help with getting rid of bright object in background

[lawnchair4me2siton]

I took this picture and I was happy with it except for the boat with tons of lights on it going by in the background. I can't figure out how to darken it or remove it or if there is something better I can do to make it not so distracting. I don't really know anything about photoshop, but I tried googling for an answer or tutorial and couldnt find anything. any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[ibclare]

If you don't intend to show the image full-size, I'd suggest using the clone/stamp tool and slowly choose areas that most closely match which should be easy enough with the grain of the surrounding sky and landscape. Be sure to do this on a separate layer and have the menu drop down set to current layer and below or use all layers.

There are other methods, but it sounds like this would be easiest for your skill level at this point. I bet you'll get some other advice. It might be a good idea to do it several ways in order to learn more. Good luck with this and enjoy.

 

[ALB68]

I would suggest using the burn tool, set to 20% exposure and highlights.

 

[Tom Mann]

Obviously, the real problem is that if you remove the boat and all the lights, you have to replace them with something that looks believable. This is further complicated because the boat's light is brightening up the layer of low clouds / mist.

I find that the quickest way to fill in that area with something reasonable is to use the patch tool.



Just make a rough selection around the boat and lights (as shown in the attached screen capture), click on the patch tool, and then drag the selected area to the left to a dark part of the far shore line. The result is shown below. Total time about 3 seconds.



Now, if you want to deal with details such as the illuminated mist, you are at least at a much better starting point.

HTH,

Tom M

 

[Tom Mann]

Correction: I used the wrong screen shot in my previous post. It showed the area after patching, not before patching. Here is the correct screen shot.

T