Patch Tool for eye bags

A simple fix for under-eye circles. It doesn’t work for every photo, but when it does work, it’s quick and easy.

(Elements doesn’t have the Patch Tool, but this method applies pretty much the same to the Clone or Healing tools. This tutorial was captured in Photoshop CS2 but works exactly the same in all versions.)

First, duplicate the Background layer (or maybe select the face, and duplicate that):

patch1.jpg

Choose the Patch Tool, and draw around the problem area:

patch2.jpg

When you release the mouse, the marching ants will be going around your selected area, the same as any other tool:

patch3.jpg

Click and drag the area to another area of plain detail. Release the mouse when you’re chosen a satisfactory area:

patch4.jpg

Press Ctrl D (Cmd D on a Mac) to deselect the marching ants. Now, the area looks too flat, of course:

patch5.jpg

Repeat the previous steps for all the other eyebags in the photo, until no eyebags are visible at all.

Then lower the layer opacity gradually to let some of the natural shape of the bags come through, so your subject doesn’t look like a weird robot:

patch6.jpg

Other uses

This method also works great for crows feet and other facial wrinkles.

 


If you have a question about this article, please feel free to post it in Ask Damien.