DECEMBER 2019 PCWorld 123produce the same results and both are
fairly easy to perform, so it’s just a matter of
personal preference.
You can also use the Magic Wand for
images with distinct light and dark areas.
This can be tricky and often
selects areas you don’t want
selected. But you can use it for
the large areas, then fine-tune
with the Lasso.
- HOW TO USE
THE CLONE STAMP
TO SMOOTH AND
POLISH SURFACES
The Clone Stamp tool, not to
be confused with the Blur or
Smudge tool, is all about the
right brush style, brush size,
and brush location. The brush
should be smaller than the eraser head of a
pencil (size 40 for an 8 by 10, 300 ppi
photo is good), round, and slightly
blurred. The location should be as close to
the stamped area as possible.
Position the brush on the surface you
want to clone (such as a smooth, blemish-
free part of the face). Press the Alt key and
click the mouse once. Move the tool over a
blemished area and click again. The
blemish disappears.
If you want it to look natural and
consistent, you must stamp the tool in a
clean area directly above, below, or beside
the blemish. Otherwise the skin tones
fluctuate too much, and the results begin to
look “stamped and blotchy.” Our sample
removes the blemishes and freckles only, but
it still needs an Image Adjustment featureUse the Lasso tool to remove busy backgrounds.
Use the Clone Stamp with a small, fuzzy brush for editing faces.