In many professions, working with photos is more than just a task—it’s an essential part of the creative process. From creating to editing, refining, and adding text, there’s a lot I do with images that requires me to put my trust in a good photo editor. And after working with photos almost every single day, I’ve come to a clear realization that short-form visual content has skyrocketed in popularity over the past decade, becoming the go-to medium for sharing information and engaging with audiences.
And in this digital world, where AI has revolutionized the way we work, allowing us to accomplish in seconds what used to take ages. It’s time for you as a professional photographer, marketer, or just someone who works with images regularly, it’s time to embrace AI-powered photo editing tools. In this article, I’ll introduce you to the best AI photo editors that will not only make your life easier but will also help you achieve stunning, professional results with minimal effort.
What is an AI Photo Editor?
An AI Photo Editor is a photo editing tool that unlike traditional editors uses advanced algorithms to make intelligent adjustments within the photo. Upon prompting, it intelligently recognizes elements within the photo that either requires a bit of tweaking or even making major changes almost instantly.
AI photo editing is transforming the way we approach photo manipulation, making it easier and more powerful than ever before. With AI, photo editing goes far beyond traditional techniques—it's all about achieving incredible results with minimal effort. Imagine giving a prompt like "remove glasses from this portrait," and the AI flawlessly removes the glasses without you needing to touch the picture at all. The scope of AI in photo editing is vast, and it’s truly impressive how it can bring your creative ideas to life with just a click.
To give you a clearer picture, here’s what the capabilities of an average AI photo editor look like:
Upscaling Quality: Transform low-resolution or blurry images into crisp, high-quality visuals.
Expanding Photos: Seamlessly extend your photos beyond their original borders.
Cutting and Moving Subjects: Effortlessly isolate and reposition elements within your image.
Color and Contrast Adjustments: Make quick and precise tweaks to colors and contrast for a polished finish.
Normally these tasks can be performed manually as well, but this is where AI photo editors and manual photo editors draw the line. AI Photo editing is much faster and much better overall compared with any other editing technique.
What Makes an AI Photo Editor Stand Out?
My objective while writing this article was to evaluate AI photo editors and what they truly bring to the table. I understood from the outset that these tools would have manual options, but my focus was to explore the AI-driven aspects. Here's what I found about some of the features that make AI photo editors stand apart from traditional ones:
Automated Object Removal: AI photo editors can automatically detect and remove unwanted objects or text from images with precision, often in a single click. This feature is far superior to traditional methods, where manual effort was required to achieve similar results.
Smart Image Upscaling: These tools can enhance the resolution of low-quality or blurry images, turning them into high-definition visuals without losing clarity. Traditional methods would struggle to maintain image quality when scaling up.
Background Expansion and Scene Completion: AI can extend the borders of an image by intelligently filling in the gaps, creating a seamless expansion that looks natural. This level of creativity and automation was not possible with older tools.
Automatic Retouching: AI-driven retouching tools can automatically smooth skin, adjust lighting, and enhance facial features, providing professional-grade edits in seconds. Traditional editors required extensive manual work to achieve similar results.
Content-Aware Editing: AI can recognize the context within an image, allowing for smart editing that adjusts colors, lighting, and contrast in a way that complements the entire scene. This feature provides a level of sophistication that manual editing often lacks.
Prompt-Based Editing: Some AI editors allow users to input text prompts like "remove glasses" or "change background," and the AI will execute the command flawlessly. This ease of use is a significant departure from the painstaking process of manual editing.
Real-Time Editing Suggestions: AI photo editors can offer real-time suggestions for improving your images, such as cropping, color correction, or applying certain filters, which can save time and enhance creativity.
Top 5 AI Photo Editors in 2024
While numerous photo editing tools use the power of AI to deliver premium results, these are the best AI photo editors in 2024:
Best Advanced and Versatile Image Editing Tool: Adobe Photoshop
Best AI-Driven Photo Editor: Luminar Neo
Best Easy-to-Use Editor: Pixlr
Best All-in-One Design Platform: Canva
Best Cost-Effective AI Editor with Office Suite: WPS Photos
Here's a detailed overview of the top AI image editors, including key features, pricing, advantages, and limitations for each tool:
1. Adobe Photoshop
It’s been over 30 years and Adobe Photoshop is still withstanding the title of the industry standard photo editor. Just when I was wondering what more Adobe Photoshop could introduce to its versatile feature list, it integrated AI within the tool. Its latest AI tools include tools such as the Remove Tool and Generative Fill, and they have indefinitely redefined what’s possible in photo editing.
