User Guide Cancel

Retouch and repair photos

Get in touch with your canvas with Adobe Fresco
Take your drawing and painting digital. Your Creative Cloud membership now includes unlimited access to Adobe Fresco and over 1,000 premium brush sets.

Remove unwanted areas, touch up blemishes, whiten teeth, correct red eye, and fix imperfections in your images.

Adobe Photoshop deeplink

Try it in Adobe Photoshop
Use any of your images and follow along to find the Clone Source panel as you learn more about cloning and healing.

Spot Healing Brush tool

Quickly remove blemishes and other imperfections from your images with the Spot Healing Brush tool ( ).

Like the Healing Brush tool it paints with sampled pixels from an image or pattern and matches the texture, lighting, transparency, and shading of the sampled pixels to the pixels being healed.

Unlike the Healing Brush tool it doesn’t need you to specify a sample spot and automatically samples from around the retouched area.

  1. Select the Spot Healing Brush tool  .

  2. Make selections for Size, Hardness, and Spacing of the brush in the options bar. 

    Make adjustments to the Spot Healing Brush tool from the options bar
    Choose brush size, blending mode, type option for the Spot Healing Brush tool from the options bar.

  3. (Optional) Choose a blending mode from the Mode menu in the options bar. Select Replace to preserve noise, film grain, and texture at the edges of the brush stroke when using a soft‑edge brush.

  4. Select Type > Content-Aware to let Spot Healing Brush tool compare nearby image content to seamlessly fill the selection, realistically maintaining key details such as shadows and object edges. 

    Note:

    Use the Edit > Fill command to create a larger or more precise selection for the Content-Aware option. (See Content-aware, pattern, or history fills.)

  5. To sample data from all visible layers, select Sample All Layers in the options bar. To sample from the active layer, deselect the option.

  6. Select the area you want to fix or select and drag to smooth over imperfections in a larger area.

Healing Brush tool

Use the Healing Brush tool ( ) to retouch a large area or to achieve greater control over the source sampling. It matches the texture, lighting, transparency, and shading of the sampled pixels to the pixels being healed. As a result, the repaired pixels blend seamlessly into the rest of the image.

  1. Select the Healing Brush tool  .

  2. Make selections for the Size, Hardness, and Spacing of the brush in the options bar. 

    Note:

    If you’re using a pressure-sensitive digitizing tablet, choose an option from the Size menu to vary the size of the healing brush over the course of a stroke. Choose Pen Pressure to base the variation on the pen pressure. Choose Stylus Wheel to base the variation on the position of the pen thumbwheel. Choose Off if you don’t want to vary the size.

    • Mode: Specifies the blending mode. Select Replace to preserve noise, film grain, and texture at the edges of the brush stroke when using a soft‑edge brush.
    • Source: Specifies the source to use for repairing pixels. Sampled to use pixels from the current image or Pattern to use pixels from a pattern. If you chose Pattern, select a pattern from the Pattern pop‑up panel.
    • Aligned: Samples pixels continuously, without losing the current sampling point, even if you release the mouse button. Deselect Aligned to continue to use the sampled pixels from the initial sampling point each time you stop and resume painting.
    • Sample: Samples data from the layers you specify. To sample from the active layer and visible layers below 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 use the Ignore Adjustment Layers icon to the right of the Sample pop‑up menu.
    • Diffusion: Controls 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
    Make adjustments to the Healing Brush tool from the options bar
    Choose brush size, mode, source for the Healing Brush tool from the options bar.

  3. Set the sampling point by positioning the pointer over an area of the image and Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (macOS).

    Note:

    If you are sampling from one image and applying to another, both images must be in the same color mode unless one of the images is in Grayscale mode.

  4. (Optional) In the Clone Source panel, click a clone source button  and set an additional sampling point.

    You can set up to five different sampling sources. The Clone Source panel remembers the sampled sources until you close the document you’re editing.

  5. (Optional) In the Clone Source panel, use a clone source button to select the sampled source you want.

  6. (Optional) Do any of the following in the Clone Source panel:

    • To scale or rotate the source that you’re cloning, enter a value for W (width), H (height), or the rotation in degrees .

    Or, 

    • To show an overlay of the source that you’re cloning, select Show Overlay and specify the overlay options.
  7. Drag in the image.

    The sampled pixels are melded with the existing pixels each time you release the mouse button.

