Adobe Photoshop
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Content as a Service v3 - Photoshop Features - Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 23:54
What is inpainting?
Inpainting refers to reconstructing or filling in missing or damaged portions of an image using AI. By analysing the surrounding content and existing details of an image, like textures and patterns, it’s possible to recreate areas that blend seamlessly with the original.
Discover the secret to seamless imagery.
Traditionally, inpainting relied on manual methods, such as artists or photo restorers painstakingly recreating areas using what they could of the image's context. Over time, techniques evolved to use algorithms like partial differential equations (PDEs) and texture synthesis to automate parts of the process.
Today, AI-powered inpainting methods, like Generative Fill in Photoshop, use machine learning to analyse and predict how to fill missing areas more accurately and quickly than humans, while maintaining the image’s integrity throughout the restoration process. However, with AI’s ability to make such realistic edits, it can be hard to tell what's genuine. As generative AI continues to evolve, the methods used to check authenticity must evolve too.
Explore AI-powered inpainting with Generative Fill.
AI tools like Generative Fill empower users across skill levels to achieve professional-quality edits and make high-level image manipulation more accessible than ever.
Generative Fill makes reconstructing images faster and easier and achieves more realistic results. Unlike traditional methods, Generative Fill uses advanced AI to understand image context and fill in missing areas or remove elements in a way that’s indistinguishable from the original image.
Because AI can analyse the context more accurately than humans, the results look more consistent without as much manual work. This makes it easier to achieve professional-quality results, whether fixing small details or filling in large gaps, regardless of skill level.
Generative Fill works like magic.
AI-powered Generative Fill works to seamlessly fill in missing parts of an image. It analyses the affected areas of the image and then studies the surrounding content for context clues. Next, it can refine the new image, ensuring all elements blend smoothly with the original.
This multi-step process helps produce realistic and contextually accurate results much faster than manual work.
Limitless creative potential with inpainting.
Inpainting has many creative applications, like removing unwanted objects or people from photos, repairing damaged images and cleaning up imperfections in product shots. Digital artists can also use inpainting to create unique composites by seamlessly blending different images together.
More advanced inpainting techniques can incorporate multiple image sources, video frames or 3D scene understanding, producing more accurate and flexible results.
AI inpainting technology creates a world without image limitations and provides new opportunities for infinite creative exploration.
Questions? We have answers.
Inpainting restores and repairs images by seamlessly filling in missing or damaged areas, preserving the image's integrity and aesthetic.
Inpainting can be used for removing unwanted objects, repairing old photos, enhancing video quality, editing product images and creating artistic composites, among other applications.
Photoshop uses AI-powered tools like Content-Aware Fill, Patch Tool and Spot Healing Brush for precise inpainting, each tailored for different types of repairs.
Inpainting involves filling in missing parts within the boundaries of an image, while outpainting extends the borders of an image by generating new content beyond its original edges.
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title
What is inpainting and how does it work?
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Features
tags
caas:content-type/features,caas:products/photoshop,caas:product-categories/photo,caas:features/add-or-remove-objects
description
Discover the power of inpainting in photo editing and learn more about how to use Generative Fill as an AI inpainting tool in Adobe Photoshop
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cardImageAltText
What is inpainting and how does it work?
