Delve into the intricacies of Photoshop and learn to wield the Clone Stamp and Healing Brush tools with precision in this advanced tutorial, perfect for those looking to refine and perfect their skills in photo editing.
This exercise is excerpted from Noble Desktop’s past Photoshop training materials and is compatible with Photoshop updates through 2020. To learn current skills in Photoshop, check out our Photoshop Bootcamp and graphic design classes in NYC and live online.
Topics covered in this Photoshop tutorial:
The Clone Stamp tool, The Healing Brush tool
Exercise Preview
Exercise Overview
Why is it that all models have perfect skin and teeth? Is it their diet? Maybe genetics? Nope—it’s Photoshop! Here we’ll fix some facial blemishes and get rid of her chipped teeth.
NOTE: As you are going through the exercises, be sure to save regularly. We won’t remind you to save, but it is expected that you will save regularly. That way if Photoshop crashes you won’t lose more than a few minutes of work. You will also be reusing your images in later exercises, so it is important to save as you are going along as well as at the end of every exercise.
Getting Started
Download the class files. Refer to the Downloading the Class Files page at the beginning of the workbook on how to download and install the class files.
In Photoshop, go to Window > Workspace > Essentials (Default).
Go to Window > Workspace > Reset Essentials.
In Photoshop, go to File > Open.
On the Desktop, go into the Class Files folder, then into the Photoshop Adv Class folder and open model.psd.
Do a File > Save As.
Save it back into the Photoshop Adv Class folder as a Photoshop file (.psd) named yourname-model.psd.
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In the Layers panel, the Background layer is already selected. To duplicate the layer press Cmd–J (Mac) or Ctrl–J (Windows).
NOTE: When making permanent changes to the actual pixels, it’s best to work on a copy of the original layer. If your image is too large, just keep a backup of the original image and retouch on the Background layer.
Fixing Teeth & Blemishes on Her Cheek & Nose
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Use the Clone Stamp tool
to fix her teeth. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and click on a good area, then paint somewhere else to “clone” the original area.NOTE: The Clone Stamp
is better than the Healing Brush 
near crisp edges. The Healing Brush would blend the dark mouth area into the tooth.TIP: Brush Size & Hardness Keystrokes
To quickly change the size or hardness of any painting tool (such as the Clone Stamp or Healing Brush), use the following keystrokes:
Size: [or]Hardness: Shift– [or Shift–] -
Use the Healing Brush tool
to remove blemishes from her cheeks. (For now only do her cheeks; leave her nose for later.) Be careful not to get too close to stray hairs or edges as this tool will blend the hair or edge into the skin in what is often an undesirable way. Use the Clone Stamp if you get into those types of areas.NOTE: The Healing Brush is used in the same manner as the Clone Stamp. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and click on a good area/texture, then paint over the area you want to “heal.” After you click, it will work its magic and blend the textures and tones together.
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Use the Healing Brush
on the nose. This tool is good to use here because there are no edges that will hinder it from working.TIP: The Healing Brush doesn’t have an opacity setting, but immediately after making a brush stroke you can go to Edit > Fade Healing Brush. In the dialog that appears, reduce the opacity and you can even preview the effect! That’s even better than guessing an opacity ahead of time.
Removing Stray Hairs
Remove the flyaway hairs by Clone Stamping
them out. You don’t want to use the Healing Brush because it would blend the hair into the skin and darken it. We want to completely remove (stamp out) the stray hairs.Be sure to save the file, then just leave it open because you’ll continue to work with it in the next exercise.
