Cloning Simplified Class Notes
Cloning and Healing
by John Ross The Art of Retouching Studio http://www.TheArtofRetouching.com
Introduction
Adobe Photoshop comes with several different tools that can be used to remove, replace, touchup, or otherwise replace pixels in an image, with pixels from another area of the image. For example, you use the Healing Brush to remove blemishes from someones face, or use the Clone Stamp to remove a garbage can in the background.
Cloning
The term “Cloning” in Photoshop specifically means that you want to make an exact copy of pixels. It could something small, like removing a skin blemish, by taking a copy of clean skin, and covering over the blemish. It could also be something large, like removing an entire person, by covering over them with part of the background.
Cloning vs Healing
The Clone Stamp tool covers another part of the photograph with the sampled area. In contrast, the Healing Brush tools blend the sampled area with another area on the photograph. The blending is automatic, and will choose to match color, texture, or both.
Spotting
The term “Spotting” means that you are closely inspecting an image, and removing any dust spots, blemishes, or other unintentional discolored pixels. These could be from dust on the camera lens, or dirt on a scanner’s glass. It could be dirt on somones pants, or pimples on someones face, or anything else really. The general goal is to use one of the healing/cloning tools (like the clone stamp tool), and remove the unwanted imperfection. Spotting is not inteneded to refer to every possible item that needs to be cloned out. It is simply a detailed look at an image, from an overall perspective. If it is minor, but does not belong, it should be considered as part of a spotting pass over the image. CLONING TOOLS When you want to make direct changes to an image, you will use one of these.
Spot Healing Brush Tool - is used when something doesn’t belong in an area, for example, a pimple or blemish on the subject’s face Healing Brush Tool - retouches image using sampled pixels or pattern
Patch Tool - retouches image using sampled pixels or pattern It works as a combination of the Healing Brush with the Lasso Tool
Content-Aware Move Tool - will allow you to select pixels and move or extend them to another area of your image without the use of layers and masks Clone Stamp Tool - paints with a sampled pixels of an image
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Photoshop Perfection: Basic 1 Course - Cloning and Healing
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Spot Healing Brush Tool
The Spot Healing Brush tool heals imperfections without your having to sample a source area.
With one click or a very short drag, you can remove blemishes or wrinkles, or repair a tear or crease in a vintage or damaged photo. It automatically samples from around the retouched area, automtaically. The Spot Healing Brush is excellent for retouching blemishes in portraits. It works like the Clone Stamp, using a Source, and Destination areas. However, being a Healing tool, it will choose to use color, texture, or both. It happens automatically, but it behaves quite well. Personally, I use it a majority of the time because of the speed at which I can touch up images. Often, allI need to do is select the source, and then buzz around the image rather quickly.
You have a choice among Proximity Match, Create Texture, and the new Content Aware: • Proximity Match: Samples the pixels around the edge of the selection to use to fix the flawed area. • Create Texture: Uses all the pixels in the selection to create a texture to fix the flaw • Content-Aware: Compares and uses actual content from the image close to the flaw. Try using the Content-Aware option when removing large items like litter, scratches on your image, and other annoying elements.
Healing Brush Tool
Select the tool, hold down the ALT key and left-click on the base color you need to heal. Then left-click over the blemish.
This is my personal favorite. I think it has some magical properties, but I am not quite sure. What I DO know, is that it usually seems to know when I want to match the color, or match the texture, or both. It takes some getting used to it, but the results are pretty impressive. I rarely say that about anything “automated” in Photoshop. It clones by using the texture from the sampled area (the source) and then the colors around the brush stroke when you paint over the flawed area (the destination). The highlights, midtones, and shadows remain intact, and the result of the repair is more realistic and natural — not retouched and phony.
Be sure to have “Current and Below” selected, and “Aligned” unchecked, for best expected results. You have a choice between Sampled and Pattern: • Sampled: You’ll probably use this option, which uses the pixels from the image. • Pattern: You can probably infer that it uses pixels from a pattern you select from the Pattern Picker. 2
Photoshop Perfection: Basic 1 Course - Cloning and Healing
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Patch Tool Retouches image using sampled pixels or pattern. It works as a combination of the Healing Brush with the Lasso Tool.
