What is inpainting and how do I use it?
Inpainting lets you regenerate specific parts of an image while keeping the rest intact. It’s essential for fixing mistakes and refining AI art.
Common uses:
- Fixing distorted hands or faces
- Changing clothing or accessories
- Replacing backgrounds
- Adding or removing objects
- Correcting anatomy issues
How to inpaint:
- Select area: Paint a mask over the region to regenerate
- Write prompt: Describe what should appear in that area
- Adjust settings: Set denoising strength (0.5-0.8 typical)
- Generate: AI fills the masked area while matching surroundings
Tips for better inpainting:
- Mask slightly larger than the problem area
- Include context in your prompt
- Lower denoising = subtle changes; higher = dramatic changes
- Multiple passes often needed for complex fixes
Available in:
- Stable Diffusion (all interfaces)
- DALL-E (edit mode)
- Midjourney (vary region)
- Adobe Firefly (Generative Fill)
- Leonardo.ai (AI Canvas)
Inpainting transforms AI art from “generate and hope” to precise, iterative refinement.