Tutorial 3.1

The Clone Stamp Tool

Setting up your file

1. Open the provided file: [ PP_Chptr03-1_QQQ.webp ] in Photoshop.
2. Re-save the file as [ PP_Chptr03-1_QQQ_Working.psd ]

Getting Familiar with the Options of the Clone Stamp Tool

3. Select the Clone Stamp Tool (hotkey: S) from the toolbar.
   Here are some of the options and controls available for using this tool:
   • Brush Settings: Change size, hardness, and shape of the brush for different edge control.
   • Opacity & Flow: Controls the strength and buildup of the cloned pixels for more natural blending.
   • Aligned / Non-Aligned Sampling (checkmark-toggle):
     • Aligned: The sample point moves as you paint continuously.
     • Non-Aligned: Each stroke starts from the original sample point, useful for repeating a texture multiple times.

     In addition to the contextual tool options shown at the top of the screen when the tool is active, the Clone Stamp tool also has its own set of extended controls in a dedicated tool tab / dialogue box. You can open these by going to the Window menu and clicking the Clone Source option. This allows further customization of how the tool functions.

Using the Clone Stamp Tool

4. You can use Clone Stamp tool to retouch your image by holding Alt / Option and clicking on the area you want to sample (setting that area as your “source”), and then painting over the area you want to have look like that sample.
5. Paint gently over the area by using small strokes or single clicks. Resample (Alt / Option + Click) to avoid visual repetition (sometimes referred to as “Clone Tracks“).

Examples of common usage:

• Remove a stray hair(s) across the cheek by sampling from nearby clear skin.
• Rebuild the edge of clothing or hair where background needs to be filled in precisely.

The clone tool gives you very precise control over what it is you are duplicating, allowing you to manually match complex patterns and other image areas that AI tools have difficulty with. Be careful of key identifying features when using the clone stamp – distinctive features, like a knot in a wood grain pattern or a mole on a cheek – can quickly make a viewer suspicious of the edits you’ve made when they start noticing them in a repeating pattern. Like most tools, the Clone Stamp is one of many tools you’ll often combine together to produce the most convincing results.

Save & Wrap Up

6. Save your .PSD working file (Crtl / Cmd + S).
7. Save-As a .PNG (flattened) file (Shift + Crtl / Cmd + S).

Additional Tips for working efficiently with the Clone Stamp tool:

• Work non-destructively
  Create a blank layer named Clone – Retouch and set the Sample drop-down to Current & Below (or All Layers) so all cloning takes place on its own layer – easy to mask or fade (via the Layer Opacity) afterwards, and leaving your original layer(s) untouched.
• Aim to match plane, texture, and light
  Wherever possible, Sample from the same surface, distance, and lighting direction to avoid visible seams.
• Build gradually where possible
  Use the Flow settings at low percentages (5% to 20%) and moderate Opacities (40% to 80%) with a soft brush-edge for skin and gradients; use harder edges and higher Flow and Opacity for architectural lines, distinct repeating patterns and crisp boundaries.
• Adjust Brush Size & hardness via Keyboard Shortcuts (hot keys)
  Use the square-bracket keys on your keyboard ([ and ]) to change your brush size; use Shift + [ or ] to adjust brush hardness without your cursor leaving the canvas.
• Aligned vs Non-Aligned
  Use Aligned for continuous painting across an area; switch it off for repeating a clean patch multiple times from the same source.
• Preview your alignment
  Open Window ▸ Clone Source and enable Show Overlay. This lets you preview the sampled source over the target before you apply, letting you line up patterns with precision.
• Use blend modes strategically
  Set the Clone Stamp’s mode to Lighten to cover dark specks without brightening highlights;
  use Darken to hide light scratches;
  use Color to fix small colour casts while preserving luminosity.
• Protect edges with selections
  The Lasso or use a quick selection to confine cloning to a specific area. Alternately: Clone stamp slightly oversized and then mask the clone layer to refine your edges after.
• Name & group your working layers
  Keep “Clone – Skin,” “Clone – Background,” etc., in groups; this helps make complex images stay more manageable and easier to pass off to teammates for further work when needed.

