Removing Distractions with Google Photos’ Magic Eraser
Norman’s original, note the person behind Pat.
Unwanted background clutter can ruin an otherwise perfect portrait. Google Photos’ Magic Eraser is designed to fix that in just a few taps, letting your subject shine.
What It Can Do
Automatically spots distractions — when you open the tool, it highlights potential unwanted elements by circling them on the photo.
One-tap removal — simply tap a suggested area and Magic Eraser will replace it with a clean background.
Manual control — draw around anything else you want gone, and the app will remove it.
Example
Norman recently uploaded a portrait of Pat at the Yeovil Fleet Air Arm museum which has someone standing directly behind her.
Magic Eraser automatically detected the background person and removed them in one tap.
A second person — a child — remains faintly visible just behind Pat’s ear. This trace was so minimal that it is not worth further editing.
The result? A cleaner, more professional-looking image without losing any of the natural feel.
Edited image after “Magic Eraser”.
How to Use It
Open your image in the Google Photos app.
Go to Edit → Tools → Magic Eraser.
Tap any automatic suggestions to remove them.
For other distractions, draw loosely around them with your finger or a stylus.
Save a copy so your original remains untouched.
I will demonstrate this at our next meeting.
Notes
Mobile app only — Magic Eraser does not work in the desktop (web) version of Google Photos.
Subscription — Require a Google One plan (UK prices start from £1.59/month or £16/year), includes additional cloud storage.