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What is inpainting?

Inpainting is filling a marked area of an image with new content while keeping the rest. You mark the area with a mask, describe what should appear, and the model paints it in to match the surrounding light and texture. It is used to remove, replace or repair objects.

The mask is the key. In Hugging Face's Diffusers documentation, white pixels mark the area to fill and black pixels the area to keep, and the prompt describes what goes in the white area.

Inpainting is narrower than image-to-image, which reworks the whole picture. Many current editors also accept a plain instruction ("remove the cup") instead of a drawn mask. Extending past the edges is outpainting.

To change one part of your own image by naming it, see AI inpainting.

Source: Hugging Face Diffusers inpainting documentation, checked October 20, 2026.

Next step

Can AI edit only part of an image?What partial edits can and cannot hold.Read more

Related questions

What is outpainting?Extending an image beyond its original edges.Read more What is a mask in AI image editing?A map of the area to change and the area to keep.Read more Can AI edit only part of an image?Yes, with a mask or a precise instruction, within limits.Read more Can AI remove an object from a photo?Yes, usually, by filling the area behind it.Read more

Last reviewed October 20, 2026 by ImageQuarry

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