9 AI Image Editing Operations That Replace Photoshop (For Non-Designers)

Photoshop is powerful. It's also complex, expensive, and requires hundreds of hours to master.

For most people—content creators, marketers, entrepreneurs—you don't need to master Photoshop. You need to accomplish specific image editing tasks quickly.

AI image editing changes the equation. Instead of learning complex selection tools, layers, and blend modes, you describe what you want in plain language. The AI does the technical work.

This guide covers nine AI image editing operations that handle 90% of common image editing needs—no design skills required.

The Nine Operations

Operation	What It Does	Common Use Case
1. Background Removal	Isolates subject from background	Product photos, headshots
2. Background Replacement	Swaps background with new scene	Product placement, portraits
3. Object Removal	Erases unwanted elements	Cleanup, decluttering
4. Inpainting	Fills selected areas with new content	Adding/changing elements
5. Outpainting	Extends image beyond original borders	Expanding compositions
6. Style Transfer	Applies artistic styles	Creative effects
7. Face Enhancement	Improves facial features	Portrait retouching
8. Colorization	Converts B&W to color	Historic photos, creative work
9. Super Resolution	Upscales image quality	Enlarging, enhancing

Let's dive into each one.

---

1. Background Removal

What it does: Isolates the main subject and removes everything else, leaving a transparent or solid background.

Traditional Method (Photoshop)

1. Select the Quick Selection Tool
2. Carefully trace around subject
3. Refine edge (especially hair/fur)
4. Invert selection
5. Delete background
6. Touch up missed areas

Time: 10-30 minutes (more for complex edges)

AI Method

1. Upload image
2. Click "Remove Background"
3. Done

Time: 10-30 seconds

Use Cases

• E-commerce: Product photos on white/transparent
• Marketing: Place products in lifestyle scenes
• Social media: Consistent headshot style
• Design: Extract elements for compositions

Tips for Best Results

• Clean subject edges: AI handles most, but very complex edges (fine hair, lace) may need touching up
• Good contrast helps: Subject should be distinct from background
• Single subject ideal: Multiple subjects can confuse detection

Before/After Example

• Before: Person standing in front of cluttered office
• After: Person on clean white background, ready for professional use

---

2. Background Replacement

What it does: Removes the existing background and replaces it with a new scene or environment.

Traditional Method (Photoshop)

1. Remove background (see above)
2. Find/create new background
3. Place subject on new background
4. Match lighting and color
5. Add shadows and reflections
6. Blend edges

Time: 30-60 minutes (for professional results)

AI Method

1. Upload image
2. Describe new background: "Modern office with large windows, natural light"
3. Generate

Time: 1-2 minutes

Use Cases

• Product photography: Place products in lifestyle contexts
• Real estate: Show furniture in empty rooms
• E-commerce: Consistent backgrounds across catalog
• Creative: Place subjects in impossible locations

Prompt Examples

"Minimalist home interior with natural lighting and plants"
"Professional studio backdrop with soft gradient"
"Outdoor cafe setting, sunny day, blurred background"
"Abstract gradient background, soft pink to blue"

Tips for Best Results

• Match lighting direction: Describe lighting that matches your subject
• Be specific about style: "Modern," "cozy," "professional" guide the result
• Consider shadows: Some systems add realistic shadows automatically

---

3. Object Removal

What it does: Erases unwanted objects from an image and fills the area with appropriate content.

Traditional Method (Photoshop)

1. Select object with Lasso Tool
2. Use Content-Aware Fill
3. Touch up artifacts
4. Rebuild missing texture/pattern
5. Match surrounding area

Time: 5-20 minutes (depending on complexity)

AI Method

1. Upload image
2. Mask the object to remove (paint over it)
3. Click "Remove"
4. AI fills with appropriate content

Time: 30 seconds - 1 minute

Use Cases

• Photo cleanup: Remove photobombers, trash, signs
• Product photos: Remove props, tags, imperfections
• Real estate: Remove clutter, personalization
• Social media: Clean up distracting elements

What AI Handles Well

• People in backgrounds
• Small objects (wires, signs, trash)
• Repetitive patterns (extending grass, sky, walls)
• Watermarks (ethical use only)

What's Challenging

• Large central objects
• Complex scenes behind removed object
• Objects touching/overlapping subject
• Removing object shadows

Pro Tip

For large object removal, do it in stages. Remove part of the object, let AI fill, then remove more. This gives better results than removing everything at once.

