5 Best Photoshop Generative Fill Alternatives in 2026

What Generative Fill Actually Does

Photoshop's Generative Fill (introduced 2023) lets you select an area + optionally type a prompt, and AI replaces the selection with new content. Common uses:

• Remove unwanted objects (people in background, watermarks, blemishes)
• Extend image canvas (outpainting)
• Replace skies, change clothing, swap backgrounds
• Add new elements via text prompt

For watermark removal, scratch repair, and object cleanup, you don't actually need the prompt-driven generative power. Plain LaMa-based inpainting (which BigImg, Cleanup.pictures, and others use) does the same thing for 80% of cases.

Quick Comparison

1. BigImg (Best Free Web)

Disclosure: this is BigImg's blog. BigImg's inpainting uses the LaMa model — the same one that powered Cleanup.pictures and many open-source tools. Draw a box over what you want removed, AI fills it. No prompt needed for basic cleanup, which is what most users actually want.

Best for: watermark removal, scratch / blemish cleanup, removing small unwanted objects. Free, browser-based, no signup.

Where Photoshop wins: prompt-driven generation ("replace the sky with a sunset"), large region fill (>30% of image), face-aware inpainting.

2. Cleanup.pictures

Direct competitor to BigImg, also LaMa-based. Free version capped at 720p output.

Tradeoffs: 720p limit means HD images get downscaled before processing. BigImg keeps full resolution.

3. Adobe Firefly Web (firefly.adobe.com)

Adobe's standalone Firefly product — same generative model as Photoshop's Generative Fill but accessed via web, with free credits each month.

Best for: Adobe quality without subscribing to Creative Cloud. Free credits reset monthly.

Tradeoffs: credits run out fast on heavy use. Output watermarked on free tier as "Adobe Firefly".

4. Stable Diffusion + ControlNet (local)

Run inpainting on your own GPU via AUTOMATIC1111 / ComfyUI. Most powerful + customizable, but most setup work.

Best for: developers, privacy-strict workflows, unlimited usage at high quality.

Tradeoffs: requires NVIDIA GPU with ≥ 8GB VRAM, hours of setup, learning curve.

5. ChatGPT / Gemini with image editing

Newer LLMs (GPT-4o image gen, Gemini 2.0) can do prompt-based inpainting in chat. Very ad-hoc but no extra tool needed.

Best for: users already in ChatGPT Plus / Gemini Advanced.

Tradeoffs: not designed for bulk; output quality varies; conversational interface adds friction.

When You Actually Need Photoshop

• Prompt-based generation — "add a vase on the table", "replace this background with mountains"
• Face inpainting — Photoshop's face-aware logic beats generic LaMa
• Large mask regions (>30% of image) — generative diffusion handles these; LaMa blurs
• Pro retouching workflows — layers, masks, history, non-destructive edits

For everything else (watermarks, small objects, scratches, date stamps), free AI inpainting now matches Photoshop's output for <1/100th the cost.

Which Should You Pick?

• Just removing watermarks / small objects? → BigImg or Cleanup.pictures
• Want Photoshop quality without CC? → Adobe Firefly Web
• Pro retoucher / heavy daily use? → Photoshop is worth $20/mo
• Developer / unlimited? → Stable Diffusion local