How to edit a 4K photo with AI

Crop the part you want to change, edit only that crop with AI, then merge it back into your original. The edit gets all of the editor’s resolution, and your photo keeps its full size.

Cropmerger AI editor only

Why AI editors lower your resolution

AI image editors send back images at their own maximum size, which is often far smaller than a 4K or raw photo. Give one a whole 4K photo and it works on a shrunken copy, then returns a smaller image. Enlarge that again and fine detail, such as hair, skin, fabric and water, turns soft.

1. Crop the part you want to change

Duplicate your photo so the original stays untouched. Crop the copy to the area you want to change, and leave some unchanged image on every side. Cropmerger uses that surrounding detail to find where the edit belongs.

The smaller the crop, the more of the editor’s resolution goes into your edit.

2. Edit the crop with AI

Upload the crop to an AI image editor and describe one clear change. Ask it to keep everything else the same.

Please make this change to the attached image: [describe the edit].

Keep everything else unchanged, including the composition, lighting, colour, contrast and image quality. Keep the framing, aspect ratio and outer edges identical.

Download the result at the best quality the editor offers.

If you use ChatGPT, follow our guide to editing 4K images with ChatGPT.

3. Merge it back into the original

Open Cropmerger and upload your untouched original with the edited crop. Cropmerger puts the edit back exactly where it belongs, matched to the colour around it, and leaves the rest of your image untouched. The finished photo keeps its full resolution.

How small should the crop be?

Compare the size of the edited crop you download with the crop you uploaded. If the edit comes back smaller, the editor shrank your crop, so try again with a tighter one. Keep a margin of unchanged image around the change either way.