How to Remove Tourists From Your Travel Photos
Written by Mordechai Peretz · Updated: October 8, 2026 · 5 min read
To remove tourists from a travel photo, open it in an AI photo editor and say who should go. In NeedPS you pick Remove person/object and type, for example, "remove all the tourists behind us". The people are removed, the landmark and the street behind them are rebuilt, and the people you keep are built to stay recognizable.
For a very crowded scene, two passes usually give a cleaner result than one: first the people closest to you, then the ones further back. Below: step by step, how to describe who should go, and how to shoot so there is less to remove.
How to remove tourists, step by step
- 1
Start from the original photo
Use the file from your camera roll, not a screenshot or a copy sent through a chat app.
- 2
Open Remove person/object
Pick the photo. There is nothing to outline or brush.
- 3
Type who should go
"Remove all the people behind us", "remove the tourists on the stairs", or "remove the man in the red jacket on the left".
- 4
Check the background
Zoom in on the area the people covered: columns, windows and lines of tiles are where a fill shows first.
- 5
Do a second pass if needed
Each result becomes the base for the next edit, so you can remove the remaining few people one request at a time.
How to describe who should go
- By place: "behind us", "on the left", "on the stairs", "in front of the fountain"
- By clothing: "the woman in the yellow raincoat", "the group with the backpacks"
- By what to keep: "remove everyone except the two of us in the middle"
- Leftovers: if a shadow or a reflection stays behind, ask for it too, for example "and his shadow on the ground"
What works well and what is harder
Tourists in the background, a stranger who walked into the frame and a small group in front of a monument usually come out clean. The background behind them is rebuilt from what the rest of the photo shows.
Harder cases: a person who overlaps or touches someone you want to keep, a crowd that fills most of the frame, and a landmark that is almost completely hidden. When most of a building is covered, the rebuilt part is the app's best guess, not the real building, so check it before you print or share.
How to shoot so there is less to remove
- Go early: the first hour after sunrise is the emptiest at almost every famous spot
- Shoot a few frames a few seconds apart; people move and one frame is usually cleaner
- Get lower and closer: a lower angle hides people behind your subject
- Leave the crowd for the edit: frame the shot you want and remove the rest afterwards
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove tourists from a photo on my phone?
Open the photo in NeedPS, choose Remove person/object and type who should go, for example "remove all the tourists behind us". The people are removed and the background behind them is rebuilt.
Can I remove a whole crowd?
Yes, but for a very crowded scene two passes usually work better: first the people closest to you, then the rest. If the crowd hides most of a building, check the rebuilt part, since it is the app's best guess of what was behind them.
Will my face or my friends' faces change?
The edit is aimed at the people you describe, and NeedPS is built to keep the remaining faces recognizable. AI results can vary, so if anything looks off, run it again.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Yes. NeedPS is an app for iPhone and Android, and you can type your request in any language.
Is it free to try?
Yes. NeedPS gives you free edits to start, as a guest and when you sign up, and they work on every tool. After that there are credit packs and monthly plans, priced by your app store in your local currency.
Want to try it on your own photo?
Download NeedPS, upload a photo and type what you want, in any language. That is all.
Download NeedPS free