Use Content-Aware, Pattern, or History fills

Last updated on Oct 27, 2025

Learn how to replace selected areas in Adobe Photoshop with context-aware content, custom patterns, or previous states.

Photoshop offers several powerful fill options that help you replace unwanted objects, add creative elements, or restore previous states of your image.

Select the area you want to fill in your image.

Photoshop interface showing a selected object on a lake image, prepared for removal using Content-Aware Fill.
Start with a precise selection around the object you want to remove or replace.

Select Edit > Fill. The Fill dialog box opens.

Select the Contents dropdown menu in the Fill dialog box.

  • Content-Aware: Automatically fills the area based on surrounding pixels.
  • Pattern: Fills the area with a selected pattern.
  • History: Fills the area using a previous History state.
Tip

For Pattern, select Custom Pattern to choose from saved patterns. For History, ensure the History Brush source is set correctly.

Select Pattern to fill the area with repeated patterns, and then select a pattern from the Custom Pattern dropdown menu.

Select Content-Aware to automatically fill the area based on surrounding pixels. For the best results, create a selection that extends slightly into the area you want to replicate.

Select History to restore the selected area to the source state or snapshot set in the History panel.

Under Blending, select the Mode and Opacity for your fill. For full coverage, use Normal mode and 100% opacity.

Select OK. Photoshop fills the selected area with your chosen content, pattern, or history state.

Edited image in Photoshop after the selected object has been removed using Content-Aware Fill.
Apply Content-Aware fill to remove the selection and blend it smoothly with the surrounding pixels.