After trying iOS 18.1's Clean Up feature on my photos, this Apple Intelligence addition proves that AI image editing is no longer an Android exclusive.
I just tried Apple Intelligence’s Photos Clean Up feature — and it feels magical : Read more
There is absolutely nothing magical about it. Sometimes I think Apple force changes (poorly executed beta ones, no less) to try to make older products obsolete sooner and/or so that customers have to pay annual fees for apps they otherwise would not need because Clean Up is not an improvement. The only thing that could make some sense is if they’re planning to actually develop Clean Up and restore Retouch within it as well as add other tools.
“Clean Up” feels like it us the earliest stages of beta testing — from where it is oddly located in photos (not intuitive) to how ineffective it is to retouch photos (a downgrade), etc. It distorts pixels and cannot handle small area or detailed backgrounds. It is Mess Up. And Retouch, which has worked intuitively and elegantly as intended, must be restored.
I found it interesting that Apple Support knew literally nothing about the change when I contacted them. Ultimately the support guy, who was super nice, confirmed it was eliminated. I had told him that, but he kept wanting to help me "restore" it to "Photos." I said, that's not going to happen unless you can free my computer of Sequoia. He said that was impossible, but he really thought he could restore "Retouch" and he and his coworkers had never heard of "Clean up." He put me on hold a few times and then came back after the last time I was on hold and said, "Yes, they eliminated it."
They need to bring Retouch back. Have retouch and clean up because it’s not like they have to spend time or resources to develop either of them. I'm sure the engineers who designed "Clean Up" are very proud of it despite the fact there was no need for it and it very much appears unfinished. Keep it for them.
“Clean Up” does not retouch a photo like the correctly named “Retouch” does. Instead, editing takes longer and isn't as smooth. Clean Up is messy. When it “cleans,” it is not subtle. And Clean Up has one little bell and whistle. It lights when you are using the messy cleaning tool." Whoohoo.
It makes me wonder if Apple “invents” the “changes" like the needless and annoying “Clean Up” when Apple isn't making significant hardware or software changes so as to justify cost increases, their jobs, increase app subscriptions, etc. Apple consumers didn’t want Retouch eliminated and certainly were not clamoring for "Clean Up." And while it is a change, it is not an improvement.
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