Chapter 15: Using Cloning and Healing to Restore Digital Images 471 8. Undo and then use the Spot Healing Brush several times over and over to see sev- eral different results. You probably see a different result every time. In other words, if at first you don’t succeed…. 9. Make a second pass and even more if necessary. Sometimes making two or three passes cleans up edges left by the initial pass. If the Spot Healing Brush worked, you should get results similar to Figure 15.8. FIGURE 15.8 When the Spot Healing Brush works, it’s almost impossible to tell that your image ever had a blemish. If you don’t get the results that you want, you can move on to the more advanced tools. The Healing Brush The Healing Brush tool works very similarly to the Spot Healing Brush tool, with the added feature that you get to set the sample point—choose the area where the fix comes from. For instance, Figure 15.9 could be a fantastic silhouette if the light poles in the background could be removed. As I patch over the areas where the light poles are, I want the patched areas of the sky to follow the gradient created by the setting sun rather than having the splotchy fix that would be created by the Spot Healing Brush. The Clone Stamp also would leave splotchy, unblended areas. The Healing Brush is the perfect tool. 22_584743-ch15.indd 47122_584743-ch15.indd 471 5/3/10 10:36 AM5/3/10 10:36 AM Part IV: Enhancing, Correcting, and Retouching 472 FIGURE 15.9 Although you can’t tell in black and white, this sky is a soft gradient blending from orange to blue. The Healing Brush is the best option for blending the light poles out of this image. Follow along to use the Healing Brush to correct this image: On the Web Site Use Figure 15-9 to follow along with this exercise. n 1. Open an image in need of the Healing Brush tool to correct it. If necessary, change the background to a layer by double-clicking and renaming it. Tip Mask out the silhouette so you are not accidentally blending in the dark pixels as you work on the light poles that intersect with it. Be sure to lock the transparent pixels so they won’t be smudged or added to the rest of the image. n 2. Select the Healing Brush from the Toolbox, or type J (Shift+J to toggle to it if it is nested behind another tool). 3. Select a brush size from the options bar. 4. Alt/Option-click to set the sample point. In Figure 15.10, the crosshair shows that I have chosen the clean line of sky between the light poles. You can reset the sample point as many times as you need to throughout the healing process by repeating this step. 22_584743-ch15.indd 47222_584743-ch15.indd 472 5/3/10 10:36 AM5/3/10 10:36 AM Chapter 15: Using Cloning and Healing to Restore Digital Images 473 5. Drag over areas that you want to be healed, as shown in Figure 15.10. Unlike the Spot Healing Brush, you can make several passes to completely cover an area if you need to. As you drag, notice that the sample point moves along with your cursor, sampling areas in line with what you need to heal. If you have the Aligned option dese- lected, releasing the mouse returns the sample point to the original starting point. If Aligned is selected, the sample point remains the exact same distance from your Healing Brush tool, no matter how many times you release your mouse. FIGURE 15.10 Set the sample point by Alt/Option-clicking. The sample point follows your cursor as you drag the Healing Brush. 6. Make as many passes as necessary to clean up any dark pixels left by residue from the light poles. When you are finished, your photo should look like Figure 15.11. Tip I noticed that the darker light poles were more difficult to get a clean fix on in the first pass. I used the Clone Stamp to remove the dark pixels entirely in these areas and then used the Healing Brush to blend the pixels. n Instead of using a sampled area, you also can use a pattern with the Healing Brush tool. This fix takes the texture of the pattern you choose and adds it to the color of the area you pass the Healing Brush over. To use a pattern, choose Create Texture from the Healing Brush options bar. In Figure 15.12, I used the Healing Brush to give the background of this photo dimension. Another benefit of the Healing Brush is that you can use the Clone Source panel to create multiple samples, sample from different files, and modify the size and rotation of the source. The Clone Source panel is an important tool in creating the best fixes with the Healing Brush or Clone Stamp, but it is an integral part of the Clone Stamp and is covered in detail in that section of this chapter. 22_584743-ch15.indd 47322_584743-ch15.indd 473 5/3/10 10:36 AM5/3/10 10:36 AM Part IV: Enhancing, Correcting, and Retouching 474 FIGURE 15.11 Without the light poles, this photo is more engaging. FIGURE 15.12 The Healing Brush can create textures. 22_584743-ch15.indd 47422_584743-ch15.indd 474 5/3/10 10:36 AM5/3/10 10:36 AM Chapter 15: Using Cloning and Healing to Restore Digital Images 475 Note Both the Spot Healing Brush and the Healing Brush frequently leave a blurry smudge behind instead of a clean fix. This is a good time to try again, because this result rarely happens every time you try to heal your photos. n The Patch tool The Patch tool allows you to heal larger areas easily and preview the target area being used. It also uses the source more strongly to completely cover the area that needs fixing, so color is not left behind as frequently as it is with the Healing and Spot Healing Brushes. The boy in Figure 15.13 has a skinned area on his forehead that needs to be fixed. The Healing and Spot Healing Brushes leave such a big area smudged and with pink highlights. The Patch tool is ideal. FIGURE 15.13 The skinned area on this boy’s forehead is easily fixed with the Patch tool. The Patch tool is extremely easy to use; follow these steps to get the best results: On the Web Site Use Figure 15-13 to follow along with this exercise. n 1. Open an image that needs patched. 