The Patch Tool is, however, limited from a professional standpoint. The issue is that it must work directly on the base layer, that contains all the pixels. All the other tools in this Cloning topic will work on their own layers, sampling the pixels from other layers. In short, this tool is destructive. To work with the Patch tool, make a selection with the Patch tool and then drag the selection.
Depending on which option you select from the Options bar, you can either select and drag the damaged area to a good area (select Source from the Options bar), or you can select a good area and drag to the damaged area (select Destination). The new Content Aware Patch tool allows users to specify which area of the image to sample, dragging your selection on top of a ‘clean’ area, replacing your selection with that area.
Content Aware Move Tool
Allows you to select any object in your image and move it to a new location in the image and Content-Aware Fill fills where the object was, and the new tool blends your moved selection into place.
Like all the other “Content Aware” options available in Photoshop, I find it to be garbage, better suited for Photoshop Elements. It is completely automated, and barely usable for simple tasks, easily done by hand. Anything more complex, the things I actually would like help on, it becomes useless.
During the research for this writing, I saw an article talking about how awesome this new tools is. They showed an example of an “ideal” image. And even there, it seemed to mangle the affected areas. In fact, every example they showed, required further tools and skills to fix it. So, yeah, just forget about this tool. Spend your time learning how to use the Clone Stamp Tool instead.
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Photoshop Perfection: Basic 1 Course - Cloning and Healing
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Clone Stamp Tool
Uses pixels from one area of an image to replace the pixels in another part of the image. Using this tool, you can not only remove unwanted objects from your images, but you can also fill in missing areas in photographs you scan from damaged originals.
The Clone Stamp tool works its magic by taking sampled pixels from one area and cloning them onto another area. Cloning works better than copying and pasting because cloning allows you to retain soft edges on details such as shadows, giving you a more realistic duplicate image. Alt-click (Option-click on the Mac) the area of your image that you want to clone. Click or drag along the area where you want the clone to appear. While you drag, Photoshop displays a crosshair icon along with your Clone Stamp cursor. The crosshair represents the source you’re cloning from, and the Clone Stamp cursor shows where the clone is being painted. While you move the mouse, the crosshair moves also. This provides a continuous reference to the area that you’re cloning. Try to clone your entire object in one fell swoop so it doesn’t get fragmented.
Be sure to have “Current and Below” selected, and “Aligned” checked, for best expected results. The only other option you should be concerned about is going to be Opacity. While it is normally ideal to use the Clone Stamp at 100%, there are often times that you will want to make it 25%. For example, if you need to clone on skin, it is frequently better to go with a transparency, and go over the same area several times, until you reach the desired effect.
Clone Source Palette
While the actual use of this palette falls under intermediate use, it’s good to know that it is here. Most notably, you should keep in mind that you can create a horizontal, or vertical mirror image from here. In an effort to keep things simple, you really do not need to learn more about this, until you are ready. Even as a professional, I rarely use this.
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Photoshop Perfection: Basic 1 Course - Cloning and Healing
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Cloning on Layers
Now that I went over a few of the tools you will be using to clean up an image, it’s important to know where you will be making these changes. When you open a new image, it will have a single layer, called Background. Ideally, you would want to create a new layer, and possibly name it “Spotting”. That Spotting layer, is where you will be making all of your cloning or healing changes. The tools Clone Stamp and Healing Brush allow you to work on this “Blank” layer, while picking up the source information from the lower layers. Note: Be sure to use the pull-down option “Current and Below”. If it is set to Current, then there will not be any data for it to copy. The Patch Tool will only work on the layer that has source pixels on it. this example, only Background layer could be used. This is why the Patch tool should only be used as a last resort. Spot Healing Brush gives you no useful options at all, and that is why you may as well ignore it even exists.
Content Aware Fill
As I have mentioned several times already, Content Aware anything is garbage. I have never, and I mean ever, seen it work as expected. If you think I am lying, or otherwise not doing it justice, then go watch a tutorial, or read an article about it for yourself. I guarantee that even the samples they are working on themselves, will have visible problems. Because of this, I feel it is pointless to waste anyones time on this subject.
