Understand how Healing Brush works?

Once in a while, I use the healing brush to remove an object from a photo. It could be a photo smudge, or a piece of trash, grafitti, a pimple, or whatever. Sometimes, it seems to work perfectly. The object I painted over is completely replaced.

Othertimes, the object I'm trying to remove isn't replaced. Instead, the Healing Brush merely blends the object with the sample area I had designated. The object doesn't disappear; it becomes blurry and smudged.

What are the factors affecting this seemingly random behavior? Right now, I'm using Healing Brush strictly on a trial-and-error basis. I can't for the life of me predict if or when it will work. The tool would be much more useful and intuitive for me if I actually understood how and why it works.

wrote:

Once in a while, I use the healing brush to remove an object from a photo. It could be a photo smudge, or a piece of trash, grafitti, a pimple, or whatever. Sometimes, it seems to work perfectly. The object I painted over is completely replaced.

Othertimes, the object I'm trying to remove isn't replaced. Instead, the Healing Brush merely blends the object with the sample area I had designated. The object doesn't disappear; it becomes blurry and smudged.

What are the factors affecting this seemingly random behavior? Right now, I'm using Healing Brush strictly on a trial-and-error basis. I can't for the life of me predict if or when it will work. The tool would be much more useful and intuitive for me if I actually understood how and why it works.

Have you tried the cloning tool? I believe the healing brush is more about textures than concealing objects.

-Raf

--
Misifus-
Rafael Seibert
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On Fri, 11 Aug 2006 08:56:31 -0500, Misifus
wrote:

wrote:

Once in a while, I use the healing brush to remove an object from a photo. It could be a photo smudge, or a piece of trash, grafitti, a pimple, or whatever. Sometimes, it seems to work perfectly. The object I painted over is completely replaced.

Othertimes, the object I'm trying to remove isn't replaced. Instead, the Healing Brush merely blends the object with the sample area I had designated. The object doesn't disappear; it becomes blurry and smudged.

What are the factors affecting this seemingly random behavior? Right now, I'm using Healing Brush strictly on a trial-and-error basis. I can't for the life of me predict if or when it will work. The tool would be much more useful and intuitive for me if I actually understood how and why it works.

Have you tried the cloning tool? I believe the healing brush is more about textures than concealing objects.

-Raf

I tend to think the healing brush is kind of a cloner. It is as if the healing brush somehow refers back to the color underneath; that is why I (sometimes), delete the color to be replaced completely before cloning new color. A habit which was critized by Johan.

Johan Elzenga explained it once here in a discussion where I was involved as well and made it very understandable - maybe he will explain it here to you as well.

Dave

wrote in message

Once in a while, I use the healing brush to remove an object from a photo. It could be a photo smudge, or a piece of trash, grafitti, a pimple, or whatever. Sometimes, it seems to work perfectly. The object I painted over is completely replaced.

Othertimes, the object I'm trying to remove isn't replaced. Instead, the Healing Brush merely blends the object with the sample area I had designated. The object doesn't disappear; it becomes blurry and smudged.

What are the factors affecting this seemingly random behavior? Right now, I'm using Healing Brush strictly on a trial-and-error basis. I can't for the life of me predict if or when it will work. The tool would be much more useful and intuitive for me if I actually understood how and why it works.

I answered this to someone else in the other PS NG
the healing tool pulls pixels into a swirl as far as I can tell**, which works well in areas of solid or similar color, for let's say fixing a blemish.

If you are near the edge of a contrasty color it will pull that into it, so either make a selection so it won't change those areas or re-sample the tool in an alignment with the stripe or line, moving in the same direction as you go...not sure I am 'splaining this right

sometimes it just pisses me off and I switch back to the clone tool, often a better choice for certain areas.

** I am sure someone on here will give a more tech explanation

what Dave said would only happen if you have USE ALL LAYERS checked make sure to pay attention to this check box when using heal or clone!!!!!!