Content-Aware Remove Tool in Adobe Lightroom

Starting with the October 2022 release of Lightroom Classic (version 12.0), Adobe added some exciting new tools making image editing easier and faster. One of these new tools is Content-Aware Remove tool in the Healing panel, lets you remove unwanted spots and objects in an image. Here I will demonstrate how to use this tool effectively.

This images was took at a cold morning last month in the cypress swamp in Texas, I used 100-400 telephoto lens to isolate this group of trees in the distance, silhouetted against the bright and colorful sky.

However, as you can see, a tree branch extends into the frame on the top left side. I couldn’t exclude it on the scene with this composition, but I know confidently that it can be removed easily in Lightroom with the new content aware remove tool.

The other distraction is the wood navigation pole at the left of the trees. It would be removed by the same tool.

Image 1

1. Go to the Healing panel in Lightroom Develop module(by pressing Q key), you will find the Content-Aware Remove tool is the first icon in the “Mode” line. Click on it. (image 1)

Image 2

Image 3

2. A brush appears on the image, place the brush on top of the branch and paint, make sure the size of the brush fully covers the entire branch (Image 2). Use “[“ or “]” key to adjust the brush size. Once you release the mouse after painting, the branch will be magically gone (removed from the background). A content-aware remove tool icon will be placed on the location of object removal to indicate the editing. (image 3). Technically, Lightroom analyzes the surrounding area of the object that is being removed, and automatically fill the removal area with colors and textures seamlessly.

Tip: To achieve the best result, make sure the painted area is a bit larger than the object you want to remove.(image 3). In case that there is still some leftover or not perfect removal of the object, you can either press the “Refresh” button in Healing Panel to fill in different content automatically(image 4), or Hold down Command (Mac) | Control (Win) key, then drag your mouse to manually select an area of the image to fill in the removal area. (image 5).

Image 4

Image 5

3. Now, Repeat the step 2 to remove the wood navigation pole. (image 6)

Image 6

Below is the final image after 2 objects removed.

Tip: The use of Content-Aware Remove tool is most effective on spots or objects with simple background with no or little details, like sky, in the case of this image. If the objects are in the area of details, textures. It’s best to try the healing or clone tool.

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