The Remove Tool excels at flawlessly erasing unwanted objects from the images, while Generative Fill allows users to add or replace elements with simple text prompts, using the Adobe's Firefly AI model. These features, combined with Photoshop's elaborative suite of tools, make it an ultimate choice for creatives.
Key Features:
Generative Fill with Adobe Firefly AI: Add or replace elements in an image using text prompts, ideal for background replacements and seamless content adjustment.
Remove Tool: Efficiently removes unwanted objects or people, blending the replacement content naturally into the image.
Generative Expand: Extends images by generating new content, allowing for seamless canvas expansion and new element creation.
Neural Filters: AI-driven filters for adjusting facial expressions, color palettes, and removing compression artifacts.
Automatic Subject and Background Selection: Automatically selects subjects and backgrounds for easy, precise editing.
AI-Powered Subject Detection: Enhances background blurs by detecting subjects and adjusting the focal range for better depth of field effects.
Pricing: Adobe Photoshop is available through the Photography Plan, priced at $19.99 per month. This plan includes Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop on desktop and iPad, and 1TB of cloud storage with 500 AI credits. Additional AI credits can be purchased for $4.99 per 100 credits.
Ideal for: Professionals and enthusiasts seeking advanced image editing, seamless content adjustments, and enhanced background effects. Ideal for those needing comprehensive photo management and ample cloud storage.
2. Luminar Neo
Luminar Neo is a cutting-edge photo-editing app that is one of the first photo editing tools to fully embrace AI technology, making it stand out in the crowded industry of photo editing tools. It offers powerful AI-driven features like AI Enhance, which optimizes tone, contrast, and color automatically, and AI Sky Replacement, which effortlessly swaps out dull skies for more vibrant ones.
Luminar Neo offers unique tools like GenErase and GenExpand intelligently remove distractions or extend your image. The app’s AI capabilities also extend to smaller, more nuanced edits, such as automatic subject detection, AI crop suggestions, and precise facial adjustments.
Despite the extensive use of AI, Luminar Neo gives users control over the intensity of edits with adjustable sliders, ensuring personalized results. It is more specifically suited towards photographers, as Luminar Neo’s deep AI integration is essential to its functionality, offering a balanced workflow that combines speed and customization so you can save both time and effort in editing your photos.
Key Features:
AI-Powered Enhance: Automatically adjusts tone, contrast, and color to significantly improve image quality with minimal effort.
AI Sky Replacement: Replaces dull or blown-out skies with more dynamic options, transforming the mood and impact of your images.
GenErase: Intelligent removal of objects and distractions from images, making cleanup fast and seamless.
AI Subject Detection: Identifies the main subject of an image and suggests suitable presets, enhancing the focus and aesthetics.
AI Face and Skin Adjustments: Specially tailored for enhancing facial features and skin, including brightening eyes and reducing skin shine.
Structure AI: Enhances details and structure in specific areas of an image while maintaining a balanced overall look.
Pricing: Luminar Neo’s yearly subscription is currently priced at $49/year, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. It includes all AI image editing tools along with the basic tools. Alternatively, a one-time payment of $79 gives you lifetime access to all AI tools and basic tools until January 1, 2026, with no additional costs.
Ideal for: Photographers seeking advanced AI-driven editing tools with flexible subscription options.
3. Pixlr
Pixlr is an innovative and accessible online photo editing platform that blends ease of use with powerful AI-driven features. Pixlr has just recently revamped its software and has moved most of its advanced AI tools to the Pixlr X app, where you can effortlessly remove backgrounds, swap faces, and even generate vibrant new backdrops with just a few clicks. From a professional designer or someone looking to enhance personal photos anyone can find assistance they need in terms of advanced photo editing with Pixly. It also offers an affordable, web-based solution that packs a punch. With features like AI Cutout and object removal, Pixlr makes creative editing not just possible but enjoyable.
Key Features:
Generative Fill: Allows you to add or modify elements in an image by typing text prompts. This tool can seamlessly blend new content into your photos based on your description.
AI Face Swap: Easily replaces faces in images, ideal for creative projects or correcting photos. This feature ensures a natural look with minimal manual adjustments.
Generative Transform: Separates objects from their backgrounds so you can move, resize, or rotate them without affecting the rest of the image. This provides flexibility in repositioning elements.
Remove Background: Instantly removes backgrounds from images with a single click. This feature is useful for creating clean, professional-looking photos or isolating subjects.
Super Sharp: Enhances image sharpness and clarity with just one click. It’s perfect for correcting blurry photos or improving the overall detail in an image.
