How to Use Content-Aware Fill Photoshop
As an industry-leading photo editing software program, Photoshop is loaded with all the tools required to manipulate an image without depleting the quality of the result. With Photoshop, users can include or exclude specific items from images with minimum stress. All that is needed is the content-aware fill tool.
The content-aware fill tool is an easy-to-manage resource tucked into Photoshop to help users adjust the content of an image by adding or subtracting objects/items. The tool is easy to use, but many people need help to operate it. If you fall into this category of people, we are here to help you. In this write-up, we will discuss how to use the content-aware tool Photoshop.
Table of Contents
What is Content-Aware Fill Tool?
The content-aware fill tool gives you total control of an image as it lets you decide which element/item/object needs replacement or deletion. It allows you to import new items without hassles. You can also use it to manipulate the size and rotate specific elements in a photo with high accuracy.
How to Remove Unwanted Elements or Items with Content-Aware Fill Tool from Simple Background
First, you have to import an image into Photoshop. To do that, click on the File icon in the software page’s upper left corner and select Open from the options that come up. Alternatively, you can use the Ctrl + O buttons.
Once done, your local storage will come up with different image files. Select your desired image to edit and click on Open to import it to the Photoshop page.
Then the image will open in the photoshop interface.
Before using the content-aware tool, please duplicate the original layer cause if you destroy anything then you can restore it asap. For duplicating the layer, select the original layer then press Ctrl+J. Now you should select the duplicate layer and edit anything.
If you don’t find the layer panel then don’t worry, simply enable it from the Window.
Next, with the aid of a Selection tool in Photoshop, kindly draw a path around the object you want to remove. We advise that you use the Lasso tool ( press L ) to do that. Also, don’t forget to zoom the image at least 200-300%.
After drawing a path around the object, activate the content-aware fill tool. To do that, head to the top menu bar and select Edit > Content-Aware Fill.
Immediately, the Photoshop workspace will pop up just as seen in the image below:
As seen in the image on the left, a green mask surrounds the selected object. The masked area is where the content aware will work on. The image on the right is a preview of the resulting image after applying content-aware fill.
Before now, Photoshop automatically generates results after activating the content-aware tool. However, users now have the privilege to manually adjust an image using the content-aware tool. On the right sidebar of the Photoshop page, you will find a dialogue box with several controls/tools.
Find below what each control/tool is designed for:
Scaling: Make details larger or smaller without hassles using the scaling feature.
Color Adaption: If you are looking for a way to instruct Photoshop to blend surrounding colors in an image, the color adaption feature is what you need.
Output Settings: You can set output results to appear on a new layer or appear as a layer mask on the current layer. We recommend that you export output results to new layers as its least destructive compared to the opposite.
How to Remove Elements from Complex Backgrounds
The process involved when removing an object from a complex background is quite tricky. Let’s take the image below as a reference:
Our aim is to use the content-aware fill to delete the old man behind the two girls (subject) posing in front of the photographer. To do that, use the Lasso Tool in conjunction with the Magic Wand feature to create a path around the man.
Once done with the above, you should get something similar to the below:
Next, navigate to the top menu bar and click on Edit to access the tools underneath the drop-down menu. Select Content-Aware Fill and the result below will appear:
On the right is the resulting image after using the content aware fill tool. The one on the left is the sampling image. Kindly preview the resulting image to confirm it suits your requirements. If it doesn’t, use the controls/tools in the dialogue box on the right to adjust accordingly.
Once done, save the resulting image. You can do that by clicking on the File button at the upper left corner of your screen and selecting Save. Enter the corresponding name to save the edited image on your PC.
How to Remove/Replace Background with Content-Aware Fill Tool
Haven discussed how to remove an object from an image using the content aware fill tool, let’s move a step further into how to remove the background with the same tool.
Here is the simple guide to removing background with the content aware fill tool:
Just as you did before, make a selection around the image background using the Lasso tool. You can use another selection tool if you don’t find Lasso convenient.
After that, navigate to where you have Edit and click on it. A drop down menu will automatically appear with numerous options. Select Content Aware Fill to proceed. The response page below will appear on your screen:
Next, with the aid of the Healing Brush Tool or Clone Stamp Tool, kindly remove the shadow at the image background. Once done, you should get a result as below on your computer screen.
Because the image we are working on is a complex one, the resulting image on the right is quite shabby. Simply use the Custom Settings feature on the right sidebar to make adjustments.
Conclusion
The content-aware fill tool is a powerful feature on the Adobe Photoshop editor. It’s nicely designed to help you manipulate your images with minimum stress. Content aware fill uses AI to edit and generate results, so you don’t have so much work to do. It’s one of the best features integrated into the Photoshop system. Try it out by applying the tutorial guide above.