2. Select the Patch tool from the Healing Brush tools flyout in the Toolbox. 3. Select the Patch option from the options bar. 22_584743-ch15.indd 47522_584743-ch15.indd 475 5/3/10 10:36 AM5/3/10 10:36 AM Part IV: Enhancing, Correcting, and Retouching 476 If you want to make a selection around the area that needs correcting, select Source. If you want to make a selection around the area you are using to correct the image, select Destination. For this example, I selected Source. Note If you choose Transparent in the Patch options, the patch has a transparent background and simply creates an overlay over the patched area. n 4. Draw around the area that needs to be healed, as shown in Figure 15.14. The Patch tool creates a selection much like the Lasso Selection tool. Draw around the area you want selected, and close the selection. You can use the Selection options in the options bar to add to or subtract from the selection, but it doesn’t have to be very exact. Note The Patch tool uses a selection to replace the targeted area. It doesn’t matter if you’ve used the Patch tool to create the selection. You can make a selection with any Selection tool and use the Patch tool to move and replace the selection. n FIGURE 15.14 Select the area you want patched by drawing a circle around it with the Patch tool. 5. Click and drag the selection over the area that you want to use to fix the patch. The selection itself won’t move, as you can see in Figure 15.15, but an identical selection shows the area you are using. Additionally, the pixels inside your original selection change to preview the fix. This preview is not the final result; after you release the mouse button, the two areas are blended to create a seamless patch. 22_584743-ch15.indd 47622_584743-ch15.indd 476 5/3/10 10:36 AM5/3/10 10:36 AM Chapter 15: Using Cloning and Healing to Restore Digital Images 477 FIGURE 15.15 Simply drag the selection to an area that can be used to fix the blemish and release the mouse button for a fantastic fix. 6. Use Ctrl/Ô+D to deselect the selected areas and see your final results. Don’t get caught up in the idea that the Patch tool is only for fixes. You can create some great artis- tic effects very quickly using the Patch tool. Its targeting and blending capabilities make it perfect for creating fun images like the one shown in 15.16. I used the Destination option to select the face and then dragged it to the rock on the right. The entire process took less than 15 seconds! FIGURE 15.16 The Patch tool can be used to create blends for artistic effects. 22_584743-ch15.indd 47722_584743-ch15.indd 477 5/3/10 10:36 AM5/3/10 10:36 AM Part IV: Enhancing, Correcting, and Retouching 478 Content-Aware fill The Content-Aware fill isn’t found with the Healing tools, but it works to take unwanted elements seamlessly out of an image. The Content-Aware feature is new with Photoshop CS5 and uses an amazing new algorithm that works to fill in a selected area of a photo seamlessly in a relatively short amount of time. Because the Content-Aware tool works with the Selection tools, it is possible to make precise selec- tions. For instance, the second boy in Figure 15.17 doesn’t look like he wants to be in this photo. Using the Quick Selection tool, I can select areas that need to be precise, such as those bordering the first boy. I left the other areas with a rough selection on purpose so the Content Fill didn’t take on the look of a silhouette. On the Web Site You can try using the Content-Aware fill on this image. Download Figure 15-17 from the Web site. n FIGURE 15.17 Using the Selection tools allows you to target precise areas on which to use the Content-Aware fill. After you’ve made a selection in an image, choose Edit ➪ Fill to open the Fill dialog box, as shown in Figure 15.18. Choose Content-Aware from the drop-down menu. After you click OK, the Content-Aware algorithm takes over, searching your photo for appropriate areas to use in replacing the area that was selected. This can be a time-intensive process, but when it is finished, your image should look pretty close to realistic. You can see in Figure 15.19 that my image is certainly not per- fect, but it takes relatively little cleanup to make it look good. 22_584743-ch15.indd 47822_584743-ch15.indd 478 5/3/10 10:36 AM5/3/10 10:36 AM . patched areas of the sky to follow the gradient created by the setting sun rather than having the splotchy fix that would be created by the Spot Healing Brush. The Clone Stamp also would leave. the sample point by Alt/Option-clicking. The sample point follows your cursor as you drag the Healing Brush. 6. Make as many passes as necessary to clean up any dark pixels left by residue from. is an integral part of the Clone Stamp and is covered in detail in that section of this chapter. 22_584743-ch15.indd 47322_584743-ch15.indd 473 5/3/10 10:36 AM5/3/10 10:36 AM Part IV: Enhancing,