Backdrop: Allows you to change or generate new backgrounds for your images. You can either add effects to the existing background or create entirely new ones by entering descriptive prompts.
Pricing: Pixlr's Plus plan, priced at $1.99 per month, includes ad-free usage, unlimited saves, and 80 monthly AI credits. The Premium plan, at $7.99 per month, adds all Plus plan features plus 1000 monthly AI credits, private mode for AI generations, and access to a wide range of fonts, templates, and animations. Additional AI credits can be purchased for $2.99 per 200 credits.
Ideal for: Casual users and hobbyists who need an affordable, easy-to-use editor with powerful AI features.
4. Canva
Over the past two years, Canva has transformed itself into an even more powerful design tool, thanks to the introduction of AI-powered features. What was once a platform known for its simplicity in creating invitations, social media posts, and other designs is now a creative powerhouse.
With tools like Magic Design, you can type a simple prompt and instantly receive stunning, customized templates. Magic Media takes it a step further, allowing you to generate custom images and videos with just a few clicks. Need to adjust an image? Magic Eraser and Magic Edit make it easy to remove unwanted elements or make seamless edits.
These AI-driven innovations have taken Canva to the next level, making it an incredibly accessible and powerful design tool for users of all skill levels. Whether you’re new to design or a seasoned professional, Canva’s AI features help you create polished, personalized content with ease.
Key Features:
Magic Design: Generates custom design templates based on text prompts, making it easy to create tailored graphics quickly.
Magic Write: AI-powered writing assistant that generates text based on prompts and can be adjusted to fit your brand’s voice.
Magic Edit: Allows you to edit images by brushing over areas to add or change elements, providing quick and versatile image customization.
Magic Eraser: Removes unwanted objects or people from images with a simple brush tool, enhancing photo quality by eliminating distractions.
Magic Media: Converts text prompts into images or videos, allowing for the creation of custom visual content based on descriptive text.
Marketplace Integration: Connects with various apps, like ENHANCER AI, to extend functionality and integrate additional tools for enhanced image editing and design capabilities.
Pricing: Canva offers 50 free lifetime credits for trying out its AI editing tools. For more extensive use, upgrading to Canva Pro at $6.50 per month grants access to 500 credits and a range of additional premium features.
Ideal for: Designers, business owners, and creators looking to streamline design and content creation with AI-driven tools.
5. WPS Photos
There’s been no office suite transformation quite like WPS Office’s recent overhaul, and WPS Photos is a prime example of this change. Once a long-standing tool, WPS Photos has been revitalized with cutting-edge AI integration, bringing a host of powerful features to the forefront.
Now, WPS Photos not only provides classic photo editing but also excels with AI-driven capabilities at an impressively low cost and blazing speed. You can effortlessly upscale images, remove unwanted objects, and even erase backgrounds with just a few clicks. The AI enhancements make these tasks quicker and more accurate, ensuring that your photos look professional and polished in no time.
With these advancements, WPS Photos has positioned itself as a versatile and efficient tool for all your photo editing needs, making high-quality results accessible to everyone.
Key Features:
Simple and Intuitive Interface: Easy for users of all skill levels to navigate effortlessly. Designed for straightforward operation and quick learning.
Advanced AI: Includes automatic background removal, text enhancement, and other powerful tools for efficient editing. Utilizes advanced algorithms for superior results.
Versatile AI Features: Offers one-click background removal, image enhancement up to 4X, Magic Eraser, and watermark removal. Provides a range of tools for comprehensive photo editing.
Beginner-Friendly: Accessible for users without advanced editing skills. Ensures that even novices can achieve professional-quality results.
One-Step Office Suite Integration: Seamlessly integrates with WPS Office for smooth editing and inclusion of photos in documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Enhances workflow with minimal effort.
Pricing: WPS offers a free standard version with AI image editing tools, though images will have a watermark. For $20/month, WPS AI provides access to these tools plus a complete office suite with AI capabilities, making it a cost-effective option. New users can also take advantage of a free 7-day trial, offering excellent value beyond just photo editing.
Ideal for: Students or professionals seeking a sophisticated image editing tool with an integrated office suite for daily tasks.
How to Use WPS AI Photo Editor to Remove Objects:
Let’s see how the AI image editing feature of WPS AI can help us easily remove objects from images.
Step 1: Open the image containing unwanted objects using WPS Photos.
Step 2: On the WPS Photos interface, hover over the "Edit" button to reveal a drop-down menu, then select "AI Eraser".
Step 3: The image will open in the WPS Photos editor. Click on the "AI Eraser" tool.
