---
title: "What Is Inpainting? AI Image Editing Explained | ImageQuarry"
url: https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/what-is-inpainting/
last_updated: 2026-10-20
---

# 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](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/what-is-image-to-image-ai/), 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](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/what-is-outpainting/).

To change one part of your own image by naming it, see [AI inpainting](https://www.imagequarry.com/ai-inpainting/).

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

Next step: [Can AI edit only part of an image?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/can-ai-edit-only-part-of-an-image/)

## Related questions

- [What is outpainting?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/what-is-outpainting/): Extending an image beyond its original edges.
- [What is a mask in AI image editing?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/what-is-a-mask-in-ai-image-editing/): A map of the area to change and the area to keep.
- [Can AI edit only part of an image?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/can-ai-edit-only-part-of-an-image/): Yes, with a mask or a precise instruction, within limits.
- [Can AI remove an object from a photo?](https://www.imagequarry.com/faq/can-ai-remove-an-object-from-a-photo/): Yes, usually, by filling the area behind it.

Last reviewed 2026-10-20 by ImageQuarry.

## Fix one area of an image

Describe the part you want changed in plain words and compare the new version with the one before it.