I use ChatGPT every day, and even I didn't know it could do this

AI is evolving so quickly that it feels like there’s a new feature to discover every other day. And because I use ChatGPT so often, I’ve always felt like I know my way around it pretty well. But a few days ago, while editing an image, I stumbled across something I had no idea ChatGPT could do, and it totally caught me off guard.

I accidentally found ChatGPT's better image editor

Pointing out is so much easier than explaining

I still rely on Canva for heavier edits, especially when I want complete control or don’t want AI involved. But for smaller fixes, I’ve started opening ChatGPT almost instinctively. A few days ago, I sent it a photo where the only thing bothering me was a dirty mirror. I just wanted the smudges cleaned up and the image to look a little nicer overall. ChatGPT handled that part, but it also added something I never asked for.

And that’s usually where AI image editing starts testing my patience. I’ve had this happen before, and fixing one small mistake often turns into another round of explaining what I mean. I know exactly what needs to go, but ChatGPT doesn’t always know which part of the image I mean.

This time, I tapped the image by accident and noticed an edit icon underneath it. Opening it changed the whole process. Instead of describing the area in words and hoping ChatGPT understood me, I could tap exactly where the problem was. It uses those X and Y coordinates to understand the precise spot I’m referring to. After that, I only had to explain what I wanted to change. I could even mark several areas at once and ask ChatGPT to clean them all up in the next edit.

Showing ChatGPT exactly where I mean

How to edit specific parts of an image in ChatGPT

If you want to try the feature and make your edits a little less frustrating, here’s how to do it:

1. Open the ChatGPT app on your device.
2. Click the + icon and choose Photo.
3. Select the image you want ChatGPT to edit.
4. Describe the edit as clearly as you can. The more specific you are about what you want to change, the better.
5. Send the prompt and let ChatGPT generate the edited image.
6. Once the image is ready, click the Edit icon at the bottom.
7. Now, click or mark the exact areas you want to change and describe what you want ChatGPT to do with them.
   1. You can mark multiple areas in the same image, so you don’t necessarily have to fix everything one by one.

8. Once you’re done, click Send, and ChatGPT will generate a new version with those edits.

If something still looks off, repeat the same process until you’re happy with the result. That’s pretty much it. I’ve learned not to assume it will fill in the gaps correctly. The clearer you are about what should stay, what should change, and where the edit needs to happen, the better your chances of getting the image you actually had in mind.

My only real advice is to be as specific as possible with your prompts. AI can be surprisingly good at understanding what you want, but it can also completely miss something that feels obvious to you.

It finally gets the hint now

I don't have to spell everything out anymore

The improvement isn’t limited to images, either. Using ChatGPT in general feels much easier now because I don’t have to over-explain every little thing anymore.

For example, if I’m planning a trip and there’s one hotel or activity I want ChatGPT to focus on, I can bold it, italicize it, or call it out directly instead of explaining which part I mean. The same goes for research — if I’m comparing two products and want sources for one particular claim, I can ask for exactly that without turning the whole conversation into a long back-and-forth.

What surprised me most is how much these changes improve everyday use. I didn’t go looking for a better way to edit images, and I definitely didn’t expect one accidental tap to change how I use ChatGPT.