No People in the Photo and Still No AI

Friday 11 July 2025, 16:32 by Nando Harmsen | 2,295 views | 4 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Are you at a public location? There are always people walking through your frame.
If you don't want people in the shot, you can use all kinds of AI tricks. Or you can use the old-fashioned method of taking multiple exposures.

I was in Iceland at a well-known black church on the beach. As with so many popular locations, it was busy with tourists.
If you don't want people in the photo, that becomes a challenge. The least inspiring way is to remove them with AI tricks.

There are always people in the frame. Once these are gone, another busload of new ones arrives.
It can also be done differently, the old-fashioned way.
You can wait until everyone is out of the frame, but that can be difficult and time-consuming. It might not even work.

Hiding people with a different composition
Do you have a tripod with you? Then you can use multiple exposures. You take one photo with people in one position, and another with people in a different position. You then combine these in Photoshop, using a mask to hide the people.

A photo with people in one position

A photo with people in a different position

Use as many photos as needed to mask the people with masks.
I think this is a neater way than using AI. With AI, the people are replaced by a piece of the surroundings invented by software. This can lead to strange results and things that don't exist.

People are constantly in the frame, but easily removed using three photos. No AI was involved.
There are also situations where the technique of taking multiple shots doesn't work. Especially when it is very busy. But in that case, it might be better to accept the crowds as something that characterises the surroundings.

Or you can go back when there won't be anyone there.
In Iceland, that can be in the middle of the night during summer, because it never gets dark.

Share: WhatsApp Facebook

About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

Does AI generative removal make you a lazy photographer?
by Nando Harmsen
The Hidden Costs of Using AI
by Nando Harmsen
Adobe's AI credit system
by Nando Harmsen
Lightroom update with generative AI
by Nando Harmsen
Finding the best locations for street photography
by Michiel Heijmans
Using AI to create moodboards
by Elja Trum

Show every article in Tips and tricks

home

4 comments

Walter wrote on Tuesday 15 July 2025 at 11:46 | reply
Text-wise, no AI was involved.
I miss the long exposure with ND filter option?
I have another "problem", no people where my client does want people in the frame
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 15 July 2025 at 16:14 | reply
Indeed. That option is there too.
However, that option does not always work, because sometimes people simply remain stationary in one place for too long. Or because of the long shutter speed, clouds or water appear blurred in the photo. That is not always what is wanted.
Translated from Dutch.

PvRFotografie wrote on Wednesday 16 July 2025 at 15:08 | reply
What you can also do instead of masking is import the photos as layers, create a smart object and then via Layer->Smart objects->Stack mode choose 'Median'. Photoshop removes all unwanted people that way. Which can be useful if you have many more people in the photos.
Translated from Dutch.

P. Kooijman wrote on Wednesday 16 July 2025 at 19:13 | reply
I would also choose a long shutter speed with an ND filter. If you have a tripod with you, at least.
Translated from Dutch.

Have your say

Please note: Articles older than a week can only be commented on by signed-in visitors.
Would you still like to comment? sign in or create a free account.

Become a better photographer every week

A practical photography tip in your inbox every week.
39,179 photography enthusiasts already receive the tips! More about the weekly mail. Or keep up to date via Facebook. Sign-up secured with Google reCaptcha.

Elja Trum

Photofacts; everything to do with photography!

Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about Photofacts

Photofacts is made possible in part by