Remove a Person from a Photo in Photoshop with Content-Aware Fill
Content-Aware Fill can convincingly remove people or objects in minutes. You’ll duplicate your layer, make a loose selection, apply Content-Aware Fill, and restore any overfilled areas with a mask. Finish by refining edges with the Content-Aware Patch Tool while avoiding obvious repeats.
Step-by-step instructions
Duplicate the base layer
In the Layers panel, hold Alt/Option and drag the Background layer up to duplicate (or press Ctrl/Cmd+J).
Work non-destructively on the duplicate layer.
Make a loose selection around the person
Choose the Lasso Tool (use the Pen Tool for complex subjects if needed).
Draw a rough selection around the subject with a bit of padding; adding Feather is optional.
Fill the selection with Content-Aware
Go to Edit → Fill.
Set Contents: Content-Aware and leave Blending options at default.
Click OK to generate the initial removal.
Mask back original details where needed
With the filled layer active, click the Add Layer Mask icon.
Using a soft round brush, paint black on the mask to reveal original areas where the fill looks wrong; paint white to reapply the fill as needed.
Refine using the Patch Tool (Content-Aware)
Select the Patch Tool and set Patch: Content-Aware in the Options bar.
Select mismatched or blurry regions, then drag the selection over a similar area to borrow texture and align edges.
Press Ctrl/Cmd+Z to undo and try again as needed; avoid creating repeated, symmetrical patterns by patching over duplicates.
Final cleanup and merge
When satisfied, select the top layers and press Ctrl/Cmd+E to merge (optionally keep another copy of the original for reference).
Zoom in and do one more pass with the Patch Tool to fix any remaining blur or repeating details.
