Erasing images
Erase parts of an image with adjustable brush sizes, straight-line erasing, and rotation tips for more precise cleanup.
Erase sections of an image with a brush, whether you're cleaning up a background, removing an unwanted object, or just tidying up an edge. It's available on every plan.
Erase an image
Select an image on your canvas to open the contextual toolbar.
Press E, or open the more menu (the "•••" icon, labelled with a number like "7 more") and select Erase. If you selected a vector illustration or shape instead of a photo, you'll see a prompt: "Rasterize layer to erase?" Erasing only works on pixels, so it needs to flatten the vector into an image first. Click Rasterize to continue, but keep in mind you'll lose the ability to edit it as a vector afterward. This also applies to a group of vector elements selected together, they're flattened into a single image.
In the right panel, use the Size slider to make your brush bigger or smaller. You can also press
[or]to shrink or grow it.Click and drag over the image to erase. Nothing is final until you exit, so feel free to experiment. Hold Shift while you drag to constrain your stroke to vertical, horizontal, or 45-degree straight paths.
If you erase too much, switch to Restore in the right panel and paint back over the area. Switch between Erase and Restore as many times as you need.
Click Done above the image, or Exit Edit Mode in the right panel, when you're finished.
Expected outcome
The areas you erased are removed from the image, and your changes save automatically. You can reopen the same panel any time to keep adjusting, either through the more menu or the right panel's Tools section.
Troubleshooting
I can't find the Erase option.
Select an image on your canvas first. Erase lives in that image's contextual toolbar, in the more menu.
I erased more than I meant to.
Switch to Restore in the right panel and paint back over the area, or use Undo (Cmd/Ctrl+Z) to step back through your strokes one at a time.
I don't want to lose my vector's editability.
If a shape or illustration is still fully vector, duplicate it first and erase the copy, or use Undo right after rasterizing if you change your mind before making further edits.
Common questions
What's the difference between erasing and removing a background?
Erasing is manual: you choose exactly what to paint away. AI Background Remover does it automatically in one click, based on what it detects as the background. You can use both together, remove the background first, then erase or restore fine details by hand.
What's the difference between erasing and AI Erase & Fill?
Plain erasing removes pixels and leaves the area transparent. AI Erase & Fill removes them too, but then generates new pixels to fill the gap, matching the surrounding image. Use plain erasing when you want the area to stay transparent, and AI Erase & Fill when you want it filled in automatically.
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