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Remove distractions<br />
Step by step Delete distractions<br />
Learn how to get rid of people in the background to improve your composition<br />
01 Find replacement pixels<br />
In Expert mode, open bomber_before01 and 02. Go to<br />
the second image. We’ll use the middle section to hide<br />
the distracting lady. Grab the Rectangular Marquee<br />
tool from the toolbar and drag a box over the middle<br />
portion of the frame, top to bottom.<br />
02 Position the copy<br />
Hit Cmd/Ctrl+C to copy the selection, then go to the<br />
other image and hit Cmd/Ctrl+V to paste it over. Go to<br />
the Layers panel and drop the opacity to about 50%.<br />
Grab the Move tool and drag the layer into position,<br />
lining up the people in the background.<br />
Clone tool<br />
or lAyers?<br />
The Clone tool lets us<br />
copy pixels from one area<br />
to another, so it’s useful<br />
for removing unwanted<br />
people from otherwiseclean<br />
backdrops. But<br />
things get more tricky<br />
with a cluttered backdrop<br />
like this. Here’s where<br />
Layers prove more<br />
useful. We can copy part<br />
of an image to a new<br />
layer, then reposition it<br />
elsewhere. This gives us<br />
greater control, as we<br />
can fine-tune exactly<br />
what’s visible or not by<br />
adding a layer mask to<br />
the copied pixels. So in<br />
effect, layers can be used<br />
to perform exactly the<br />
same task as the Clone<br />
tool, but with greater<br />
control and finesse.<br />
03 Select the people<br />
Set layer opacity to 100%. Highlight the ‘Background’<br />
layer and hit Cmd/Ctrl+J to make a copy. Drag it to<br />
the top of the stack then grab the Quick Selection tool.<br />
Paint to select the figures between the couple. Hold<br />
Alt and paint to subtract if the tool goes wrong.<br />
04 Improve the selection<br />
Hit Refine Edge in the tool options. Increase Radius to<br />
improve the selection. Paint over messy areas along<br />
the edge with the Refine Radius tool. Set Output:<br />
Layer Mask. Next highlight the layer mask thumbnail<br />
in the Layers panel and hit Cmd/Ctrl+I to invert it.<br />
Quick Tip!<br />
It’s easier to get rid<br />
of photo bombers<br />
in-camera! Shift<br />
your perspective<br />
slightly or open up<br />
your aperture<br />
to blur them out<br />
05 Perfect the mask<br />
Grab the Brush tool, with a soft-edged brush tip, and<br />
zoom in close. With the mask thumbnail highlighted<br />
we can paint white or black to reveal or hide parts of<br />
the layer until the mask perfectly isolates the faces.<br />
Hit X to flip between black and white as you paint.<br />
06 Clone to tidy<br />
Make a new layer then grab the Clone tool and check<br />
‘Sample All Layers’ in the tool options. Sample a<br />
source area then paint to clone over messy parts.<br />
Don’t worry about cloning precisely; add a layer mask<br />
and paint white or black to fine-tune what’s visible.<br />
Next month<br />
Repair your<br />
old photos<br />
The Canon Magazine 59
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