The Ultimate Guide to Safely Installing and Using IOPaint (Lama-cleaner) for AI Illustration Editing!
- LaMa is a revolutionary inpainting model
- Easily edit with IOPaint
- Install with Python 3.12
Introduction
Hello, this is Easygoing.
Today, I'm introducing Lama-cleaner / IOPaint, a tool that lets you easily edit illustrations.
Lama-cleaner / IOPaint: A Free Image Editing Tool
Lama-cleaner / IOPaint is an open-source image editing tool that's easy for anyone to use.
Editing with Lama-cleaner / IOPaint
With Lama-cleaner / IOPaint, you can edit illustrations in just a few seconds by simply selecting the area you want to fix.
The editing accuracy is excellent—unless you know the original illustration or examine it closely under magnification, you won't notice the changes.
LaMa: A Revolutionary Image Inpainting AI Model
Lama-cleaner / IOPaint uses LaMa, an image inpainting AI model released on September 15, 2022.
LaMa: Resolution-robust Large Mask Inpainting with Fourier Convolutions
Image inpainting AI models have existed for a while, including Google's Magic Eraser, but they had drawbacks like heavy processing and reduced accuracy for large missing areas.
The LaMa model greatly improves computational efficiency by using Fourier convolutions, allowing it to run at practical speeds even on CPUs, not just GPUs.
Additionally, thanks to improved efficiency, it dynamically generates large masks during training for better performance and references the entire image during inpainting, enabling accurate repairs even for large defects.
Lama-cleaner Sparks Widespread Adoption!
LaMa is a groundbreaking inpainting model released under the Apache-2.0 license, which allows free development and commercial use. Then, on November 15, 2022, Lama-cleaner—an image editing tool making LaMa's features accessible to everyone—was released as open-source.
gantt
title Lama-cleaner / IOPaint
dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD
tickInterval 12month
axisFormat %Y
Stable Diffusion 1 Release: milestone, 2022-08-22,
LaMa Release : milestone, 2022-09-15,
Lama-cleaner : done, 2022-11-15, 2024-01-04
IOPaint : done, 2024-01-05, 2025-08-13
Lama-cleaner features an intuitive UI for straightforward image repairs. Plus, since Lama-cleaner runs entirely locally, it's privacy-safe unlike cloud-based tools like Photoshop's Generative Fill.
IOPaint: A Comprehensive Image Editing Platform
Lama-cleaner exploded in popularity right after Stable Diffusion's release, as it made it easy to fix common flaws in AI illustrations at the time. Then, on January 25, 2024, it evolved into IOPaint, integrating not just LaMa but also other inpainting AI models, along with features like upscaling and background removal.
flowchart LR
subgraph Other Models
D1("Segmentation<br>(SAM1, SAM2)")
D2("Upscale<br>(RealESRGAN, GFPGAN)")
D3("Remove Background<br>(rembg)")
D4("etc...")
end
subgraph Diffusion Models
C1(Stable Diffusion models)
C2(Power Paint V2)
C3(Any Text)
C4(etc...)
end
subgraph Lama-cleaner / IOPaint
A1("Lama-cleaner<br>(LaMa)")
E1(IOPaint)
end
subgraph Erace Models
B1(MAT)
B2(MIGAN)
B3(etc...)
end
A1----->E1
B1-...->E1
B2-...->E1
B3-...->E1
C1-..->E1
C2-..->E1
C3-..->E1
C4-..->E1
D1-.->E1
D2-.->E1
D3-.->E1
D4-.->E1
IOPaint became a comprehensive image editing platform capable of inpainting and outpainting with various models.
However, as other image generation AIs advanced rapidly, for complex edits, dedicated tools like ComfyUI offered finer control, and high-performance image editing AIs like GPT-Image-1, nano-banana, Qwen-Image-Edit emerged. Usage of IOPaint declined, and development ended on August 13, 2025.
That said, for simple edits using the LaMa model, IOPaint remains the most user-friendly tool even today. So, I'll show you how to use it next.
1-Click Installers Pose Security Risks
You can still download a 1-click installer for IOPaint from the official site, but:
- Development has already ended
- Not distributed via open-source GitHub
- Distributed via Google Drive (risk of tampering)
- Uses a .bat file
For these reasons, there's undeniable security risk, and I don't recommend using the 1-click installer now.
This time, I'll show you how to manually install IOPaint on a Windows 11 PC.
Requires Python 3.10–3.12 Environment
To install IOPaint, you need Python 3.10–3.12, not the latest Python 3.13+. (Officially supports up to 3.10, but it actually works with 3.12 too.) Here, I'll explain starting from installing Python 3.12.
Installing Python 3.12
First, go to the Python releases page for Windows.
Links are listed newest first, but scroll down to find and click the Python 3.12.10 link to download the installer.
Run the installer, and on this screen, check the bottom checkbox before installing.
Now you're set up to use Python 3.12.
Create the IOPaint Folder
Next, create an IOPaint folder in your desired location.
Open the IOPaint folder, click the right side of the address bar, type "cmd", and hit Enter.
A black Command Prompt window opens—copy & paste and run the following command.
For Python 3.12:
py -3.12 -m venv venv
For Python 3.10:
py -3.10 -m venv venv
It takes a bit, but once done, run the next command:
venv\Scripts\activate.bat
This sets up a virtual environment (venv) inside the IOPaint folder, switching to a new prompt.
Installing and Running IOPaint
Next, install IOPaint itself with:
pip install iopaint
Once installed, run this to launch IOPaint:
iopaint start --inbrowser
How to Use IOPaint
Now, let's cover how to use IOPaint.
1. Select an Image
After launching, click the center or drag & drop your image.
2. Select Area and Run
Select the area to edit—it auto-fixes, or hit the execute button manually if needed.
3. Download
Finally, download the edited image and you're done!
Creating a Launch .bat File
To easily launch IOPaint next time, create a launch .bat file. Download the appropriate .bat for your setup from the links below and place it in your IOPaint folder.
Standard Launch (CPU)
@echo off
call venv\Scripts\activate.bat
set ARGS= --inbrowser
echo Launching IOPaint with arguments:
echo %ARGS:^&=%
echo.
iopaint start %ARGS%
pause
Launch with CUDA (NVIDIA GPU)
@echo off
call venv\Scripts\activate.bat
set ARGS= --inbrowser --device=cuda
echo Launching IOPaint with arguments:
echo %ARGS:^&=%
echo.
iopaint start %ARGS%
pause
Launch with MPS (Apple Silicon)
@echo off
call venv\Scripts\activate.bat
set ARGS= --inbrowser --device=mps
echo Launching IOPaint with arguments:
echo %ARGS:^&=%
echo.
iopaint start %ARGS%
pause
Now, just double-click the relevant .bat file to launch IOPaint.
IOPaint Launch Options
Finally, check IOPaint's launch options with:
iopaint start --help
Summary: Easily Edit with IOPaint!
- LaMa is a revolutionary inpainting model
- Easily edit with IOPaint
- Install with Python 3.12
Today, I introduced Lama-cleaner / IOPaint.
The LaMa model, from 2022, is still highly effective today. IOPaint is an excellent open-source editing tool, and no simpler alternative has appeared yet.
Why not combine manual edits, IOPaint, and advanced edits with ComfyUI for a smooth image generation life where you get exactly the illustrations you want?
Thank you for reading to the end!