Step 4: Simply place your cursor over the unwanted object and click on it once it is highlighted.
Note: WPS AI uses advanced capabilities to detect objects, so the unwanted object will be highlighted once you hover over it.
Step 5: Preview the image to check for any inconsistencies.
Step 6: To save the image after removing the object, click the "Save" button.
WPS Office offers a significant advantage by providing a comprehensive office suite that includes WPS Photos as part of its package. Using WPS Photos, it becomes clear that it was designed to deliver a fully integrated AI experience within the office suite. This seamless integration ensures that users not only benefit from advanced photo editing features but also enjoy a cohesive workflow across all office applications. The unified experience with WPS Photos highlights its role in enhancing productivity and making photo editing a natural part of the broader office suite environment.
Comparison of Top 5 AI Photo Editors
Here’s a brief overview of what each tool offers and their limitations. Consider the table below to get a glimpse of the features and capabilities of these AI photo editors.
Pros |
Cons |
Pricing |
|
---|---|---|---|
Adobe Photoshop |
- Industry-standard with extensive tools and AI features - Generative Fill and Remove Tool for advanced editing - Comprehensive suite with Neural Filters and AI-powered adjustments |
- Higher cost - Steep learning curve for beginners |
Photography Plan: $19.99/month (includes Lightroom, 1TB cloud storage, 500 AI credits, additional credits $4.99/100) |
Luminar Neo |
- Powerful AI-driven features like AI Enhance and AI Sky Replacement - Flexible editing with adjustable sliders - Lifetime access option |
- May be complex for casual users - Subscription or one-time payment required |
$49/year (or $79 one-time payment for lifetime access until 2026) |
Pixlr |
- Affordable with intuitive AI features - Easy background removal and face swapping - Web-based, accessible from any device |
- Less advanced than some other tools - Limited advanced editing capabilities |
Plus: $1.99/month (80 AI credits) Premium: $7.99/month (1000 AI credits, private mode) |
Canva |
- User-friendly with a wide range of design tools - AI features like Magic Design and Magic Eraser - Integrates with other apps for extended functionality |
- Limited advanced photo editing capabilities - Full features require a subscription |
Free with 50 lifetime credits Pro: $6.50/month (500 credits, additional features) |
WPS Photos |
- Cost-effective with powerful AI features - Includes background removal, image upscaling, and Magic Eraser - Integrates with WPS Office for seamless workflow |
- Limited advanced editing compared to some competitors - Watermark on free version |
Free standard version with watermark WPS AI: $20/month (includes office suite, free 7-day trial available) |
Bonus Tips: How to Convert JPG to PDF without Losing Format - Using WPS AI
Photos are essential productivity tools, but sharing them as PDFs can sometimes be a hassle. With WPS AI, you can effortlessly convert JPG files to PDF while preserving the format. Follow these simple steps to ensure your photos maintain their quality:
Step 1: Open the JPG image you want to convert to PDF in WPS Photos.
Step 2: In the WPS Photos interface, go to the top right corner, hover over the "Convert" button, and choose the "Picture to PDF" option.
Step 3: A Picture to PDF window will pop up. Check the settings, then click the "Convert" button to start the conversion process.
Step 4: An export dialog box will appear. Enter a name for your PDF file, select the save location, and click the "Export" button.
In my experience, WPS Office's feature for converting JPG images to PDF is not only the easiest but also the most comprehensive solution. It offers more than just conversion—it also provides a PDF tool that allows me to view, edit, and share the converted JPG to PDF files with others, all while maintaining proper formatting.
FAQs:
1. Is AI photo editing software suitable for beginners?
Yes, AI-powered photo editing tools are highly accessible for those new to photo editing. These tools are user-friendly, allowing even beginners to produce high-quality results effortlessly. Many of these applications come with pre-set options and automatic adjustments, making it simple for users to enhance their photos without requiring extensive editing skills.
2. Can AI photo editors replace traditional editing skills?
AI photo editing tools can streamline the editing process and simplify intricate adjustments, but they don't entirely replace traditional editing expertise. While these tools offer convenience and automation, manual editing skills remain crucial for achieving detailed, personalized results and maintaining creative control over your images.
Embracing the Future of Photo Editing with AI
The introduction of generative AI features across the best photo editors represents a remarkable shift in how photo editing can be made more convenient and effective. While there has been concern about job displacement due to AI advancements, it's important to focus on the opportunities these tools present. For professionals working with photo editing, WPS Office stands out as a superior choice. It not only saves time but also delivers premium results. If you're looking for a powerful and efficient photo editing solution, consider downloading WPS Office today.