The new beta versions of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18 for developers have a new Apple Intelligence feature called Clean Up. It will allow removing unwanted elements from photos. AppleInsider writes about it.
The feature is available in the Photos app. It appears in the photo editing section and is called Clean Up. After you select an object, it fills in the empty pixels in the image to match the rest of the scene.
If you select a large part of the image, the program will completely clear the selected area. You can swipe along the edges of an object, and these elements will be removed, and you can also cut out a specific object partially by "outlining" the desired area of removal with your finger.
Initial tests show that the feature works well, accurately detecting and removing unwanted objects from photos. The blank space filling function also works well, but it doesn't handle shadows in the photo very well.
The feature also automatically highlights potentially removable objects in the photo. In such cases, you can remove them from the scene with a simple click. As with all edits, all changes can be reverted to their previous state.
The feature will not be immediately available in the upcoming iPhone 16, which will be unveiled on September 9. You will have to wait for the first updates to iOS 18.1.