---
title: "Can I Use AI to Edit a Photo of a Real Person?"
url: https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/can-i-use-ai-to-edit-a-photo-of-a-real-person/
last_updated: 2026-10-20
---

# Can I use AI to edit a photo of a real person?

Yes, for many ordinary edits, but get permission before you publish. Using someone's likeness to sell something can breach their right of publicity. Misleading edits of real people raise further legal and platform issues.

Most US states recognize a right of publicity, by statute, common law or both, which protects against unauthorized commercial use of a person's identity, according to the US Copyright Office's digital replicas report.

Commercial platforms ask for proof of consent. Adobe Stock requires a model release for any AI content that depicts, is based on or is meant to portray an identifiable real person, including when a real person's photo is used as a prompt.

Context matters. Editing a portrait you took of a client, with their agreement, is routine. Making a real person appear to do or say something they did not is a deep fake, which the EU AI Act requires deployers to disclose.

This is general information, not legal advice, and the rules differ by country.

_Source: U.S. Copyright Office Part 1 report on digital replicas (July 2024), Adobe Stock guidelines and EU AI Act Article 50, checked October 20, 2026._

Next step: [Should I upload photos of other people to an AI tool?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/should-i-upload-photos-of-other-people/)

## Related questions

- [Should I upload photos of other people to an AI tool?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/should-i-upload-photos-of-other-people/): Only with their permission, and never sensitive images.
- [Do I need to disclose that an image is AI-generated?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/do-i-need-to-disclose-ai-images/): Sometimes: platform rules and laws like the EU AI Act require it.
- [Can AI images be used in ads?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/can-ai-images-be-used-in-ads/): Yes, within ad platform policies and advertising law.
- [Can I sell AI-generated images?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/can-i-sell-ai-generated-images/): Often yes, under the tool's terms and the marketplace's rules.

Last reviewed 2026-10-20 by ImageQuarry.

## Edit a portrait with care

In ImageQuarry, ask for one change and say what to keep, such as the face, hands and background.