(Coming Soon…)

Tutorial 3.2

Healing Tools

Setting up your file

1. Open the provided file: [ PP_Chptr03-2_QQQ.webp ] in Photoshop.
2. Re-save the file as [ PP_Chptr03-2_QQQ_Working.psd ]

Tool Access and Overview

3. Click and hold the Healing Brush Tool icon to see the full set of tools available under this area:
   • Spot Healing Brush Tool
     One-click fixes for small blemishes and specks; paints over a flaw and auto-samples surrounding texture/colour to blend (no manual sampling).
     
   • Remove Tool
     AI-assisted brush that deletes objects as you paint; continuously analyzes surroundings to attempt to synthesize believable fills. Great for wires, trash, or other unwanted stray elements.
     
   • Healing Brush Tool
     Like Clone Stamp but with some algorithmic intelligence built-in. Alt/Option-Click to sample a clean source, then paint; it transfers texture from the source while attempting to match the colour/brightness of the target.
     
   • Patch Tool
     Selection-based healing: Lasso a problem area and drag the selection over a clean source area; this tool blends the texture and tone to repair larger, irregular regions.
     
   • Content Aware Move Tool
     Select an object, drag it to a new spot; Photoshop relocates it and does its best to fill the original location with surrounding content for quick composition tweaks.
     
   • Red Eye [ Removal ] Tool
     Click on red pupils to neutralize them; auto-detects eyes and desaturates/redarkens the iris/pupil region while preserving natural catchlights.
     
     Whichever of these tools you have selected most recently will be selected when using the hotkey (J). The default tool is the Healing Brush Tool. You can cycle through these tools by using the hotkey Shift + J.

Testing some of these tools out

4. Create a duplicate of the portrait in the layers panel with Ctrl / Cmd + J. This will allow you to retouch non-destructively, and easily toffle between a before and after of your retouching work. Name this layer Retouching Layer.

Note: Retouching portraits can be a sticky topic from an ethics perspective. Many professional retouchers follow the base rule that they’ll only retouch things that would “naturally be gone in a week or two” – so dark circles from a poor nights sleep, a missed hair from shaving, or a breakout of acne are fair game, but freckles, moles and birthmarks are left natural.

Spot Healing Tool: Automatic, Quick Fixes

5. With the Spot Healing Tool active, ensure that the tool is set to sample current layer and below in the tool options along the top of the screen. Use the Spot Healing Tool to click or paint over a blemish on the skin. Photoshop samples nearby textures to normalize the area you’ve applied the tool to. Unlike the Clone Stamp tool, the sampling here is automatic. Try it out on any small pimples that distract from the portrait.

Healing Brush Tool: Manual Control

6. The Healing Brush Tool requires you to Alt / Option + Click a sample area to let the application know what you want the healing to look like. Once you’ve set your sample, paint over the imperfection(s) you are looking to remove. This gives you more control than the Spot Healing Tool by allowing you to manually decide where the sample source is coming from. In many ways this is very similar to the clone stamp tool as a result. Use this tool for larger issues where Spot Healing can produce unnatural results, like a small scar or a wrinkle edge.

   Example Usage: Sample nearby skin and paint to remove a stray hair under the nose.

Remove Tool: Select & drag-to-remove unwanted features

7. The Remove Tool is a newer addition to Photoshop. You paint an area, and Photoshop automatically attempts to replace it with nearby texture(s). Similar to Spot healing but can be used for larger areas – but like most AI powered tools, it can be slow when it comes to processing, and somewhat inconsistent in its results.

   Note that this tool does not currently understand transparency well in an image – If you are trying to remove an item on a transparent background, it will always fill in the painted area with pixels (of some variety). Thus, when used on something like a single-coloured icon, it will fill in the “removed” area with the only texture available in the image – the single colour.