Vanishing Point
One of the least known about tools in Photoshop, is actually one of the coolest. When combining images to create a scene, you might find a need to add texture or a pattern along what is supposed to be a threedimensional object. With Vanishing Point, you can Clone in perspective. Near, or far, your cloned area will get bigger or smaller as you go. Use the Vanishing Point feature to “map” a pattern to angled surfaces, such as walls, floors, buildings, and boxes. Vanishing Point, using information that you provide, automatically determines the correct angle, scale, and perspective. Vanishing Point is rather complex, so for simple jobs, you might want to stick with Transform when possible. The Vanishing Point filter enables you to make realistic edits in images that have perspective planes. With Vanishing Point, you specify the planes in your images and then, by using a variety of techniques, add or eliminate objects on those planes. v. 1
Photoshop Perfection: Basic 1 Course - Cloning and Healing
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• Choose Filter - Vanishing Point • Grab the Create Plane tool, then click at each of the four corners of your plane to establish your editing surface. Move or resize the plane by using the Create Plane or Edit Plane tools. Photoshop informs you if your plane has a problem by displaying a bounding box and grid. If you have a problem grid, adjust the bounding box until it becomes blue by moving a corner node. • Use the Grid Size slider, accessed by clicking the double-headed arrow, to adjust the size of the grid units to better line up the plane and grid with the elements that may be in your image, such as tiles, texture, windows, or doors. • If desired, you can use the Create Plane tool and Ctrl-drag (Command-drag on the Mac) an edge node of the plane to “tear off” an additional plane. • With the Clone Stamp tool, Alt-click (Option-click on the Mac) the area you want to define as the source for your cloning. Then, drag your mouse on the portion of the image where you want the clone to appear. While Vanishing Point has many other possible options and uses, for this specific intent, all you really need to do is define the plane, and start cloning. This is one of the tools that I have rarely, if ever, used. I think mostly because I never knew it existed. It was silently introduced a few versions back.
Practice
This is one of the few items in Photoshop that simply requires practice. Every image you work on will need cloning of some sort done to it. The thing is, how well you will be able to perform the task will only come with time. It really isn’t any more complicated than that. 6
Photoshop Perfection: Basic 1 Course - Cloning and Healing
v. 1
by John Ross The Art of Retouching Studio http://www.TheArtofRetouching.com
Introduction
Adobe Photoshop comes with several different tools that can be used to remove, replace, touchup, or otherwise replace pixels in an image, with pixels from another area of the image. For example, you use the Healing Brush to remove blemishes from someones face, or use the Clone Stamp to remove a garbage can in the background.
Cloning
The term “Cloning” in Photoshop specifically means that you want to make an exact copy of pixels. It could something small, like removing a skin blemish, by taking a copy of clean skin, and covering over the blemish. It could also be something large, like removing an entire person, by covering over them with part of the background.
Cloning vs Healing
The Clone Stamp tool covers another part of the photograph with the sampled area. In contrast, the Healing Brush tools blend the sampled area with another area on the photograph. The blending is automatic, and will choose to match color, texture, or both.
Spotting
The term “Spotting” means that you are closely inspecting an image, and removing any dust spots, blemishes, or other unintentional discolored pixels. These could be from dust on the camera lens, or dirt on a scanner’s glass. It could be dirt on somones pants, or pimples on someones face, or anything else really. The general goal is to use one of the healing/cloning tools (like the clone stamp tool), and remove the unwanted imperfection. Spotting is not inteneded to refer to every possible item that needs to be cloned out. It is simply a detailed look at an image, from an overall perspective. If it is minor, but does not belong, it should be considered as part of a spotting pass over the image. CLONING TOOLS When you want to make direct changes to an image, you will use one of these.
Spot Healing Brush Tool - is used when something doesn’t belong in an area, for example, a pimple or blemish on the subject’s face Healing Brush Tool - retouches image using sampled pixels or pattern
Patch Tool - retouches image using sampled pixels or pattern It works as a combination of the Healing Brush with the Lasso Tool
Content-Aware Move Tool - will allow you to select pixels and move or extend them to another area of your image without the use of layers and masks Clone Stamp Tool - paints with a sampled pixels of an image
v. 1
Photoshop Perfection: Basic 1 Course - Cloning and Healing
1
Spot Healing Brush Tool
The Spot Healing Brush tool heals imperfections without your having to sample a source area.
