Cloning hair

[nkeevers]

Someone probably already asked this, but I couldn't find in my search.

I have a picture of someone I'm working on and I need to get rid of her earings (dangling). She has long hair and I was using the clone tool. When I zoom way in though it doesn't look natural (unless it's just because I've cloned in so close).

What is the easiest way to clone the earrings out so it looks like her hair. BTY, I can clone the hair in over the earrings.

I'm using a soft edge brush very small so I can do a little at a time (and on a separate layer) but it still doesn't seem natural.

[Orphanannie]

Hi Norma,

I seem to remember about this from before. I went looking, to no avail. I believe that at the Adobe Exchange there are some hair brushes, that maybe would do the trick. Hope this helps, if not it got it bumped up and someone else will come to the rescue:).

[TonyW]

Don't know if it would work in that case but I have used the smudge tool with a very small hard edged brush and the strength set up fairly high and using a new layer with sample all layers checked. Using a lot of short strokes to pull out the hair i've found works quite well in some situations - also useful for making cloned hair blend in better.

Tony

[nkeevers]

I was having trouble with the smudge tool. guess I was using the wrong brush. I did do on a separate layer and cloned with a lot of short strokes. Here's the picture...she had on long dangling blue earrings that didn't go with the necklace. Can you tell that I cloned in?

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1PiSlclq82xvAiiTyQgw6oaYzPgbn_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1PiSlclq82xvAiiTyQgw6oaYzPgbn)

[efarnstrom]

What a great photo and a super job of cloning!

[msbrad]

Norma,
that looks good. I can't tell its cloned.
another thought would have been to change the color of the earrings.
m

[Tom K]

Norma,

Looks really good to me........ Tom :)

[TonyW]

Nicely done. I'd have to see the before and after to be able to tell :D. And you're right - I don't think that's the right sort of hair for smudging.

Tony

[nkeevers]

Oops...here's the original (well just as I was working on her face).
http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/18bWvjXj224AcKGLq4Rmyxcgm16kp0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=18bWvjXj224AcKGLq4Rmyxcgm16kp0)

Fixed the glare on her forehead, nose, chin and cheek. Fixed a little under her eyes, her lips, etc. And it was also a dark picture; I used levels and color curve.

[cats4jan]

Norma - great job. I don't have the patience to do that stuff - but you made it look easy.

[nkeevers]

Thanks! It wasn't easy let me tell you. The face was easy but not the earring removal. I was getting frustrated and at one point, I got the original and cloned a bit from one to the other. I must have 20 layers in this one picture! Just to be on the safe side.

[Daviskw]

Hi Norma

Great job I can't tell ... but I was wondering if you ever thought of going the other route?

Butch

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1YmUUURC4cCSc5itsTR01NMiO3d0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1YmUUURC4cCSc5itsTR01NMiO3d0)

[nkeevers]

The other route...you mean changing the color of the earrings! Well, stupid me didn't even think of that one! I'd have to select the earrings and then just change the color right? I have like 4 different saved files every time I did a few things so I probably have one just before I started cloning the earrings out. Maybe I should try it.

[Daviskw]

Hi Norma

Your version looks great...no need to change. Some people just feel slighted if you make changes like removing or re-coloring objects.

Maybe do one as a backup just in case.

I used a gradient map in color mode to apply color...hid all then painted color in... I control clicked on the map to load the selection and used levels to darken.

I did not stay in the lines too good...:p

Butch

[nkeevers]

They look great...maybe I should have a backup! But I'm not too good with the gradient map and have no clue what to do. Can I get a step by step? Or should I say...what the heck do I do with the gradient map??:eek:

[Diana]

Sometimes when I have to cover an ear sticking out of long hair, etc., I'll just select a lock of existing hair, feather the edge of the selection, then copy and paste it and move it over to cover the ear. Rarely does it look like it was added on. Sometimes to make sure it doesn't look too much like the lock I copied, I'll flip it horizontally and position it.

Can't tell you cloned, Norma.

I like what you did with the earrings, Butch.

Diana

[nkeevers]

Diana, I'll have to try that one next time! I did put one piece in by calling up the old one and cloning from one picture into the other. Worked a bit then I cloned the rest on the actual image.

Thanks for saying you can't notice. I'm still not satisfied with it but it's going to do for now. I still need to put a studio portrait background on it.

[vawitt]

Norma and Butch

Both of your examples are wonderful. You are an inspiration to beginners like moi!! :D

Happy cloning & recoloring!!

~Val in sunny (finally!!) IL

[Rusty]

Norma, even seeing the original, I can't see where you covered up the earrings.

Now, Butch, rather than changing color, you should have simply made then into 2ct diamonds. Then you don't have to futz with color match :D

Rusty

[Daviskw]

Rusty I sure could use a few diamonds myself...just not earrings...:p

Norma a gradient map is really not needed in this case. The difference in colors in the necklace is negligible.

An easy way is to open a blank layer set to the color mode.

Pick a soft brush…hold the Alt(PC) Option(Mac) and click on a medium color in the necklace.

Then paint over the earrings… the color will just look gray because the hue is the same but the luminance is not.

After you are done painting load the selection by holding the Control key(PC) Command(Mac) and clicking on your color layer.

With the selection active open a levels adjustment layer and move the center…gray slider to the right… you may need to slightly adjust the back and white sliders as well to adjust contrast.

Butch

[John L Gray]

Norma,

Great job with this image. A really nice job of cloning.

John

[Orphanannie]

Norma,

You did a great job....

[nkeevers]

Butch, that seems easy! Think I'll try it on one of my older versions. She loves it! And everyone, thanks for the praise. It's encouraged me to venture forth to the next phase. Turning the background into a "photographic" background.

[RobertSchuldenfrei]

They look great...maybe I should have a backup! But I'm not too good with the gradient map and have no clue what to do. Can I get a step by step? Or should I say...what the heck do I do with the gradient map??:eek:
Hi Norma,

Great work with the cloning. As for the background using a gradient, there was an article in PET vol 4 no. 2 by Larry Becker. He put a background behind a Lamborghini. Diamond, Lamborghini, hey what the difference:)?

Cheers,

Bob