PS CC locked tool options

[srichards]

I've got the trial version of photoshop CC going at the moment.

Does the spot healing tool only have limited brush types compared to the rest? All the brush options are locked so I can't change it away from a standard round brush with smoothing. I want a more grainy random result (I'm retouching very old negatives)

I'm used to using Gimp so I just click on a different brush type in any of the painting/healing tools and it uses that...

The tool tip clearly says 'click on a brush to create a new brush type'. All brushes are greyed out so I can't...Somehow those brushes are locked against being changed. I have no idea how they became locked and I have tried doing the tool reset but I still have the same brush.

It must be something stupid somewhere. I can't find how or where though. :bonk:

 

[srichards]

Further reading suggests you can't. You're stuck with the one brush type with the spot healing tool so you can't have it build up gradually, be a weird shape or any of the other useful abilities that you can have with normal brushes. :thumbsdown:

 

[Kerioak]

I would try creating a grainy layer below and use tick the create texture box and the sample all layers, if you have a pen you could use pen pressure for size and add some spacing, you could also try experimenting with the multiply or blend modes. I have no idea if this will work but would be the sort of thing I would try to get a grainy texture when healing - or add it afterwards

 

[srichards]

I tried the pen pressure for sizing. Drove me nuts!

The content aware one seems to work the best of all. I tried the others and had varying results.

An irregular brush with the clone tool then going over with the healing tool seems to be working ok. There is a noise option with the clone tool so that can add a bit of grain and irregularity.

I'll try the grain layer tactic and see how that works. Being lazy I just like to splodge and go

I've just found this really useful article all about cloning and healing in photoshop. Wish I'd read it a few days ago! Time to start the process again and have another go at getting it right.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/03/30/the-ultimate-guide-to-cloning-in-photoshop/