Note:

If there is a strong contrast at the edges of the area you want to heal, make a selection before you use the Healing Brush tool. The selection should be bigger than the area you want to heal and precisely follow the boundary of contrasting pixels. When you paint with the Healing Brush tool, the selection prevents colors from bleeding in from the outside.

Clone Source panel

The Clone Source panel (Window > Clone Source) has options for the Clone Stamp tools or Healing Brush tools.

You can set up to five different sample sources and quickly select the one you need without resampling each time you change to a different source. You can view an overlay of your sample source to make it easier to clone the source in a specific location. You can also scale or rotate the sample source to better match the size and orientation of the cloning destination.

For timeline-based animations, the Clone Source panel also has options for specifying the frame relationship between the sample source video/animation frame and the target video/animation frame. See also Cloning content in video and animation frames.

Clone Stamp tool

The Clone Stamp tool  paints one part of an image over another part of the same image or over another part of any open document that has the same color mode. You can also paint part of one layer over another layer. Use this tool for duplicating objects or removing a defect in an image.

You can also use the Clone Stamp tool to paint content on video or animation frames. See also Cloning content in video and animation frames.

To use the Clone Stamp tool, set a sampling point on the area you want to copy (clone) the pixels from and paint over another area.

To paint with the most current sampling point whenever you stop and resume painting, select the Aligned option.

Deselect the Aligned option to paint starting from the initial sampling point no matter how many times you stop and resume painting.

You can use any brush tip with the Clone Stamp tool, which gives you precise control over the size of the clone area. You can also use opacity and flow settings to control the paint application to the cloned area.

  1. Select the Clone Stamp tool  .

  2. Choose a brush tip and set brush options for the blending mode, opacity, and flow in the options bar.
  3. To specify how you want to align the sampled pixels and how to sample data from the layers in your document, set any of the following in the options bar:
    • Aligned: Samples pixels continuously, without losing the current sampling point, even if you release the mouse button. Deselect Aligned to continue to use the sampled pixels from the initial sampling point each time you stop and resume painting.
    • Sample: Samples data from the layers you specify. To sample from the active layer and visible layers below 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 click the Ignore Adjustment Layers icon to the right of the Sample pop‑up menu.
  4. Set the sampling point by positioning the pointer in any open image and Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (macOS).

    Note:

    Make sure you are not working on an adjustment layer. The Clone Stamp tool does not work on adjustment layers.

  5. (Optional) In the Clone Source panel, select a clone source button  and set an additional sampling point.

    You can set up to five different sampling sources. The Clone Source panel saves the sampled sources until you close the document.

  6. (Optional) Do any of the following in the Clone Source panel:

    • To scale or rotate the source that you’re cloning, enter a value for W (width), H (height), or the rotation in degrees .

    Or,

    • To reverse the direction of the source (good for mirroring features like eyes), click the Flip Horizontal  or Flip Vertical  buttons.

    Or,

    • To show an overlay of the source that you’re cloning, select Show Overlay and specify the overlay options.
    Note:

    Select Clipped to clip the overlay to the brush size.

  7. Drag over the area of the image you want to correct.

Set sample sources for cloning and healing

Sample sources in the current document or any open document in Photoshop using the Clone Stamp or Healing Brush tool.

When cloning video or animation, you can set sampling points in the current frame you’re painting or sample sources in a different frame, even if the frame is in a different video layer or in a different open document.

You can set up to five different sampling sources at a time in the Clone Source panel. This panel saves the sampling sources until you close the document.

  1. To clone video or animation frames, open the Animation panel (if you’re not cloning video or animation frames, skip to step 2). Select the timeline animation option and move the current-time indicator to the frame with the source you want to sample.

  2. To set the sampling point, select the Clone Stamp tool and Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (macOS) in any open document window.

  3. (Optional) To set another sampling point, select a different Clone Source button  in the Clone Source panel.

    You can change the sampling source for a Clone Source button by setting a different sampling point.

Scale or rotate the sample source

  1. Select the Clone Stamp or Healing Brush tool and set one or more source samples.
  2. In the Clone Source panel, select a clone source and then do any of the following:
    • To scale the sample source, enter a percentage value for W (width) or H (height) or scrub W or H. The default is to constrain proportions. To adjust the dimensions independently or restore the constrain option, click the Maintain Aspect Ratio button .
    • To rotate the sample source, enter a degree value or scrub the Rotate The Clone Source icon .
    • To reset the sample source to its original size and orientation, click the Reset Transform button .

Adjust the sample source overlay options

Adjust the sample source overlay options to see the overlay and underlying images better when painting with the Clone Stamp tool and Healing Brush tool.

