Object removal is inpainting: judge the fill, not just the erase mask
Tourist photobombs, power lines across skies, stray signage, and reflective clutter all distract from the story. Removing them is never only “delete pixels”—the model must hallucinate plausible structure, perspective, and lighting behind the occluder. Failures show up as duplicated brick patterns, bent guardrails, or mushy texture blobs. Higher resolution and larger occlusions raise risk. Start by scoping what truly harms composition or conversion, then decide between tight local edits versus broader regeneration. Straight lines, repeating grids, and skin are sensitive: check geometry with guides and ensure pores or fabric weave remain believable. For commercial work, consider whether removal alters factual context (safety labels, identifiable people). Keep before/after pairs for creative and compliance review.
Recommended remove objects workflow
- Define the object to remove and the expected fill (sky, pavement, skin); crop if it reduces ambiguity for the model.
- Inspect perspective continuity and repeating textures; hunt for copy-paste artifacts along long edges.
- Validate at final export size and after compression; version outputs and budget time for hero assets that need a second pass.