Patch Tool: Quickly Fixing Large or Irregular areas where there are other image areas to sample from

8. The Patch Tool lets you draw a selection around an area of the image, and then click and drag that selection to another area of the image that you want the selected area to mimic – for example: selecting a blemish and dragging the selection to a clear area of skin. Photoshop then blends the textures together to create a natural looking result. This is great for larger blemishes, groups of imperfections, or awkward shaped areas (like dark circles under eyes) where brushes might take too long or produce inconsistent results. Example: Select an area of shaven skin under the neck with source selected in the top menu bar. Then switch to destination and drag the patch to an area with hair to add stubble.

Save & Wrap Up

6. Save your .PSD working file (Crtl / Cmd + S).
7. Save-As a .PNG (flattened) file (Shift + Crtl / Cmd + S).

(Coming Soon…)

Tutorial 3.3

Selecting Soft-Edged Objects

Setting up your file

1. Open the provided file: [ PP_Chptr03-3_QQQ.webp ] in Photoshop.
2. Re-save the file as [ PP_Chptr03-3_QQQ_Working.psd ]

Tool Access and Overview

3. Open the Select and Mask workspace (Alt + Ctrl / Command + R), or by clicking the select tool (W) and clicking on Select and Mask from the top menu bar. This workspace contains many options to create refined selections. We will start with a basic selection and edit further.
4. Click on Select Subject in the top menu bar, this will automatically select your subject and their hair, but with curls or messy hair it rarely does a perfect job.
5. Under View Mode, open the drop-down menu beside View and choose Overlay (V). This will allow you to see your selection easily and let you see the background colour showing through the hair. You’ll also want to select Show Edge (J). When this is enabled, Photoshop highlights the transition area around your selection’s refinement zone, where edge detection and feathering are being applied.

   From this view we can use the Refine Edge tool (R) to paint over stray hairs, while photoshop attempts to remove the background based on either the object or colour aware refinements.

5.  Paint from hair that is included in the selection outwards to allow the refine edge tool to sample from good pixels to best separate the background and the subject’s hair.
6. Turn on the Smart Radius checkbox, and under Output Settings, turn on Decontaminate Colors. Ensure that you are outputting to a new layer with layer mask so that your edits are applied non-destructively.
7. Depending on the image, increasing the Feather under global refinements may help the mask selection’s accuracy for masking the person’s hair. For our sample image, adding feathering will include more background content than we want, so we’ll keep it minimal and click Ok to create our mask.

Note: If you want to take your selection and add a new background to it, you also could choose to output as a new document.

Save & Wrap Up

8. Save your .PSD working file (Crtl / Cmd + S).
9. Save-As a .PNG (flattened) file (Shift + Crtl / Cmd + S).

(Coming Soon…)

Tutorial 3.4

Local Colour Correction

Setting up your file

1. Open the provided file: [ PP_Chptr03-3_QQQ.webp ] in Photoshop.
2. Re-save the file as [ PP_Chptr03-3_QQQ_Working.psd ]

Whitening the Teeth via a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer

3. Zoom in (Ctrl / Cmd + +) to view the subject’s teeth.
4. Select the Lasso Tool (L) and draw a selection around the teeth area.
5. In the Layers tab, add a new Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. The adjustment layer will have a mask applied automatically based on the selection.
6. In the properties tab for the adjustment layer, set the following
   • From the colour swatches shown (multi-colour by default), select the Yellow swatch.
   • Adjust the selected colour range using the eyedropper and the colour range graph at the bottom of the properties panel.
   • Reduce the Saturation by -40 to reduce yellow colouration in the teeth.
   • Increase Lightness by +15 for a subtle whitening effect.
   • Toggle the layer on and off to see the change. Check to ensure your layer is not adversely affecting the lips or gums, adjust your colour selection if needed to keep the change focused on the teeth.