Note:

To temporarily display the overlay while painting with the Clone Stamp tool, press Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (macOS). The brush changes temporarily to the Move Source Overlay tool. Drag to move the overlay to another location.

  1. In the Clone Source panel, select Show Overlay and do any of the following:
    • To hide the overlay while you apply the paint strokes, select Auto Hide.
    • To clip the overlay to the brush size, enable the Clipped option.
    • To set the opacity of the overlay, enter a percentage value in the Opacity text box.
    • To set the appearance of the overlay, choose either the Normal, Darken, Lighten, or Difference blending mode from the pop‑up menu at the bottom of the Clone Source panel.
    • To invert the colors in the overlay, select Invert.
    Note:

    To help align identical areas in the source overlay and underlying image, set Opacity to 50%, select Invert, and deselect Clipped. Matching image areas will appear solid gray when aligned.

Specify the clone source offset

When using the Clone Stamp tool or Healing Brush tool, you can paint with the sampled source anywhere in the target image. The overlay options help you visualize where you want to paint. However, if you paint in a specific location relative to the sampling point, you can specify the x and y pixel offset.

In the Clone Source panel, select the source you want to use and enter the x and y pixel values for the Offset option.

Patch Tool

Repair a selected area with pixels from another area or pattern using the Patch Tool  . You can also use this tool to cline isolated areas of an image and to work with 8-bits or 16-bits per channel images. 

Like the Healing Brush tool, the Patch Tool matches the texture, lighting, and shading of the sampled pixels to the source pixels.

For information about using the Content-Aware Patch tool options, see  Content-Aware Patch and Move.

Repair an area using sampled pixels

  1. Select the Patch tool  .

  2. Do one of the following:
    • Drag in the image to select the area you want to repair and select Source in the options bar.

    Or,

    • Drag in the image to select the area from which you want to sample and select Destination in the options bar.
    Make adjustments from the options bar when working with Patch tool in Photoshop.
    Make selections for source, destination, and normal or content-aware patch from the options bar.

  3. To adjust the selection, do one of the following:
    • Shift-drag in the image to add to the existing selection.
    • Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (macOS) in the image to subtract from the existing selection.
    • Alt+Shift-drag (Windows) or Option+Shift-drag (macOS) in the image to select an area intersected by the existing selection.
  4. To extract texture with a transparent background from the sampled area, select Transparent. Deselect this option if you want to fully replace the target area with the sampled area.

    Note:

    The Transparent option works best for solid or gradient backgrounds with clearly distinct textures (such as a bird in a blue sky).

  5. To control how quickly the pasted region adapts to the surrounding image, adjust the Diffusion slider. Select a lower value for images with grain or fine details, or a higher value for smooth images.

  6. Position the pointer inside the selection, and do one of the following:
    • If Source is selected in the options bar, drag the selection border to the area from which you want to sample. When you release the mouse button, the originally selected area is patched with the sampled pixels.
    • If Destination is selected in the options bar, drag the selection border to the area you want to patch. When you release the mouse button, the newly selected area is patched with the sampled pixels.

Repair an area using a pattern

  1. Select the Patch tool  .

  2. Drag in the image to select the area you want to repair.
    Note:

    You can also make a selection prior to selecting the Patch tool.

  3. If desired, complete steps 3-4 (from Repair an area using sampled pixels) to adjust the selection and apply pattern texture with a transparent background.

  4. Select a pattern from the Pattern panel in the options bar and select Use Pattern.

Red Eye Tool

Remove red eye in flash photos of people or animals using the Red Eye tool  .

  1. In RGB Color mode, select the Red Eye tool  . (The Red Eye tool is in the same group as the Spot Healing Brush tool  . Hold down a tool to display additional tools in the group.)

  2. Click in the red eye. If you're not satisfied with the result, undo the correction, set one or more of the following options in the options bar, and select the red eye again:

    • Pupil Size: Increases or decreases the area affected by the Red Eye tool.
    • Darken Amount: Sets the darkness of the correction.
    Make adjustments to the Red Eye tool from the options bar
    Adjust for pupil size and darken amount from the options bar

Note:

A reflection of the camera flash in the subject’s retina causes red eye. You’ll see it more often when taking pictures in a darkened room because the subject’s iris is wide open. To avoid red eye, use the camera’s red eye reduction feature. Or, better yet, use a separate flash unit that you can mount on the camera farther away from the camera’s lens.


Get help faster and easier

New user?