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[ 035 ]Step Five: Create a copy of the photo
layer by pressing Command-J (PC:
Ctrl-J). This will preserve the origi-
nal just in case things go awry. Use
the Lasso tool (L) to draw a selection
around the leash. Then, go to Edit>Fill,
set the Contents drop-down menu to
Content-Aware, and click OK. Photo-
shop will fill in the selection with sam-
ples from the background so the leash
is no longer visible. Be sure to press
Command-D (PC: Ctrl-D) to cancel the
selection. Then use the same technique
to remove any portion of the handler
that’s still visible.
Step Six: The Content-Aware Fill left
an odd result where the leash met the
dog’s fur. To correct this, use the Heal-
ing Brush tool (nested below the Spot
Healing Brush tool [J] in the Toolbar).
Sample a source by holding down the
Option (PC: Alt) key while clicking on
the background just below the trouble
area. Then paint over the anomaly. Pho-
toshop uses the pixels from the source
area to reconstruct the new edge of
the fur without any trace of the leash.
You may have to sample from several
different areas of the background to
help heal away the leash and fur.