Whitening the Teeth via a Curves Adjustment Layer

7. Add a new Curves adjustment layer, masked using the same selection (Ctrl / Cmd + click the Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer Mask icon in the layer stack).
8. Click the midpoint of the curves graph and Lift the midtones very slightly for brightness. Avoid pushing highlights too far, the teeth should remain natural, not too white or too bright.

Reducing Blush in the Cheeks via a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer

9. Select the Lasso Tool (L) again and make a selection around the cheek areas where blush appears.
10. Feather the selection (Select > Modify > Feather, 10px) too change the hard selection from the lasso into a smoother, blended one.
11. Create a new Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. In the properties panel:
    • From the colour swatches shown (multi-colour by default), select the red swatch.
    • Adjust the selected colour range using the eyedropper and the colour range graph at the bottom of the properties panel.
    • Lower the Saturation by -15 to reduce the intensity of blush.
12. Select your mask from the layers panel and invert it (Shift + I)

Save & Wrap Up

14. Save your .PSD working file (Crtl / Cmd + S).
15. Save-As a .PNG (flattened) file (Shift + Crtl / Cmd + S).

(Coming Soon…)

Tutorial 3.5

Non-Destructive Dodge & Burn

Setting up your file

1. Open the provided file: [ PP_Chptr03-3_QQQ.webp ] in Photoshop.
2. Re-save the file as [ PP_Chptr03-3_QQQ_Working.psd ]

Creating Adjustment Layers

3. Create two Curves Adjustment Layers:
   Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves. Name this layer Dodge. On the Curves graph (in the properties tab), pull the midtone slightly upward to lighten tones. “Dodging” is a darkroom techniques where a skilled photographer would block light from reaching a part of a photo print, lightening the resulting area.

4. Repeat to create another Curves Adjustment Layer named Burn. On this layer, pull the midtone curve slightly downward to darken tones. “Burning” is a darkroom techniques where a skilled photographer would allow more light to reach a part of a photo print, darkening the resulting area. 

5. Change the Blend Mode of both of these Curves Adjustment Layers to Luminosity. This will set the layers to affect the brightness only, keeping the hue of skin tones natural.

Preparing Layer Masks

6.  Invert each layer mask to black (hotkey: Ctrl / Cmd + I) so that no adjustment is visible (yet).
7. Select a soft, round brush (B) with low flow (2 to 5%).
8. Use the brush to Paint on the mask with white to reveal the effect gradually.

Applying Dodge and Burn

9. On the Dodge layer (brightening layer), think of it like applying highlighter in makeup:
   • Lightly brush over the cheekbones to make them pop.
   • Add a touch on the forehead, chin, and bridge of the nose to emphasize natural highlights.
   • Keep strokes light – just as when applying makeup, too much highlight can look artificial.
10. On the Burn layer (darkening layer), think of it like applying contour makeup:
    • Add shadow under the cheekbones to define structure.
    • Darken along the jawline and hairline to frame the face.
    • Shade the sides of the nose slightly to refine shape.
11. Toggle the Dodge and Burn layers on/off to compare before and after.The goal is subtle enhancement to natural features. Everything should look natural but enhanced – not painted on.
12. If the effect looks too heavy overall, reduce the Opacity of the adjustment layers for a softer blend.

Refining the Result (Feather & Blend)

13. In the Properties tab, feather the layer masks (~50px) for smoother blending.
14. Use Blend If (double-click the Dodge or Burn layer → Layer Style panel → Blend If sliders). This allows you to restrict where the adjustment shows based on brightness values of the underlying image.
15. For Dodge (the brightening layer):
    • Drag the black slider under Underlying Layer to the right. This will exclude dark shadow areas so they don’t get unnaturally bright.
    • Hold Alt / Option and click the slider to split it into two halves. This creates a smooth transition instead of a hard cutoff, blending the adjustment gradually into midtones.
16. For Burn (the darkening layer):
    • Drag the white slider under Underlying Layer to the left. This excludes highlights so bright areas don’t get dulled or muddy
    • Again, split the slider with Alt / Option to feather the blend for a more natural result.

