Anyone Figure Out Content Aware Yet?

[Michael Pancier]

I've been playing around with my CS5 and trying to get the hang of the content aware feature. It's nothing as easy as in that video.

I've attached an image that I've been trying to use as an experiment with content aware to get rid of the pole that I got in the image.

When I try to remove the pole, say the area below the owl, the content aware fills the area with the owl even though the owl was not selected.

I don't know if there are any parameter settings for the content aware, but I gave up. Even on simple fixes, I found the content aware on the healing brush to leave a dirtier result than I used to get using the healing brush in CS 4.

I tried an online search for tutorials but did not find anything that would help me.

Anyone here figure it out?

[subhrashis]

Yeah, i used the content aware fill option on 'spot' healing brush, to move some whitewash out of a tree branch in my last post, and it was great, it added the bark texture instead of solid color!
However since here you are tryin to remove solid color, manual cloning could be just as easy, First it's a large area, and apparently CAF looks at the adjacent areas for texture info, so when you use it beside the owl, it takes owl feathers as bg textures and pastes it on!
This is just my impression, since i haven't dived into the manual yet!

[Peter Hawrylyshyn]

Michael
I'm glad you asked the question first

In your image, the owl is very close to and then crosses the object you are trying to remove which i think becomes the problem for content aware fill.

Like you said, if you try to remove the pole using content aware fill, PS will include the owl in the correction. I've has similar experiences trying to use it

But if you use the polygonal lasso tool to remove the owl, then remove the pole (both with content aware fill) and then put a selection of the owl back onto your new bkgd image - - the process seems to work better

I have yet to see any references for parameters for "content aware" or how the software actually works. None of the videos at Adobe or Lynda.com mention any. My personal experience when making selections and using Content Aware Fill , seems like you have to use Refine Edge to blur the boundaries/borders. The videos all seem to suggest keeping the brush size and selection close to whatever you're trying to remove.

Will be curious to hear what others have to say

[Chris Sloan]

I can't speak for your specific example but it's been fantastic in the situations where I've used it. I took a picture of the Point Conception lighthouse from the ocean last weekend and used it to remove the maintenance building at the top of the hill, the cable up to it, and some birds in the air; it was really fast, really easy, and you can't tell they were ever there.

[Charles Glatzer]

I do not believe you can constrain Content-Aware within a selection. But, you can use CA another way for this image.

CTR J to duplicate the background...rename this layer CA

Use the MARQUEE TOOL (M) to make a vertical selection from top to bottom over the bkdg to the left of pole.

Ctrl Shift Alt C to select Content-Aware, click & drag right side of selection to the far right past area to be covered (mid-left wing), click Enter to commit.

Select BKGD Layer, turn off CA layer visibility (click eyeball icon) use the Quick Selection (W) tool to carefully select owl, reverse selection (Ctrl Shift I) once selected click on the CA layer above and click add a Layer Mask icon. The mask will reveal owl. Note-you can modify the mask by painting on mask with blk/white brush to better hide/select areas of owl/background as desired.

Click Layer Thumbnail and feather CA edge with Eraser Tool (E) using a soft edge brush.

BTW- I have not heard much mention of the Refine Edge updates in CS5, but you can use the new functions to further modify the selections, create masks, and much more.

Best,

Chas

[Alfred Forns]

Thanks for the info Chas Still finding lots of new things in CS5 and I'm sure many to go !!! I think its a good significant upgrade.

[Michael Pancier]

Thanks Chas. Gonna give it a try see if I can do it.

[Charles Glatzer]

Thanks Chas. Gonna give it a try see if I can do it.

Michael,

Give me a shout in the office if you get stuck.

Chas