Which photo editing software shines?

Apple released its cleanup feature with iOS 18.1. This AI-powered tool removes unwanted people and objects from your images. It’s similar to Google’s flagship Magic Eraser, which has been live for a few years. The Clean Up feature has long been sought after by Apple users, especially since Google introduced its AI-editing tool on Google Pixel phones in 2021.

Apple developed its own version, hoping the technology and investment behind it would shine through and prove better than its competitors. The question is: Did Apple succeed with Clean Up? Here is a look at whether Apple’s Clean Up or Google’s Magic Eraser is the true AI photo editing winner.

Clean Up is more intuitive to use

It’s a time-saving alternative to Magic Eraser

To start the test, I used Clean Up on my iPhone 16 Pro to compare it with Magic Eraser on the Google Pixel 8 Pro. One thing that makes Apple stand out is how much faster it finds suggestions to crop out in pictures. It almost immediately highlights extra subjects in the surroundings, allowing you to delete them with the tap of a finger. In contrast, Google’s Magic Eraser takes longer to find suggestions, especially in images with too many background objects.

I used both tools to highlight objects in this picture of me at a goat farm. While Apple’s tool took less than a minute, I struggled with Magic Eraser on the Pixel to ensure it erased everything my iPhone had successfully removed. Google’s image looks more natural. I’m not sure why there’s blurring on the far right side of Apple’s version.

Magic Eraser is better at filling in backgrounds

You can’t even tell it’s AI-generated

Apple’s Clean Up is new, making it not as advanced as Google’s AI, especially when filling in pictures. I gave both photo editing tools a steep task: erase the gargantuan car from the picture above. Apple understood that deleting the car meant also deleting its reflection. When I circled the car, it highlighted the reflection to delete. Google didn’t do this. However, as shown above, it filled in the background nicely, making it almost imperceptible to the human eye to notice that this picture was edited.

The second picture I tried this with was one at the pool, where I tried to erase three pairs of feet. Apple’s edit looks a little more unnatural and AI-generated than Google’s, which makes me like Google’s edit more. The water looks much clearer and more subtle in Google’s edit.

Both are great at editing uncluttered pictures

Never worry about that pesky person in the background again

Both editing software programs excel when approached with a picture that seems easy to edit, like the one above, where only the two people outlined in the background need to be removed. Apple and Google identified what needed to be removed without me circling or outlining the problem. Both filled the background up equally well. As long as the picture is pretty uncluttered and the additional background objects are neatly outlined, Apple and Google are great at editing.

Apple is still new to the game

Clean Up was in beta until recently

Apple recently launched Clean Up, and it’s only available on certain newer iPhone models and iPads. In contrast, Google’s Magic Eraser has been available since the Pixel 6 series, so it has continued for three more generations. Apple’s, in contrast, is only available on the iPhone 15 line and up (excluding the iPhone 15). Those who don’t want to shell out a lot of cash but want stellar photo editing options can pick the more affordable Pixel 6 and stick with Magic Eraser.

Google holds the crown for now

Google’s Magic Eraser has been around longer, giving the company more time to perfect its offering. Magic Eraser does a great job rebuilding backgrounds and editing uncluttered pictures. It’s also available on more devices and can be accessed on the Google Photo app on iOS devices. It’s not the most intuitive, and Cleanup wins there for sure.

However, for now, Google is the leader in the game. It will be interesting to see how this year’s iteration of smartphones changes this narrative and if Apple plans to roll out a more updated version of Clean Up that packs more features.