Less than prefect results with healing brush

[gYab61zH]

Lightroom Version Number

LR Classic CC

Operating System

Some advice about how best to remove objects from a landscape in LR Classic would be much appreciated. I searched the web far and wide and followed some of the tutorials but whatever I do I never get a satisfactory result. The example below illustrates the problem. I tried to remove a power mast and cables but end up with smears near where the masts touched the ground. I used the healing brush with 100% Opacity and 0% Feather.

 

[Jim Wilde]

If it was me, I wouldn't even try....I'd use Photoshop's content-aware spot removal brush for this task.

 

[gYab61zH]

Another learning curve, but you are probably right. But isn't the healing option much like PS's content aware?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

The smears occur because you use healing. To correct this, use cloning on the edges. If you turn off the brush overlay, you can clone over spots you already healed.

 

[gYab61zH]

Ah, I did not know that. I tried it and, although still not as good as I would like, it is a big improvement:

 

[Zenon]

Healing and cloning have their place in LR but I have and still prefer PS for that. I can do it much faster. I avoid sending it there if I can. I have been putting more effort into it lately.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

In Photoshop it is indeed easier, but the advantage of doing it in Lightroom (if possible) is that this does not break your non-destructive raw workflow.

 

[gYab61zH]

And that makes a huge difference! I am not too keen on a collection of large tif files in addition to the raw ones.

 

[Zenon]

I did do an engagement shoot last week, had to clear up some skin blemishes and did it all using LR. There were some frustrating files that I toggled between clone and heal but pushed myself through it to keep the flow going.