      Note: by adding this “split marker” on the slider, you can control how much of the tone range is affected. For example, pulling the Burn layer’s highlight slider halfway in and then splitting it ensures the brightest areas are protected, while the rest gradually darken.

Final Polish

17. Group the Dodge & Burn layers (select both in the layers tab, Ctrl / Cmd + G).
18. Name this group Dodge & Burn
19. Lower the Group Opacity to ~60%.
20. Add a mask to the Dodge & Burn group to clean up any spillover:
    • Select the Dodge & Burn Group
    • Click the Add Layer Mask button.
    • Paint with a soft black Brush (B)over areas where Dodge & Burn effects should not appear (ears, hair, clothing, or background).
    • Adjusting the Opacity of your brush can be very useful in this step.

Save & Wrap Up

21. Save your .PSD working file (Crtl / Cmd + S).
22. Save-As a .PNG (flattened) file (Shift + Crtl / Cmd + S).

(Coming Soon…)

Tutorial 3.6

Content Aware Fill

Setting up your file

1. Open the provided file: [ PP_Chptr03-3_QQQ.webp ] in Photoshop.
2. Re-save the file as [ PP_Chptr03-3_QQQ_Working.psd ]

Preparing the Canvas

3. Go to Image > Canvas Size (hotkey: Alt / Option + Ctrl / Cmd + C). A dialog box will appear.
4. Increase the Width to QQQ to add extra space on the left and right of the photo.
   • Use the anchor grid to control where the expansion occurs (for example, anchor left to add space to the right).
   • Click OK. A new blank area will appear to the left and right of your image.
5. Choose the Rectangular Marquee Tool (hotkey: M) from the toolbar. Drag a selection around the newly added blank space, making sure to overlap slightly into the existing image.
6. Invert the selection (Shift + i) to select the area of the canvas you want to apply your fill to.

Content-Aware Fill Workspace

7. Go to Edit > Content-Aware Fill. The Content-Aware Fill workspace will open, showing a preview of the result, a green selection which can be customised using a brush and the filled area, surrounded by marching ants.

8. Select your sampling area. The green overlay shows the areas Photoshop is sampling from. Use the Sampling Brush Tool to paint in or subtract from this area.

   • Remove distracting areas (such as people or objects) from the sampling zone to prevent them from repeating in the background.

   • Content Aware fill will start by automatically selecting an area to sample from. You can add or subtract from the area with the sampling brush, or you can restart by selecting custom under “sampling area options”

9. Check the Preview panel on the right side. If the fill is unsatisfactory the workspace has several options to refine your fill.

   • Colour Adaption

   • Rotation Adaption

   • Scale

   • Mirror

10. If the fill looks good, make sure your output settings are set to a new layer, then click OK to apply your fill.

Refining your Selection

11.  If needed, refine the edges of the fill:
    • Use the Clone Stamp Tool (S) or Healing Brush Tool (J) to blend any rough transitions.
    • For stubborn areas, reselect them with the lasso tool (L) and repeat the Content-Aware Fill process.

Save & Wrap Up

12. Save your .PSD working file (Crtl / Cmd + S).
13. Save-As a .PNG (flattened) file (Shift + Crtl / Cmd + S).

Additional Tips for working efficiently with the Content-Aware Fill tool

•   Expanding in smaller steps often gives better results than one large canvas increase. Particularly with busy backgrounds. 
•   If the fill looks repetitive, adjust the sampling area to exclude the repeated sections.
•   For a quicker, automatic version, try Edit > Fill > Content-Aware. This operates more quickly, but the workspace provides the user with greater control of the sampled area and results.

(Coming Soon…)