Photo Restoration Hints Twenty-seven Content Aware Move Tool

The content aware move tool sits quietly in the tool section....waiting for the right moment to WOW you.  And wow me it did this week!

Ok, I have seen the examples of moving a bird or a kid on the beach.  Can't think of when cropping wouldn't fix most problems with centering a subject...or not centering a subject.  I always have to have a personal reason for needing a tool to put it into my routine...  I love so much about Photoshop....filters, color balance, cloning and healing tools.  I look for new ways to use old tools and I am never disappointed.

I needed the content aware tool this week.  I had a project that I had to add two more people into.  At first I tried the "sneak the guy behind someone with his head popping out trick."  I must admit there are times when this is all you have and you can make it work as long as you get the head the right size by fading the head layer before placing it and sizing it to another relative in the line up.

However, this put the picture off balance.  I stared and stared at the lack of any symmetry or even logic in the freakish scene I created and decided to follow one of my main rules in life which is..."just because you can doesn't mean you should".  So I got Harrington's book off its place of honor on the shelf above my computer, went to page 189 and refreshed my old brain and moved the man on the end of the group shot to make room for the brother.  Wow...I moved him a bit to the right (his left haha) and there was a bit of stretching in between where he was and and where he is.  But that was fixed easily with the cloning tool and then applying the missing brother layer.  Bang.  Followed by hours of adjusting color, blurring, adding filtered sun through the trees, adding a grain layer and everything else I could figure out to make it work.

Be ready for the big reveal.  My husband tells me when to quit because I will keep going forever....this is a good thing if you are a perfectionist.  Goodness knows there are probably a few
photo restorers afflicted with this necessary trait.  I always focus on the added person or persons waaaay too much.  However, the customer reaction is my reward.  They were really really happy with the result so I was too.  I see all the flaws...of course.  But you have to know that when the customer tells you there is no way it could have been done, you have succeeded.

Today I give the Content Aware Tool the spotlight and my continuing thanks to Richard Harrington for making a book that helps those of us with short attention spans to continue to learn new skills.  If you would like to see the before and after, please visit my website and look at the slideshow on the home page....www.photorestoration4u.com.  And, find a reason to use this awesome tool this week.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Renee Theuer