4.3 – Adding or Removing Objects with Generative Fill Lesson

Lesson Overview

Visual consistency is an essential step when turning still images into animated scenes with AI tools. Animating images containing static effects—like a lightning bolt—can confuse animation software, resulting in unnatural movement or conflicting layers. In this lesson, you’ll see how to use generative fill features to remove distractions (like a pre-existing lightning bolt) and clean up your images before animating. You’ll also learn the basics of adding items to a scene, such as dropping in a broken down car to set the right mood or context.

These image adjustments are especially useful for anyone looking to animate stills or prepare content for motion design. Even small edits help maintain continuity from shot to shot and simplify the animation process later. Generative fill matches lighting and color, making additions or removals appear as if they were part of the original photo. This technique is relevant wherever you need to polish, adapt, or creatively direct the content of your visuals prior to animation.

Who This Is For

Whether you’re polishing up promotional videos, experimenting with AI storytelling, or working on animation projects, this lesson is relevant if you want control over visual content. You’ll find this useful if you are:

• A content creator prepping artwork for video or animation
• An educator making image-based learning materials
• A solo filmmaker building scenes from stills
• A social media manager refining campaign visuals
• Anyone using AI image tools to prepare photos for dynamic use

Where This Fits in a Workflow

Adjusting your images with generative fill typically occurs after initial image creation and before final color or aspect ratio edits. This step ensures that your images are free of conflicting elements that could complicate animation—like static lightning in a sky you want to animate later. For example, removing a visible lightning bolt allows you to prompt its appearance dynamically in the animation phase, creating a more natural effect. Alternatively, if a scene needs more depth, you can add objects such as abandoned vehicles to set the atmosphere. This workflow step makes sure every image is both clean and flexible for the next stages of editing and animation.

Technical & Workflow Benefits

Relying on generative fill for edits saves you from repetitive, manual retouching that might involve tedious cloning or blending by hand. The older, manual way could lead to mismatched lighting or awkward edits visible during motion. With generative fill, edits not only blend better with the surrounding scene, but also give you creative flexibility to quickly test different looks—like adding three versions of a broken down car and picking the best one. This method prevents animation issues caused by unwanted static features in your stills and ensures objects you add or remove are integrated naturally. The end result is smoother, quicker prep work and better-animated outcomes.

Practice Exercise

Download or select a still image with a prominent object—such as a sign, vehicle, or shape in the background. Try these steps:

1. Use a lasso or selection tool to outline the object you want to remove.
2. Apply generative fill with an empty prompt to see how naturally the object can disappear.
3. Next, select a new area and add a simple object (try prompting “broken down car” or similar).

After making these changes, compare the edited image to the original. Does the sky, lighting, or background blend naturally where you made the change? Reflect on how these edits might affect the image if it were moved or animated.

Course Context Recap

This lesson builds on your understanding of arranging and prepping AI-generated images for animation. Earlier lessons covered selecting and adjusting images and aspect ratios, while upcoming lessons focus on color tweaks, final checks, and bringing images into animation tools like Kling AI. Continue exploring the course to learn how each editing choice makes animating your AI movies easier and more visually engaging. Each step brings you closer to creating smooth, professional-grade animations from still photography.