FIGURES 10-15 AND 10-16 Both of these subjects suffer from the dreaded red-eye effect caused by an indoor flash (left). Most image-editing programs allow you to zoom in on the eye area and correct the color of the pixels. This process involves a feature that’s generally referred to as a cloning tool because you copy (clone) pixels from the surrounding area of the photo. Cloning pixels is a simple (and fun) process once you get the hang of it, but you might need to use your Undo button and repeat the process a few times to get a final result that bears no telltale traces of editing. 174 How to Do Everything with Your Scanner Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. How Cloning Works Regardless of which image-editing program you’re using, you generally follow these guiding steps to complete the cloning process: 1. Locate the cloning tool provided with your image-editing software using the Help menu for the program. Try using the keywords “clone” or “repair.” 2. Zoom in and enlarge the area you want to cover or repair. In Figure 10-17, we need to repair the model’s “bad hair day.” FIGURE 10-17 This model’s hair and smeared lipstick need airbrushing. Smeared lipstick Hair needs fixing! CHAPTER 10: Which Photo-Editing Tools Are Useful for Specific Tasks 175 10 Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. 3. Use the cloning tool to take some source pixels from the surrounding area, and deposit them over the flaw that you want to cover, as shown in Figure 10-18. Follow the directions for your particular image-editing program to do this. Figure 10-19 shows the completed product. FIGURE 10-18 The editing can be accomplished by zooming in and cloning pixels from the surrounding area. Zoom in and clone pixels from the surrounding area. 176 How to Do Everything with Your Scanner Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. FIGURE 10-19 The completed, cloned result Tips for Making Retouching Less Obvious Retouching photos using a cloning tool can give you dramatic and flawless results. It’s definitely a skill you’ll want to master for improving on your scanned photos. It does, however, take patience and practice. Here are a few tips to help you improve your cloning and retouching skills: ■ Clone the smallest area necessary to achieve the desired camouflaging result. The smaller the area you clone, the more difficult it is to detect. ■ Use as small a cloning brush (or other tool) as possible. Repeatedly cloning a smaller amount of pixels rather than trying to clone a large amount all at once results in a better overall match and less detectable result. CHAPTER 10: Which Photo-Editing Tools Are Useful for Specific Tasks 177 10 Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. ■ Take pixels from a destination area as close as possible to the flaw you’re trying to conceal. This usually results in a better color match. ■ Pay careful attention to changes in color tone in the surrounding background, and try to get source pixels as close to the shade you need. ■ Use the soften tool, discussed later in the “Improving Photos with Soften and Blur Effects” section, to blend the patchwork of pixels you’ve created and make the retouching less obvious. The photo in Figure 10-20 was edited to get rid of some of the distracting objects in the background, but the retouching is readily apparent in Figure 10-21. Figure 10-22 shows how a bit of blending with the softening tool obscures the otherwise obvious retouching. ■ If your software allows you to adjust the opacity, which is the level of trans- parency, of the pixels you’re depositing, experiment with this feature to achieve a better blending effect. FIGURE 10-20 This photo has some distracting objects in the background that can be airbrushed away. 178 How to Do Everything with Your Scanner Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. . times to get a final result that bears no telltale traces of editing. 174 How to Do Everything with Your Scanner Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. How. area. 176 How to Do Everything with Your Scanner Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. FIGURE 10-19 The completed, cloned result Tips for Making Retouching. Obvious Retouching photos using a cloning tool can give you dramatic and flawless results. It’s definitely a skill you’ll want to master for improving on your scanned photos. It does, however,