Lightroom Classic Tools -- Spot Removal

Snowy Hills
Frenchtown, Montana

No matter how careful we are, all of us end up with dust spots in our digital pictures. These are especially noticeable in areas without fine details, such as skies. Fortunately, Lightroom Classic has a tool to make quick work of removing the blemishes. 

The Spot Removal tool works in two ways. The most common way is Heal mode. When you click on a spot, Lightroom Classic automatically finds a similar area without a spot and blends that in to cover up the dust. But if you try to "heal" a spot close to the edge of the picture, especially if it is dark compared to the background, you can end up with a smudge instead of a clean repair. In that case, switch the Spot Removal tool to Clone mode. In this version, the similar area is pasted over the spot without blending, producing a clean touch-up.

Learn more tips for using the Spot Removal tool in Exploring Lightroom Classic Tools, an online course beginning January 14, 2021. Click here to register.