An Overview of GIMP 2.8 - Beginning Photo Retouching and Restoration Using GIMP - page 14

Figure 1-13. Repairing damage with the Clone tool and the Healing tool

The Clone tool works by sampling the pixels from one part of an image and pasting them on a target
area on another part. The Healing tool is a type of “smart clone” that takes the surrounding texture and
tone of the sampled area into account and seamlessly blends the pixels in for a flawless repair. Generally,
the Clone tool is better suited to repairing larger cracks and creases, and the Healing tool, although it can
be good at repairing smaller cracks and creases, is usually best at removing facial blemishes in portrait
retouching.
There are plenty of other tools you'll be using in your retouching and restoration exercises. The
following table (Table 1-2 ) briefly describes each tool, the keyboard shortcut, and a description of the tool's
function.

Table 1-2. Tool Shortcuts and Functions

Icon Name Shortcut Tool Function

Bucket Fill Shift + B Fills an area with a color or a pattern

Blend L Fills an area with a gradient

Pencil N Draws hard-edged lines

Paintbrush P Paints smooth strokes using a brush nib

Eraser Shift + E Removes pixels from a layer

Airbrush A Paints using variable pressure, similar to a paint spray gun

Ink K Calligraphy-style painting

Clone C Copies pixels from one part of an image to another

Healing H Heals image irregularities by blending-in surrounding

texture and tone

Perspective Clone (none) Clone from an image source, after applying perspective

transformation

Blur/Sharpen Shift + U Selective blurring or sharpening, using a brush

Smudge S Selective smudging, using a brush

Dodge/Burn Shift + D Selective lightening or darkening, using a brush