Skip to Content

Video: Apple's Coolest iOS 16 Feature Lets You Drag Subjects Right Out of Images

With iOS 16, Apple introduced a curious new feature that's kind of like instant Photoshop, as you can use it to pull the subject out of any image or photo, pasting it into another photo or using it as a sticker in the Messages app. It's nifty enough that we thought we'd show it off in our latest YouTube video.


Apple calls this feature "Lift subject from background," and it is part of the Visual Look Up suite of functions. To use it, you just long press on any image and then you can drag it out into a different app or copy it.

It works in Photos, Screenshot, Quick Look, Safari, and even videos, and it is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. There's not a lot of practical use for it, but it is certainly impressive and fun to use. Make sure to check out our video to see it in action.

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple Released Seven New Products Today

Wednesday March 11, 2026 7:05 am PDT by
Starting today, the seven new Apple products that were announced last week are available at Apple Stores and beginning to arrive to customers. The colorful MacBook Neo and all of the other new products are on display at most Apple Store locations around the world starting today. Apple Stores have inventory of the new products for both walk-in customers and Apple Store pickup, but...
ios 26 4 yellow

Everything New in iOS 26.4 Beta 4

Monday March 9, 2026 3:50 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to test the iOS 26.4 beta, and the latest update is now available for developers and public beta testers. As testing goes on, there are fewer new features in each beta, but today’s release adds new emoji characters and a few other changes. New Emoji Apple added new emoji characters, including trombone, treasure chest, distorted face, hairy creature, fight cloud, orca,...
Apple 50 Years of Thinking Different

Apple Announces 50th Anniversary Plans

Thursday March 12, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
Apple today announced that it will celebrate the company's 50th anniversary over the coming weeks, but it has yet to reveal any specific plans. Apple was founded on April 1, 1976, so the company will turn 50 on April 1, 2026. "While Apple is known for looking forward, this milestone offers a special moment to reflect on the journey that has brought the company here, to celebrate the...

Top Rated Comments

rickpoet Avatar
49 months ago
Since 90% of my life is spent removing my friends out of photos and putting them in weird situations in other photos (plus adding mustaches) this is a life-changing feature.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
49 months ago
As a graphic artist, I can’t tell you how many thousands of hours I’ve spent carefully outlining the subjects of photos. Adobe rolled out a similar feature a couple of years ago on their high-priced apps. Yea for Apple for baking it into the new versions of their (free) OSes!
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
49 months ago

As a graphic artist, I can’t tell you how many thousands of hours I’ve spent carefully outlining the subjects of photos. Adobe rolled out a similar feature a couple of years ago on their high-priced apps. Yea for Apple for baking it into the new versions of their (free) OSes!
And that's why I find it a little bit terrifying Mike. We've gone from hours for a skilled professional to a couple of clicks by a complete idiot.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
orbital~debris Avatar
49 months ago
This should be useful to create new memes on the forums 😁
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
erikkfi Avatar
49 months ago
Ain't no drag. Papa's got a brand new bag.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
49 months ago
Probably M1 only 😅
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)