---

4. Inpainting

What it does: Fills a selected area with AI-generated content based on your text prompt.

Traditional Method (Photoshop)

Varies wildly depending on what you're adding. Could involve:

• Finding stock assets
• Cutting and placing
• Matching lighting and perspective
• Extensive blending

Time: 30 minutes to hours

AI Method

1. Upload image
2. Select area to modify
3. Describe what to add: "A red coffee mug on the desk"
4. Generate

Time: 1-2 minutes

Use Cases

• Product mockups: Add items to scenes
• Creative editing: Add elements to photos
• Correction: Replace damaged/missing areas
• Visualization: Show "what if" scenarios

Prompt Examples

"A golden retriever sitting on the floor"
"A modern laptop on the desk"
"A bouquet of flowers in a vase"
"A window with sunlight streaming through"

Tips for Best Results

• Be specific: "Coffee mug" vs. "Red ceramic coffee mug with steam rising"
• Match the scene: Describe elements that fit the image's style and lighting
• Appropriate selection: Select enough area for the object plus natural surroundings

---

5. Outpainting

What it does: Extends the image beyond its original borders, generating new content that matches the existing image.

Traditional Method (Photoshop)

1. Expand canvas
2. Manually extend/recreate each element
3. Match colors, textures, perspectives
4. Blend seamlessly

Time: 30 minutes to hours

AI Method

1. Upload image
2. Select direction(s) to extend (top, bottom, left, right)
3. Optionally describe what should appear
4. Generate

Time: 1-2 minutes

Use Cases

• Wrong aspect ratio: Expand portrait to landscape (or vice versa)
• Social media: Adapt images for different platform formats
• More breathing room: Extend to add space around subjects
• Creative expansion: See what AI imagines beyond the frame

Direction Options

• Top: Extend sky, ceilings, headroom
• Bottom: Extend floors, ground, foreground
• Left/Right: Widen scenes, add side elements
• All: Expand entire frame equally

Prompt Examples

Extending a beach photo left: "More sandy beach and ocean waves"
Extending a portrait up: "More sky with soft clouds"
Extending a room right: "More of the modern living room interior"

Pro Tips

• Smaller expansions work better: Extend 25-50% at a time, not 200%
• Guide with prompts: Describe what should appear in extended area
• Match existing style: AI tries to match, but prompts help

---

6. Style Transfer

What it does: Applies an artistic style to your image while preserving the content.

Traditional Method (Photoshop)

1. Find reference style image
2. Apply various filters and adjustments
3. Hand-paint effects
4. Hours of manual work

Time: Hours for convincing results

AI Method

1. Upload image
2. Select or describe style: "Oil painting," "Anime," "Pencil sketch"
3. Generate

Time: 1-2 minutes

Available Styles (Typical)

Style	Effect
Oil painting	Rich, textured, classic art
Watercolor	Soft, flowing, artistic
Pencil sketch	Line drawing, black and white
Anime/Cartoon	Japanese animation style
Pop art	Bold colors, graphic style
Vintage/Film	Aged, nostalgic look
Cyberpunk	Neon, futuristic, high-tech
Low poly	Geometric, faceted style

Use Cases

• Social media: Eye-catching visual style
• Marketing: Unique branded imagery
• Gifts: Transform photos into art
• Creative: Explore artistic interpretations

Tips for Best Results

• Clear source image: Higher quality source = better style transfer
• Match style to content: Not every style suits every image
• Experiment: Try multiple styles on the same image

---

7. Face Enhancement

What it does: Improves facial features in portraits—smoothing skin, enhancing details, improving lighting.

Traditional Method (Photoshop)

1. Frequency separation for skin
2. Dodge and burn for lighting
3. Liquify for subtle reshaping
4. Eye enhancement
5. Hair cleanup
6. Color grading

Time: 30-60 minutes per portrait

AI Method

1. Upload portrait
2. Select enhancement level (subtle to strong)
3. Generate

Time: 30 seconds

What It Enhances

• Skin: Smoothing, blemish reduction
• Eyes: Brightening, sharpening
• Lighting: Even out harsh shadows
• Details: Sharpen important features
• Color: Natural skin tone correction

Ethical Considerations

• Consent: Only enhance photos you have rights to
• Transparency: Don't present heavily edited photos as unedited
• Body image: Be thoughtful about unrealistic enhancement
• Appropriate use: Don't use to deceive

Tips for Best Results

• Subtle is usually better: Heavy enhancement looks artificial
• Good source photo helps: Enhancement improves, doesn't fix
• Match to purpose: Professional headshot vs. casual social post

---

8. Colorization

What it does: Converts black and white images to realistic color.

