How to Remove Tourists from Travel Photos (Before & After Tips)
Get crowd-free travel photos: how to shoot landmarks with fewer people, then remove tourists from photos on your iPhone with an AI eraser for clean shots.
By Ayoub Farid · · 3 min read
You traveled all the way to the famous viewpoint and so did a few hundred other people. Crowd-free landmark photos on social media are usually the result of two things: smart shooting and a bit of cleanup afterwards. Here's how to do both.
Part 1: Shoot with fewer people in the frame
Go early (or late)
The hour after sunrise is the quietest time at most landmarks, and the light is softer too. The last hour before closing is the next best option.
Change your angle
Shooting slightly upward hides people at ground level and puts the landmark against the sky. Getting low with your phone works for buildings and statues.
Use people as a frame, not a wall
If you can't avoid crowds, shoot from where people are at the edges of the frame. Edge figures are much easier to erase than people in the middle.
Take several shots
Crowds move. Take a burst of photos a few seconds apart and pick the one where the fewest people overlap the landmark or your subject.
Mind the overlap
Before you press the shutter, check whether anyone is standing directly in front of your travel companion. That's the one thing that's hard to fix later.
Part 2: Remove tourists with an AI eraser
1. Start with the biggest distractions
Open the photo in Erase Spark, choose Remove Object and paint over the person closest to the camera or most in focus.
2. Work in small batches
Erase one to three people at a time. Each pass gives the AI a smaller, easier gap to fill.
3. Include shadows and bags
Paint over shadows, backpacks, selfie sticks and anything people are holding.
4. Leave tiny background figures
People far in the distance often read as "life" in the scene. Removing all of them can make a busy city look strangely empty — and adds more chances for artifacts.
5. Compare before and after
Use the before/after slider to check for repeated patterns or smudges. Re-erase any small leftovers.
For a deeper look at brushing technique, see how to remove people from photos.
What's easy and what's hard
| Scene | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| People on a beach, lawn or plaza | Easy |
| People in front of a plain wall or sky | Easy |
| People in front of detailed architecture | Medium |
| Dense crowds covering the landmark | Hard |
| Someone overlapping your travel companion | Hard |
When a gap looks odd after erasing, try replacing it with something that belongs, like "a stone bench" or "a potted plant".
Try it on your own trip photos
Erase Spark lets you clean up holiday photos right on your iPhone: brush over the crowd, erase, save. You can also remove other objects like signs, cones and trash cans. Free to download on iPhone and iPad.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get photos of landmarks without people?
Shoot early in the morning, use a higher or lower angle, take several shots, then remove the remaining people with an AI eraser.
Can AI remove a whole crowd from a photo?
Small groups, yes. Very dense crowds are hard because the AI has to invent a large part of the scene. Erase people in small batches for the best result.
Is it OK to remove strangers from my travel photos?
For personal photos and social posts, yes — it's a common edit. Avoid it when a photo needs to be an accurate record, like news or evidence.
Do I need a computer to remove tourists from photos?
No. You can do it on your iPhone with an AI eraser app in a few seconds per person.