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Correct imperfections with the Healing Brush

Retouch your photos and fix imperfections using the Healing brush tool in Photoshop on the iPad.

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Want to fix your images and remove distractions while working with Photoshop on the iPad?

You can easily and precisely retouch your images and correct imperfections by painting with sampled pixels you set in your photo using the Healing brush tool in Photoshop on the iPad.

This tool also matches the texture, lighting, transparency, and shading, and as a result, the repaired pixels blend seamlessly into the rest of the image.

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Follow these steps to learn how to use the Healing brush tool in Photoshop on the iPad:

  1. In the Layers panel, select the layer that contains imperfections or distracting objects that you want to retouch or remove.

  2. Select the Healing brush tool () from the toolbar. If you can’t find the tool, tap and hold the Clone tools to reveal other related tools, and then select the Healing brush tool.

  3. In the tool options panel that opens, tap the three dots () icon to open the Healing Brush settings panel.

    Here, you can choose the Blend mode, Sample, and set the Roundness and Angle sliders to the desired value.

    You can also use the toggle buttons to set Use pressure for size and Aligned.

    • Blend mode: Use to specify the blending mode that you want to apply to the healed area in your image.
    • Diffusion: Use the slider to control how quickly the pasted region adapts to the surrounding image. Select a lower value for images with grain or fine details, or a higher value for smooth images.
    • Sample: Sample data from the layers you specify. 
      • To sample from the active layer and visible layers under it, choose Current and below
      • To sample only from the active layer, choose Current layer
      • To sample from all visible layers, choose All layers
        • To sample from all visible layers except adjustment layers, choose All layers and enable Ignore Adjustment Layers.
    • Ignore adjustment layers: Enable this option if you want to view the applied adjustments in the image. By default, this option is turned off.
    • Roundness: Use the slider to set a percentage value that specifies the ratio between the brush’s short and long axes. Select a percentage value. 
      • A value of 100% indicates a circular brush. 
      • A value of 0% indicates a linear brush. 
      • Intermediate values indicate elliptical brushes.
    • Angle: The angle setting specifies the angle by which an elliptical or sampled brush’s long axis is rotated from a horizontal. Use the slider to set a value in degrees.
    • Use pressure for size: Enable this option to vary the diameter of the Healing brush tool based on the brush pressure applied while painting. By default, this option is turned off.
    • Aligned: Enable this option to sample pixels continuously, without losing the current sampling point. Disable to continu    e using the sampled pixels from the initial sampling point each time you stop and resume painting. By default, this option is turned off.
    Healing Brush tool
    Tap the three dots icon to open the Healing Brush settings panel and set various properties

  4. In the tool options panel, you can select the Set Source mode and position the pointer over an area in your image to set your source sampling area.

  5. In the tool options panel, select the Brush mode and paint over the area in your image that you want to retouch with the sampled source area.

You can also use the touch shortcuts available in Photoshop on your iPad to seamlessly switch between setting a source sampling area and painting with the selected pixels.
Follow these steps to do so:
  • Tap and keep the touch shortcut pressed down the entire time you want to use the Set Source mode of the Healing Brush tool. A blue indicator appears on the upper right side of the workspace to notify you about the activated state of the touch shortcut.
  • Tap the touch shortcut and slide to the outer edge to activate the Brush mode of the Healing Brush tool that you can use to paint over the selected area in your image.

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