iPhoto ’s Retouch dick does a sound job of removing blemishes and other minor flaws . But it ’s no plastic surgeon . When an image needs serious retouching , wheel it into the operating elbow room of Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 ( see Best Current Price ) .
On a recent outing , for instance , I took a photograph of cliffs overlook the sea ( see “ Before ” ) . The only problem was that a pair of utility wires slit across the vista , distracting from and otherwise scenic vista .
But correcting such problem is well-situated in Photoshop Elements 3 . I ’ll show you how to apace score out undesirable phone polls , telegram , and other figure flaws using the fresh Spot Healing brushwood and the Clone Stamp tool . With just a few click of the computer mouse , you may revive the nature mantrap in our ail pic and no one will ever cognize the difference ( See “ After ” ) .
Before
After
Try It YourselfTo follow along with this step - by - tone tutorial , download our “ Before ” image . Go toAdobeto download a trial reading of Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 .
Before You Begin
You should do image - extensive tonal corrections — such as mend lighting problems and color cast — beforeretouching smaller flaw ( See “ Image Editing Beyond iPhoto ” ) . Otherwise you may suck up undo aid to your retouching brushstrokes .
Step 1: Use the Spot Healing Brush
The easiest flaws to erase are those set against a consistent background color or pattern . In our “ Before ” picture , for good example , that includes the sky , water system , and hillside . To absent these section of the conducting wire , select the Band - Aid - shaped Spot Healing coppice in the tool pallet .
The Spot Healing brush is n’t as effective on areas where the color or background pattern deepen importantly — for representative , along the distant shoreline where country hits water supply , or in the hilly , seaward rocks . So you ’ll want to avert these field for now .
Step 2: Adjust the Brush Size
line up the size of the Spot Healing coppice so it ’s slenderly larger than the flaw you want to remove . Press the ripe bracket ( ] ) for a larger brush , and the left square bracket ( [ ) for a diminished one .
Step 3: Paint over Flaws
get going with the sky in the top portion of the range of a function , carefully drop behind the Spot Healing brush over the conducting wire until you reach the shoreline . When you let go of the mouse , Elements replaces the wires with colour from the palisade area .
For undecomposed event , use short strokes when paint . If a particular fortuity render bad event , select Undo from the Edit fare ( or press Command - Z ) . If you continue to have trouble with a exceptional area , leave it . you could amount back to it in the next whole step .
Continue this outgrowth for the pee and hillside portions of the photo . When you ’re done you should have something that attend like this :
Step 4: Clean up with the Clone Stamp
The blot healing brush is n’t as effective on defect smother by fine details , such as the seaward rocks and upstage shoreline . To fix those areas , you need the Clone Stamp shaft , which picks up pixels from one orbit of an persona and lay them over a dissimilar field .
To correct these difficult country , select the Clone Stamp tool ( it resembles a synthetic rubber stamp ) . employ the angle bracket keys to specify a brush size that ’s a bit wider than the wire in the photo .
Step 5: Select a Source Point
Before you may use the Clone Stamp to paint over the conducting wire , you involve to tell element which pixels to replace it with . You do this by pick out a source item . While hold down the option Francis Scott Key , press a part of the image that you would like to practice as a replacement . For example , to remove the wire from the offshore rocks , you ’d option - press a likewise colored surface area of rock ‘n’ roll .
stair 6 : stomp out the Wire
Once you ’ve set your source power point , release the alternative winder and paint over the relevant subdivision of telegram , being deliberate to use myopic strokes .
As you paint with the Clone Stamp tool , Elements copies pixels from your source point ( the crosshairs ) and deposits them over the fault ( the circular stamp ) . If you make a mistake , use the Undo dictation .
To get the most naturalistic effect , specify a new source point now and then by option - clicking in a slightly different area . This will make your work less obvious — and that ’s the goal of any retouching undertaking .
