Microsoft Unveils “Magic Eraser” for Windows Photos
Microsoft recently announced an AI-powered photo eraser tool for Windows Photos, providing an easy way for users to remove unwanted elements from their images. Here are 5 key things to know:
1. Improved Version of Spot Fix
The new Magic Eraser is an upgraded iteration of the existing Spot Fix feature in Windows Photos. While Spot Fix could already erase sections of photos, Microsoft says its generative eraser can produce even smoother and more realistic results.
2. Removes Large Objects
The enhanced intelligence enables Magic Eraser to realistically remove large objects like people or cluttered backgrounds from images. Google and Samsung offer similar AI-backed erasers on their mobile devices, but those are mostly limited to newer flagship phone models.
3. Available on Windows PCs
Microsoft's version notably provides access to the AI photo eraser on both desktop and laptop PCs running Windows. Users simply need to open the Photos editor and choose the "Erase" option to get started.
4. Masks Elements for Removal
To erase elements, users create a mask overlay with the Eraser brush over the objects they wish to eliminate. The brush size can also be adjusted to easily mask larger or thicker subjects. Multiple elements can be selected before erasing everything together.
5. Currently Limited Availability
For now, access to Magic Eraser is extremely limited. It has not yet been widely released and is only usable by Windows Insiders via the Photos app on 64-bit Arm versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11.
As Microsoft moves the new Magic Eraser through testing, it promises to make removing unwanted people, objects, and clutter from images easier than ever before directly on Windows devices. The tool notably brings an AI capability that Google and Samsung have restricted just to their latest premium smartphones out to the mainstream PC masses.
