Spot removal and retouch in darktable [it can't get easier than that]

[@afrosweet]

JESUS!!! THANK YOU FOR GETTING STRAIGHT TO THE POINT!!! Clear, direct and no dilly-dallying. My kind of video. You've got a new subscriber!

[@tompatton2086]

Stefano, your videos are very to-the-point. I appreciate that and find in the end it's more helpful than a long winded explanation. Liked and subscribed.

[@StefanoFerro]

Thanks so much Tom. Really a great feedback. I guess everyone has the own style in explaining. Cheers buddy👍

[@greggaronson2169]

Thank you so much! I've been using Darktable for a little over a year, and the learning curve is pretty long. Your videos are really helpful and much easier to follow than the on-line darktable manual. I am a new follower of your videos.

[@StefanoFerro]

Great to hear! Thanks

[@aldeveron9498]

You're da man, Italian dude! Enjoying your excellent Dt vids... :)

[@StefanoFerro]

Thanks!!

[@moheyeah]

Thanks a lot, very helpful, please continue your tutorials, you are doing a great job. There are not so many quality videos about Darktable out there.

[@StefanoFerro]

Thanks for your feedback. Really appreciated 🙏🙏🙏

[@pbm___000]

Awesome! Really appreciate you added Chapters to your video, too!

[@StefanoFerro]

Thank you so much👍🙏🙏

[@bernym4047]

Very well explained. Thank you

[@StefanoFerro]

No worries 👍

[@Ershatz8]

This really helped, thanks!

[@andrewgreig1197]

Hi Stefano, nice to see a local contributing to the DT promotion, I have been using DT for around three years now. I too, am in Melbourne. I learn incrementally, a step at a time, so I really appreciated your demonstration of the wavelets approch to healing. You said in your opening remarks that you do not like Spot Removal so much, but you prefer the Retouch module. I find the spot removal tool very useful but not for skin repair. The retouch module Healing tool is very much aware of its surroundings a sort of "content aware" approach. But the spot removal module is not like that, it can be considered more "absolute" in its operation. I use it for removing a lighting stand leg and castor in a studio shot, for example, generally for unwanted items on the edge of the frame. I noticed that this corner that you wanted to clean up was done with a hard edged circle. The Circle, ellipse, brush and blur tools all have a "feather" which can be controlled by SHIFT + Scroll wheel, softening the fall off. In your example the circle was clearly defined because there was no feather in use. Also, opacity is controlled by CTRL+ Scroll wheel, when in use the % opacity is shown in a temporary pop-up. Because DT remembers the last size of a tool, it speeds up successive operations.

[@StefanoFerro]

Hi Andrew, good to hear from another Melbournian :) Thanks for your comment and suggestions. That's the thing I love the most from KZbin, learning from other people experience and yours is definitely a valuable one. Today I am gonna post another video with a few night locations in Melbourne, I am sure you will recognise the most, if not all of them ;) Thanks again. Cheers

[@elenakhatsko802]

thanks! nice work.

[@StefanoFerro]

Thanks 👍👍👍

[@AngeloMiguelEng]

Nice on the Retouch

[@asquared8399]

I'm sorry to have to say that your instructions at 3:23 are confusing: because you do not say, it is not possible to tell from the video if you pressed and held the shift key before clicking and starting to drag with the mouse, or after clicking but before dragging, or after clicking and after starting to drag.. It makes a considerable difference; it can even interchange the source and target if you are not careful, giving a completely unintended result.

[@StefanoFerro]

Thanks for your feedback. I always try my best but sometimes it is not enough. Luckily there is always the Ctrl+Z option to undo and try differently. Cheers

[@billmoore5206]

Part of the instructions are missing; but the the essence is correct. It was wonderful that Stefano pointed us to the RETOUCH tool! Here's what I think I need to remember: 1. Don't use "spot removal" tool, use "retouch." 2. Choose a shape for the source of retouch (circle, oval, path, rush, etc). 2.a. If you are doing 1 spot, do left click. 2.b. If you'll be doing 10+ spots, do Ctrl-Click 3. Identify the Source are you will copy-from, near the spot to be removed; 3.a. Resize size of source area by using mouse-WHEEL. 3.b. Resize the outer-blend area by using SHIFT-mouse-WHEEL 3.c. When satisfied w/ size and location of the source area, then press SHIFT-CLICK 4. Move over the spot with your mouse; to remove it press LEFT-mouse-CLICK. 5. If you started this with the intent to do many spots (2.b. Ctrl-Click) you can repeat 3. and 4. 10+ times. 6. When complete, just left click on a shape, such as a circle in the tool to turn off the retouch-tool mode

[@asquared8399]

@@billmoore5206 Excellent, well laid out summary, which I will freely plagiarise!. Thanks.

[@Bobcat-1967]

@@billmoore5206 I cannot seem to be able to change the size of the source circle, I can alter the feather size using SHIFT- brackets but that's it. Brackets on its own just rotates the image. Any help would be greatly appreciated.