How to Remove Unwanted Elements From Digital Photos

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By Thomas Clough
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Before

Sometimes a digital image can be improved by taking out unwanted elements. Most image editing software includes tools that will help you remove unwanted objects. My favorites are the clone stamp, patch and healing brush tools in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Not everyone has those programs though, so for this article, I will use Gimp. This is free, but very powerful, graphic editing software. The link to download Gimp is in the Resources section below.

I happen to like the seagull in the before image shown here but, for this tutorial, I am going to remove it. The variations in the color of the clouds behind the bird make this more of a challenge than it would be if the gull was in front of solid blue sky.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Image editing software

Step 1

Make a duplicate layer

Open your image in Gimp and click File->Save As to make a new copy. Name it something easy to remember like Windmill_Edited.jpg. Do this before any editing to keep your original picture safe.

Next click on Layer->Duplicate layer to make new layer that is exactly the same as the original. All your edits should be done on this new layer. By doing that, you can check your work by clicking the eye icon next to the duplicate layer to turn it off and on. With it off you will see the "before" while turning it on will let you see the "after."
Step 2

Select Clone Stamp and size brush

Make sure the duplicate layer is highlighted showing that it is active and that the eye icon is on showing that it is visible. Then zoom into the picture so you can clearly see the object you want to remove.

Choose the Clone Stamp tool from the tool pallet. It is the one that looks like a rubber stamp. Move the cursor into the image and use the left and right square bracket keys ([ ]) to make the brush size small in relation to the object.
Step 3

Cloning the background over object

Hold down the control key and click in an area that matches the background behind the object you are going to remove. Paint over the object with the selected background. Keep control clicking in new areas to match the background as closely as possible while you paint over the whole object. It wont be perfect just yet but you can improve it later.
Step 4

Blend with the Healing Brush

Select the Healing Brush tool and set the opacity to about 50%. Adjust the brush size so it is larger than what you used for the clone stamp tool. Use the repeated control clicks and paint technique to go over the area you just fixed and blend your edits into the background. Click the eye icon to turn the top layer on and off to check your progress. Select Edit->Undo if you make a mistake.

Don't overdo this step. Blend just enough to make the background look realistic.
Step 5

Flatten Image to make the final version

Zoom out to view the full image and make sure you are happy with the result. If you don't like how it came out, you can delete the duplicate layer and start over with a new one.

Once you are happy, right click on the duplicate layer and select Flatten Image. Your edits are now permanent so go ahead and save the final version of your modified picture.