Traditional Method (Photoshop)

1. Create color layers for each element
2. Hand-select every region
3. Paint colors with appropriate blend modes
4. Adjust saturation and hue
5. Match historical accuracy (if relevant)

Time: 1-3 hours for quality results

AI Method

1. Upload B&W image
2. Click "Colorize"
3. Done (or optionally guide with prompts)

Time: 30 seconds - 1 minute

Use Cases

• Historic photos: Bring family history to life
• Restoration: Complete old photo restoration
• Creative: Artistic colorization choices
• Content creation: Enhance archival footage

Accuracy Notes

• AI makes educated guesses about colors
• Historical photos may have inaccurate colors
• You can often guide: "The car is red, the dress is blue"
• Skin tones are usually accurate; specific objects vary

Tips for Best Results

• Higher resolution = better results
• Good contrast in B&W source helps
• Guide specific colors if historically important
• Multiple generations may yield better options

---

9. Super Resolution

What it does: Upscales images while enhancing detail and reducing artifacts.

Traditional Method (Photoshop)

1. Preserve Details 2.0 upscaling
2. Sharpening
3. Noise reduction
4. Manual detail enhancement
5. Artifact cleanup

Time: 15-30 minutes

AI Method

1. Upload image
2. Select scale (2x, 4x)
3. Generate

Time: 30 seconds - 2 minutes

How It Works

AI doesn't just make pixels bigger—it generates new detail that's plausible for the image. It "imagines" what higher resolution would look like.

Use Cases

• Old photos: Restore quality to low-res images
• Social media grabs: Enhance screenshots
• Print preparation: Upscale for large prints
• Cropped images: Recover usable resolution after cropping

Scale Options

Scale	Best For
2x	Slight improvement, fast
4x	Significant upscaling, more processing

Tips for Best Results

• Start with the best source you have
• Don't expect miracles: Very low resolution can't be fully recovered
• Multiple passes: Sometimes 2x twice beats 4x once
• Check detail areas: Faces, text, fine patterns show quality best

---

Combining Operations

Real editing often combines multiple operations:

Example Workflow: Product Photo

1. Background Removal: Extract product
2. Super Resolution: Enhance if source is low-res
3. Background Replacement: Place in lifestyle context
4. Inpainting: Add complementary props

Example Workflow: Portrait Retouching

1. Background Removal: Get clean backdrop
2. Face Enhancement: Subtle skin smoothing
3. Background Replacement: Professional setting
4. Style Transfer (optional): Add artistic flair

Example Workflow: Social Media

1. Outpainting: Adjust aspect ratio for platform
2. Object Removal: Clean up distracting elements
3. Inpainting: Add branded elements
4. Style Transfer: Match brand aesthetic

---

AI Image Editing vs. Traditional Tools

Factor	Photoshop	AI Image Editing
Learning curve	Months-years	Minutes
Speed	Minutes-hours per edit	Seconds-minutes
Precision control	Maximum	Limited
Creative exploration	Requires skill	Accessible
Cost	$23+/month	Varies (often included)
Edge cases	Handles everything	May struggle

Best approach: Use AI for 90% of tasks. Learn basic Photoshop for the 10% that needs precise control.

---

Getting Started

Week 1: Basic Operations

• Try background removal on 5 images
• Experiment with object removal
• Test super resolution on old photos

Week 2: Creative Operations

• Try style transfer on various images
• Experiment with inpainting (adding elements)
• Test outpainting for aspect ratio changes

Week 3: Workflows

• Combine 2-3 operations in sequence
• Build templates for common use cases
• Identify which operations you use most

Ongoing

• Refine prompts for better results
• Build a library of useful workflows
• Stay current as capabilities improve

---

Ready to edit images without Photoshop? NovaKit's Image Editing offers all 9 operations—background removal, replacement, object removal, inpainting, outpainting, style transfer, face enhancement, colorization, and super resolution. No design skills required.