Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a powerful trend in photography and content creation over the past few years. The first neural network tools for photo and video editing gained popularity back in 2021, and this wave has only grown stronger. AI has started penetrating almost every field, taking over more and more routine tasks, and today you can create a unique video as easily as placing a bet or cooking something tasty for your family. Here are the most useful neural networks for photo and video editing.

Capabilities of Neural Networks for Photo and Video

AI has already mastered a great deal. There are neural networks capable of creating photos and videos based on textual descriptions or modifying specific details in existing photos and videos.

AI tools are often used to automate repetitive tasks and speed up workflows. They can clean up photos from noise, increase resolution, blur backgrounds, correct sharpness issues, smooth skin tones, clean solid backgrounds from dirt, remove unnecessary objects from photos, add new ones, edit videos, or find the sharpest frame in a long series. And this is far from the full range of tasks these tools can handle.

But there’s bad news: there’s still no magic “masterpiece” button. Understanding whether something in a photo is unwanted noise to be removed or a noble “film-like” grain that should remain is still a task only a human can do. This is bad news for those hoping that AI will do everything for them, but good news for those worried about losing their jobs to AI. Neural networks won’t replace them. While they’ve advanced significantly, neural networks currently handle only the least skilled intellectual tasks — the groundwork — and still require manual adjustments.

Best Neural Networks for Photo Editing

Best AI Tools for Image Generation

The most powerful tools generating images are Midjourney and Stable Diffusion. Both neural networks offer similar functionalities — they can create images based on textual descriptions or modify existing ones.

Best Tool for Removing Unwanted Objects

The Generative Fill tool in Adobe Photoshop is the top choice. It uses AI to remove or replace parts of an image and is available starting with version 24.6.

For those who don’t use Photoshop, Pixlr is a simpler online editor that works well for these purposes. Its features include enhancing portrait skin and removing backgrounds for further collage-making.

Best AI Tools for Technical Issues

The Topaz Labs suite offers several products: Topaz Sharpen AI, Topaz Gigapixel AI, and Topaz DeNoise AI. There’s also a universal version, Topaz Photo AI, combining all three functionalities.

These tools can enhance sharpness (even where it didn’t originally exist), remove strong noise, or increase photo resolution — useful for old photos, for example. Topaz Photo AI can work independently or as a plugin for Photoshop.

Similar features are now being incorporated directly into cameras. For instance, the high-resolution mode in the Canon EOS R5 Mark II (which parallels Topaz Gigapixel AI) uses AI to fill in missing pixels.

Best AI Tool for Retouching

Retouch4me is a suite of software that automatically enhances human skin in photos: smoothing tone, removing blemishes, adding volume, and correcting skin color. It also includes specialized tools like teeth whitening and eye brightening. Recent versions even feature tools for smoothing clothing and cleaning solid backgrounds.

While Retouch4me can’t fully replace professional retouching, it excels at groundwork for further refinement.

Best Comprehensive AI Photo Enhancement Tool

Luminar Neo offers a wide range of tools, from smart automatic cropping to lighting scheme adjustments.

Additional features include automatic removal of wires from landscapes, skin and body enhancements for portraits, and background blurring.

A significant drawback of Luminar Neo is its complexity — it’s like a command center that requires time to master.

This editor has indeed become faster and more stable. Back in the days of Luminar 4, exporting photos could take up to 5 minutes (and in half of the cases, it might end with an error and the program crashing), but now things are much better.

Exporting a 24-megapixel photo takes between 5 and 30 seconds, depending on the number of adjustments applied. The tools that take the most time are those that detect people in photos (Portrait Bokeh, Relight, smart masks).

Best Neural Networks for Video Editing

Best Video Generation Tool

Runway Gen-2 is the leading choice for video generation. Though the technology is far from perfect, these generators can accomplish some impressive tasks. Runway works similarly to Midjourney and Stable Diffusion: it creates short videos based on text prompts or visual references. For example, it can animate several static images in the style of traditional animation.

Best AI Tool for Video Quality Enhancement

Topaz Video AI is similar to Topaz Photo AI but tailored for video. It increases resolution, reduces noise, and sharpens video quality. Additionally, it offers unique features specific to video editing, such as stabilizing shaky footage and adding extra frames, and it’s perfect for creating slow-motion videos.