoes, including the shadow, with a small margin. A missed lock of hair or half a foot leaves a floating ghost in the result — the most common artifact when removing people.
Only edit photos you own or have the right to edit. Cleaning a passer-by or an ex out of your own photo is normal retouching; Erase Cat only provides the tool, so make sure you hold the rights to whatever you process.
How it compares to cleanup.pictures, Magic Eraser & remove.bg
| 消除猫 / Erase Cat | cleanup.pictures | Magic Eraser | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uploads your photo to a server? | No · 100% local | Yes | In the gallery app |
| Free and unlimited? | ✓ | Free = low-res | Tied to a phone |
| Full-resolution export free? | ✓ | Paid / subscription | ✓ |
| Works in any desktop browser, any image? | ✓ | ✓ | Only in supported gallery apps |
| Watermark on results? | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Signup / install required? | ✗ | Account for HD | Need the phone |
Comparison is based on each product's publicly stated terms (checked June 2026) and only covers verifiable axes — uploads, free/unlimited use, platform and watermarks — not a judgment of their output quality. Their policies may change; check their sites for the latest.
Frequently asked questions
What if the person overlaps the main subject?
Where they cover too much, the AI can only guess from the surroundings, so the fill may not be perfect. Photos where people stand slightly apart give the best results.
Is this allowed?
Editing a photo you own or have the right to edit — like cleaning out a passer-by — is normal photo cleanup. Erase Cat only provides the tool; please make sure you hold the rights to whatever you process.
The person is gone but their shadow stays — how do I fix that?
The shadow is a separate area, so brush over it too. A leftover shadow is the most common reason a removal looks off.
Sources, review and limits
Last verified
2026-06-17
Author
Erase Cat editorial desk
Reviewer
Privacy and image-export review
Primary sources
- Browser Canvas and local image-processing APIs
- On-device segmentation/inpainting helpers where available
- User-provided images processed locally in the browser
Image cleanup results depend on the source image, browser support and model limits. Review exports before publishing, and only remove watermarks or marks you have the right to alter.