How to Use AI to Improve Your Phone Photos for Free

Got blurry, low-light, or just plain bad photos? Artificial intelligence can completely transform them. And you don’t need to be a Photoshop expert or spend money. There are free tools that enhance quality, remove objects, restore old photos, and even change backgrounds. Here are the best ones and how to use them from your phone.

Table of contents

What AI can do with your photos

AI has revolutionized photo editing on mobile. What used to require a powerful computer and expensive software can now be done for free on your phone. Here are the main capabilities:

• Enhance quality: Increase resolution, reduce noise, and sharpen.
• Restore old photos: Remove scratches, stains, and improve color.
• Remove objects: Erase people, wires, or unwanted elements.
• Change backgrounds: Replace the background of a photo automatically.
• Adjust lighting: Correct dark or overexposed photos.
• Colorize black and white photos: Add color to old photos automatically.
• Generate professional effects: Background blur, bokeh effect, artistic styles.

Pro-tip: AI works best with decent quality photos. If a photo is extremely blurry or pixelated, results will be limited. But for regular photos that need a touch-up, AI works wonders.

Best free AI photo apps

Google Photos (best general option)

Google Photos has built-in AI features that are surprisingly good and completely free:

• “Enhance”: Automatically adjusts light, color, and contrast with AI.
• Background blur: Applies bokeh effect to already-taken photos.
• Object eraser: Removes unwanted elements with a tap.
• Colorize: Adds color to black and white photos.
• Create animations and collages: AI selects the best photos.

How to use the “Enhance” feature:

1. Open a photo in Google Photos.
2. Tap “Edit”.
3. Tap “Enhance” (the magic wand icon).
4. AI automatically adjusts the photo.
5. Save or share.

Snapseed (best for manual control + AI)

Snapseed by Google is free and combines manual tools with AI features:

• “Tune Image” with AI for automatic suggestions.
• “HDR Scape” for improving dynamic range.
• “Healing” for removing small objects.

Remini (best for quality enhancement)

Remini uses deep learning to enhance photo quality impressively:

• Enhances blurry and low-resolution photos.
• Restores old photos with detail.
• The free version has daily limits, but results are excellent.

PhotoRoom (best for backgrounds)

PhotoRoom is ideal if you need to remove or change backgrounds:

• Removes the background automatically with AI.
• Changes the background to colors, gradients, or images.
• Free version with watermark (can be cropped).

Cleanup.pictures (best for object removal)

Web tool (works from your phone browser) for removing objects from photos:

1. Open cleanup.pictures in your browser.
2. Upload the photo.
3. Select the object you want to remove.
4. AI erases it and fills in the gap.
5. Download the edited photo.

How to improve photos step by step

Enhance a blurry photo’s quality

1. Open the photo in Remini or Google Photos.
2. Select the enhancement or restoration option.
3. Wait a few seconds while AI processes.
4. Compare before and after.
5. Save the enhanced photo.

Remove an object or person from a photo

1. Open the photo in Google Photos → Edit → Tools → Erase.
2. Draw over the object you want to remove.
3. AI will erase it and fill in the background.
4. Save changes.

Restore an old photo

1. Scan the old photo with your phone (good lighting, no reflections).
2. Open Remini and upload the photo.
3. Select “Restore”.
4. AI will improve sharpness, remove scratches, and adjust color.
5. Download the result.

Change a photo’s background

1. Open PhotoRoom or Remove.bg.
2. Upload the photo.
3. AI removes the background automatically.
4. Choose a new background or leave it transparent.
5. Download the photo.

Tool comparison

Tips for better results with AI

1. Use good lighting when taking the photo. AI can improve photos, but it can’t create information that doesn’t exist. A photo taken with good light will always give better results after AI editing.

2. Don’t edit the same photo multiple times. Each time you save a photo, it loses quality. Edit in one go and save at the highest resolution possible.

3. Combine tools. Use Google Photos to adjust lighting, then Remini to enhance quality, and PhotoRoom if you need to remove the background.

4. Always save the original. Before editing, make a copy of the original photo. If you don’t like the AI result, you can start over.

Pro-tip: For photos of people, Remini is unbeatable. For landscape and product photos, Google Photos with the “Enhance” feature is usually enough. Try both and use whichever gives you the best result for each case.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions

Can AI make a very blurry photo sharp?

It can improve it significantly, but it can’t create detail that doesn’t exist in the original photo. The result depends on how much information the original photo has. If it’s extremely blurry, the enhancement will be limited.

Are these apps really free?

All have functional free versions. Some (like Remini) limit the number of daily enhancements in the free version. Google Photos and Snapseed are completely free.

Are my photos uploaded to the internet for processing?

It depends on the app. Google Photos processes in the cloud, so yes, your photos go through their servers. Remini too. Snapseed processes everything locally on your device. If privacy is a concern, use Snapseed.

Can I use AI for professional photos?

Absolutely. Professional photographers use AI tools to streamline their workflow. For professional use, there are also more advanced paid tools like Topaz Photo AI or Adobe Lightroom with AI features.

Conclusion

Using AI to improve your phone photos is easy, free, and the results can surprise you. From correcting a dark photo to restoring a photo of your grandparents, AI tools are available to anyone. Try Google Photos to start and Remini if you want more impressive results. Your photo gallery will thank you.