Retouching: remove blemishes and unwanted objects
Dust specks, skin blemishes and small distractions can be removed in a few strokes. The three tools below are used for different situations.
Work on a separate layer
Retouching tools work on the pixels of the active layer. To keep the original safe, duplicate the layer with Ctrl J and retouch the copy. If you want the tool to sample from all visible layers instead of only the current one, enable Sample all layers in the options bar.
Spot Healing Brush (J)
The easiest tool for small marks. Set the brush size slightly larger than the blemish and click or drag over it. The tool looks around the spot, finds a nearby area with similar surroundings, and uses its texture while keeping the color and brightness of the place you paint. It works best on skin, sky and other fairly even surfaces.
Healing Brush
Use it when you want to decide where the texture comes from. Hold Alt and click a clean area to set the source, then paint over the problem. The texture comes from the source, while the tone adapts to what surrounds the area you paint, so the repair blends in. Keep Aligned on to keep the same offset between strokes.
Clone Stamp (S)
The clone stamp copies pixels exactly, without blending. It is the better choice for repeating patterns, hard edges or when you want an exact copy, for example to remove a small object in front of a brick wall. Set the source with Alt + click and paint. Lower the hardness for softer transitions.
Tips for natural results
- Zoom in to 100% or more so you can see the texture you are repairing.
- Use short strokes and change the source often; copying the same patch repeatedly creates visible repetition.
- Change the size with [ and ]. A brush that is only a little larger than the flaw works best.
- For a large object, work in layers: remove the biggest part with the clone stamp and refine the edges with the healing brush.
- If a result looks wrong, undo with Ctrl Z and try a different source.
Limits
These tools repair small areas. They do not invent missing content, so removing a large object in front of a complicated background may need a lot of manual work.
More guides
- How to correct the colors and brightness of a photoFix dull, dark or color-cast photos with levels, curves and hue/saturation, using adjustment layers you can change later.
- Layer masks explained: edit without deleting anythingLearn what a layer mask is, how to paint one, and how to combine two photos with a smooth transition.
- Opening and saving PSD files in the browserHow PSD files are handled: which layers, masks and effects are kept, what the “flattened” option means, and tips for saving.
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