With one click or a very short drag, you can remove blemishes or wrinkles, or repair a tear or crease in a vintage or damaged photo. It automatically samples from around the retouched area, automtaically. The Spot Healing Brush is excellent for retouching blemishes in portraits. It works like the Clone Stamp, using a Source, and Destination areas. However, being a Healing tool, it will choose to use color, texture, or both. It happens automatically, but it behaves quite well. Personally, I use it a majority of the time because of the speed at which I can touch up images. Often, allI need to do is select the source, and then buzz around the image rather quickly.
You have a choice among Proximity Match, Create Texture, and the new Content Aware: • Proximity Match: Samples the pixels around the edge of the selection to use to fix the flawed area. • Create Texture: Uses all the pixels in the selection to create a texture to fix the flaw • Content-Aware: Compares and uses actual content from the image close to the flaw. Try using the Content-Aware option when removing large items like litter, scratches on your image, and other annoying elements.
Healing Brush Tool
Select the tool, hold down the ALT key and left-click on the base color you need to heal. Then left-click over the blemish.
This is my personal favorite. I think it has some magical properties, but I am not quite sure. What I DO know, is that it usually seems to know when I want to match the color, or match the texture, or both. It takes some getting used to it, but the results are pretty impressive. I rarely say that about anything “automated” in Photoshop. It clones by using the texture from the sampled area (the source) and then the colors around the brush stroke when you paint over the flawed area (the destination). The highlights, midtones, and shadows remain intact, and the result of the repair is more realistic and natural — not retouched and phony.
Be sure to have “Current and Below” selected, and “Aligned” unchecked, for best expected results. You have a choice between Sampled and Pattern: • Sampled: You’ll probably use this option, which uses the pixels from the image. • Pattern: You can probably infer that it uses pixels from a pattern you select from the Pattern Picker. 2
Photoshop Perfection: Basic 1 Course - Cloning and Healing
v. 1
Patch Tool Retouches image using sampled pixels or pattern. It works as a combination of the Healing Brush with the Lasso Tool.
The Patch Tool is, however, limited from a professional standpoint. The issue is that it must work directly on the base layer, that contains all the pixels. All the other tools in this Cloning topic will work on their own layers, sampling the pixels from other layers. In short, this tool is destructive. To work with the Patch tool, make a selection with the Patch tool and then drag the selection.
Depending on which option you select from the Options bar, you can either select and drag the damaged area to a good area (select Source from the Options bar), or you can select a good area and drag to the damaged area (select Destination). The new Content Aware Patch tool allows users to specify which area of the image to sample, dragging your selection on top of a ‘clean’ area, replacing your selection with that area.
Content Aware Move Tool
Allows you to select any object in your image and move it to a new location in the image and Content-Aware Fill fills where the object was, and the new tool blends your moved selection into place.
Like all the other “Content Aware” options available in Photoshop, I find it to be garbage, better suited for Photoshop Elements. It is completely automated, and barely usable for simple tasks, easily done by hand. Anything more complex, the things I actually would like help on, it becomes useless.
During the research for this writing, I saw an article talking about how awesome this new tools is. They showed an example of an “ideal” image. And even there, it seemed to mangle the affected areas. In fact, every example they showed, required further tools and skills to fix it. So, yeah, just forget about this tool. Spend your time learning how to use the Clone Stamp Tool instead.
v. 1
Photoshop Perfection: Basic 1 Course - Cloning and Healing
3
Clone Stamp Tool
Uses pixels from one area of an image to replace the pixels in another part of the image. Using this tool, you can not only remove unwanted objects from your images, but you can also fill in missing areas in photographs you scan from damaged originals.
The Clone Stamp tool works its magic by taking sampled pixels from one area and cloning them onto another area. Cloning works better than copying and pasting because cloning allows you to retain soft edges on details such as shadows, giving you a more realistic duplicate image. Alt-click (Option-click on the Mac) the area of your image that you want to clone. Click or drag along the area where you want the clone to appear. While you drag, Photoshop displays a crosshair icon along with your Clone Stamp cursor. The crosshair represents the source you’re cloning from, and the Clone Stamp cursor shows where the clone is being painted. While you move the mouse, the crosshair moves also. This provides a continuous reference to the area that you’re cloning. Try to clone your entire object in one fell swoop so it doesn’t get fragmented.
