My friend asked me to "clean" a couple of photos.
This one was not a piece of cake.
Crap on the lens.
What do you think is the best way to remove it from the photo?
He has quite a lot those crappy photos waiting for me

I was able to do a quick fix by changing to LAB mode. This put the defect only in the lightness channel. Then with a soft clone brush set to lighten @ 45% opacity I cloned over the problem only in that channel. This image is not perfect but I only took a few seconds.

I hope this helps.

That helped a lot.
Thank you very much.

Great job Rey!

Rey, it's good to know that fellow choppers can count on you

Good Job, ReyRey!

I have taken my own approach to fix up that nice sunset picture.



(although it has aquired its own annoying black marks in the process!)

I cleaned that up HERE but beware there is a bummy in the picture!

MUCH better.

Peruse the color channels to see which one/s have the worst blotches on etc, then use the clone tool.
Things to note:-
1.View actual pixels- work at 100% or larger
2.Keep an eye on source- Keep the original image next to you as you work (a useful benchmark)
3. Vary the brush size- Stay random and mix it up between soft & hard brushes.
4. Fade the clone- Apply Edit> Fade, to change opacity..(more control using the slider)
5. Keep the Grain- Select problem areas & apply Filter>Noise>Add Noise.
Enter very small Amount values (2-6 %)

NOTE: Using channels is almost seamless if done properly, and with a bit of practice you'll know exactly which channel to choose for best results...plus it's dead easy to rectify if you make a mistake, using the history palette

HTH

Wiz

I did basically the same thing that ReyRey did but I built a mask based on the blue channel before converting to lab. That way it made the brush work extremely simple without having to worry about being careful. I then used the same mask as a lever to color correct the rest of the image. By using it as a positive and a negative mask I was able to create simultaneous contrast in not only the luminance of the image but also the color contrast of the image. I also used the mask in conjunction with other channels for dodging and burning. I used two primary masks that are both based on the blue channel from the original image. I've linked to the final image below as well as to the primary masks used.

Cheers
Jerry

PS: The sereal/fantasy like over saturation is deilberate btw.

Thank you Sir.
Awesome mini-tut.
THANX!

I think ReinMan's did the best job.... nice tush!
I would have done what Rey did... that healingbrush sure helps alot

Hmmmm....
I thought that just adding the butt-nekkid babe was all it needed.
But I've been TAKEN TO SCHOOL here!

Ha! nothin like a butt-nekkid babe to enhance any foto!