Tidy your shots in one of these four
editing programs
Removing unwanted elements from your photo
is not as hard as you may think. In these four step- by- steps, we will run
through the best ways to erase features from your shots without spoiling the
image quality.
Now
you see it … now you do not! Learn how easy it is to make unwanted objects
disappear
Photoshop CS5 is the first piece of
software covered and we have used the Content- Aware fill that is only
available in this program. It is a clever technique that fills an active
selection using pixels from the surrounding area.
The other three programs feature very
similar tools that are also available in Photoshop CS5. These cloning tools
allow you to sample pixels from one area of your image and paint them on top of
another.
Remember to always duplicate the Background
layer where possible so that you have an unedited version available to revert
to, just in case mistakes are made.
What you will need ...
A suitable start photograph
One of our sampled editing programs
We used …
Photoshop CS5
You could try …
Gimp
Pixelmator
Photoshop Elements
What you will learn …
How to remove unwanted areas or objects from
within your photos
Photoshop CS5
A clever way to get rid of unwanted
elements in CS5
Go
to File > Open in the top bar and select your start image.
Go to File > Open in the top bar and
select your start image. Use the Zoom tool to get in close to view the area you
want to remove clearly.
Select
the lasso tool from the side tool bar
Select the lasso tool from the side tool
bar, draw around the area you wish to remove then go to Edit > Fill in the
top options bar.
Select
Content- Aware from the top drop- down menu, hit OK
Select Content- Aware from the top drop-
down menu, hit OK. CS5 will pick suitable pixels around the selection to fill
the unwanted area.
Alt
+ Click an area to sample and paint on top of the newly- covered area.
Parts might need tweaking so select the
Clone Stamp tool from the side bar. Alt + Click an area to sample and paint on
top of the newly- covered area.
Always
sample areas that contain similar colours and textures that you want to copy
Always sample areas that contain similar
colours and textures that you want to copy, if the effect looks too harsh,
lower the tool’s opacity.
Pixelmator
A well- priced application but only
available on Mac
Go
to the Layers palette and drag the Background layer over the + icon to
duplicate.
Drag your start photo onto the application
icon to open. Go to the Layers palette and drag the Background layer over the +
icon to duplicate.
Zoom
in to the area you wish to replace.
Work on the top layer so you always have an
original version. Zoom in to the area you wish to replace. Select the Clone
Stamp tool from the side bar.
Alt
+ click an area to sample it
Alt + click an area to sample it. Choose an
area directly next to where you wish to cover, and it should include the
colours and textures required.
When
covering a large area like we are, resample areas often to keep the effect
natural.
When covering a large area like we are,
resample areas often to keep the effect natural. When you have covered what you
can switch to the Healing tool.
Alt
+ click to sample an area again.
Alt + click to sample an area again.
Instead of copying pixels like the Clone Stamp tool it blends the new and
existing ones together, smoothing the edges.