Be sure to have “Current and Below” selected, and “Aligned” checked, for best expected results. The only other option you should be concerned about is going to be Opacity. While it is normally ideal to use the Clone Stamp at 100%, there are often times that you will want to make it 25%. For example, if you need to clone on skin, it is frequently better to go with a transparency, and go over the same area several times, until you reach the desired effect.
Clone Source Palette
While the actual use of this palette falls under intermediate use, it’s good to know that it is here. Most notably, you should keep in mind that you can create a horizontal, or vertical mirror image from here. In an effort to keep things simple, you really do not need to learn more about this, until you are ready. Even as a professional, I rarely use this.
4
Photoshop Perfection: Basic 1 Course - Cloning and Healing
v. 1
Cloning on Layers
Now that I went over a few of the tools you will be using to clean up an image, it’s important to know where you will be making these changes. When you open a new image, it will have a single layer, called Background. Ideally, you would want to create a new layer, and possibly name it “Spotting”. That Spotting layer, is where you will be making all of your cloning or healing changes. The tools Clone Stamp and Healing Brush allow you to work on this “Blank” layer, while picking up the source information from the lower layers. Note: Be sure to use the pull-down option “Current and Below”. If it is set to Current, then there will not be any data for it to copy. The Patch Tool will only work on the layer that has source pixels on it. this example, only Background layer could be used. This is why the Patch tool should only be used as a last resort. Spot Healing Brush gives you no useful options at all, and that is why you may as well ignore it even exists.
Content Aware Fill
As I have mentioned several times already, Content Aware anything is garbage. I have never, and I mean ever, seen it work as expected. If you think I am lying, or otherwise not doing it justice, then go watch a tutorial, or read an article about it for yourself. I guarantee that even the samples they are working on themselves, will have visible problems. Because of this, I feel it is pointless to waste anyones time on this subject.
Vanishing Point
One of the least known about tools in Photoshop, is actually one of the coolest. When combining images to create a scene, you might find a need to add texture or a pattern along what is supposed to be a threedimensional object. With Vanishing Point, you can Clone in perspective. Near, or far, your cloned area will get bigger or smaller as you go. Use the Vanishing Point feature to “map” a pattern to angled surfaces, such as walls, floors, buildings, and boxes. Vanishing Point, using information that you provide, automatically determines the correct angle, scale, and perspective. Vanishing Point is rather complex, so for simple jobs, you might want to stick with Transform when possible. The Vanishing Point filter enables you to make realistic edits in images that have perspective planes. With Vanishing Point, you specify the planes in your images and then, by using a variety of techniques, add or eliminate objects on those planes. v. 1
Photoshop Perfection: Basic 1 Course - Cloning and Healing
5
• Choose Filter - Vanishing Point • Grab the Create Plane tool, then click at each of the four corners of your plane to establish your editing surface. Move or resize the plane by using the Create Plane or Edit Plane tools. Photoshop informs you if your plane has a problem by displaying a bounding box and grid. If you have a problem grid, adjust the bounding box until it becomes blue by moving a corner node. • Use the Grid Size slider, accessed by clicking the double-headed arrow, to adjust the size of the grid units to better line up the plane and grid with the elements that may be in your image, such as tiles, texture, windows, or doors. • If desired, you can use the Create Plane tool and Ctrl-drag (Command-drag on the Mac) an edge node of the plane to “tear off” an additional plane. • With the Clone Stamp tool, Alt-click (Option-click on the Mac) the area you want to define as the source for your cloning. Then, drag your mouse on the portion of the image where you want the clone to appear. While Vanishing Point has many other possible options and uses, for this specific intent, all you really need to do is define the plane, and start cloning. This is one of the tools that I have rarely, if ever, used. I think mostly because I never knew it existed. It was silently introduced a few versions back.
Practice
This is one of the few items in Photoshop that simply requires practice. Every image you work on will need cloning of some sort done to it. The thing is, how well you will be able to perform the task will only come with time. It really isn’t any more complicated than that. 6
Photoshop Perfection: Basic 1 Course - Cloning and Healing
v. 1
