How to Remove Blemishes from a Photo

Why Blemishes Look Worse in Photos

Cameras are brutally honest about skin. High-resolution sensors capture every pore, and harsh lighting — especially direct flash or overhead fluorescents — creates shadows around raised blemishes that make them more visible. A pimple that's barely noticeable in the mirror can look prominent in a photo because the camera compresses three-dimensional texture into a flat image with exaggerated contrast. This is why professional photographers always retouch skin in post-production.

How AI Blemish Removal Works

The AI scans your photo for skin irregularities — pimples, dark spots, scars, redness, and other blemishes — and replaces them with clean skin that matches the surrounding area. It preserves pores, fine lines, and natural skin texture so the result looks like real skin, not a plastic filter. Unlike manual tools that require you to select each blemish individually, AI processes the entire face at once and handles dozens of imperfections in a single pass.

Types of Blemishes AI Can Remove

• Active acne and pimples — both whiteheads and inflamed spots
• Post-acne dark spots and hyperpigmentation marks
• Minor scars from past breakouts or injuries
• Redness and irritation around the nose, cheeks, and chin
• Moles and beauty marks (if you specifically ask)
• Age spots, sun spots, and uneven skin tone patches
• Razor bumps and ingrown hair marks

Keeping Skin Texture Natural

The biggest mistake in blemish removal is over-smoothing. Skin without pores or texture looks obviously filtered — the 'porcelain doll' effect that everyone recognizes as fake. EditThisPic removes blemishes without blurring the surrounding skin. Pores stay visible, fine lines stay intact, and the skin retains its natural variation. The result looks like a good skin day, not a beauty filter.

Prompts for Different Skin Concerns

For general cleanup: 'remove all blemishes and clear up the skin.' For targeting specific spots: 'remove the pimple on the forehead' or place a marker on the blemish and say 'remove this.' For acne-prone areas: 'clear up the acne on the chin and cheeks.' For redness: 'reduce the redness around the nose.' For dark spots: 'fade the dark spots on the cheeks.' To keep beauty marks: 'remove blemishes but keep the beauty mark on the left cheek.'

Combining Blemish Removal with Other Retouches

Blemish removal pairs well with other subtle skin edits. 'Remove blemishes and even out the skin tone' handles both spots and color inconsistency. 'Clear up blemishes and reduce under-eye circles' covers the most common portrait retouches in one prompt. 'Remove blemishes and brighten the face' gives an overall polished look. Keep each additional request subtle to avoid the over-edited appearance.