Patch Tool help CS

[Emma]

I read the help section in Adobe about the Patch tool, but I'm too lazy to try harder to understand it! :rolleyes:
Can I get a general "real person talk" instructions on how to use it, as well as any tips you have for this tool? :confused:

Thanks!

[Amber]

Oooh- I want to know this too! I dont know how to use this either!

[grindavich]

Hi, the patch tool is similar to the lasso.I will give you an example, so pretend you have a photo of someone with dark circles under their eyes, or you have a ripped photo you need to repair.

Technique

1. Choose patch tool :)
2. With the patch tool, make sure that it;s set to Source in the options bar and draw a selection around one of the dark circles under the eye. The patch tool operates much like the lasso tool for drawing selections. Also, like the lasso tool, once your selection is in place, if you need to add to it, just hold the shift key and "lasso" in some more area. If you need to subtract , hold the Alt key (Option - MAC) instead.

3. After your selection is in place, click Directly within the selected area and drag it to a part of the face that's clean and doesn't have any edges. I mean you don't want your dragged selection to overlap the edge of any other facial features such as the nose, lips, eyebrow, or the edge of the face. You need a clean, uninterrupted area of skin. In Photoshop CS you will see a preview of what your patch will look like-thats why you will see 2 selections.

4. After you've found that clean area, release the mouse button and the patch tool automatically samples it, snaps back to the original selected area, and performs the retouch for you.

5 Press deselect and you see the dark circle is completely gone, You can use the healing tool also for the same functions, but the patch tool does all the work for you basically.

This tool is mostly used for serious restorations and glamour shots. I don't use it to remove heavy freckles or Acne, I stick with Gaussian Blur technique for that. :)

Hope this helps some - Teresa

[iluvdollz]

Hello Teresa and thanks for sharing. I am originally from Chicago then moved to NY by age 12 and transplanted in FL 7 years ago. We're thinking of a visit in the near future. My kids are dying to see where I grew up. :)

[Emma]

Thanks so much! I was dragging it around and seeing things change, but wasn't doing a very good job of. This is a great explanation in plain English: sometimes the Help file doesn't explain WHY we want to use a tool or other similar problems.
Hmmm...this will be a fun one methinks!

(And don't forget to post your travels in The Meeting Place forum so you can meet other DSP members while you're out and about!)

[Meryl]

Wow Teresa this is great, thanks so much for your help. I've looked at it a few times & kept meaning to study it - it does a great job & you did a fantastic job of explaining it!