Have you ever looked at an image that has a subject with a lot of negative space and wondered if there was an easy way to remove distractions? Sometimes, the easiest way to deal with such images is to paint over all of them!

In this tutorial, we'll show you in two easy steps how to use the Brush tool to remove distractions in Photoshop. Let's get started!

Why Should You Use the Brush Tool for Removing Distractions Instead of the Usual Tools?

There will be times when using the Brush tool for removing distractions in Photoshop will be a lot easier than more traditional ones like the Healing, Spot Healing, and Clone Stamp tools. The perfect example is when there are a lot of scuff marks or miscellaneous distractions to deal with, like in this example.

Image in Photoshop with distractions

It's common in studio environments for the background paper to have lots of marks from regular use. Individually dealing with these distractions would be extremely time-consuming. Fortunately, when there are images with lots of negative space, it's easy to remove distractions with the Brush tool in Photoshop.

But there may be such images that only have a few distractions to take care of using the usual tools. We show you how to use the Clone Stamp tool for this situation and for general all-around use.

If you want to learn how easy it is to remove distractions using the Brush tool, you can download our example image at Pexels. But without further ado, let's kick things off.

Step 1: Separate the Subject From the Background

Whenever it's possible to separate the subject from the background, it's best to do so because it will make removing distractions from Photoshop using the Brush tool much easier. We'll try this out on a relatively simple image with a plain, white background.

  1. Go to Select > Subject.
    Step 1 Select Subject in Photoshop
  2. Click on any of the Photoshop selection tools. We chose the Lasso tool for this example.
    Step 2 Lasso Tool in photoshop
  3. Right-click inside the selection and choose Select Inverse.
    Step 3 Select Inverse in Photoshop

Photoshop will usually do a good job of making a selection with such a simple background. Now, we have just the background selected, and our subject won't be affected at all when we use the Brush tool next to remove distractions.

For more difficult selections, you can learn how to use Channels in Photoshop.

Step 2: Use the Brush Tool to Remove Distractions

Now, it's time to brush away the distractions on the studio floor. To do this, follow the instructions below.

  1. Choose the Brush tool from the menu, or simply press B on the keyboard.
    Step 1 Brush Tool in Photoshop
  2. For this example, we'll select a Soft Round brush.
    Step 2 Soft Round brush Photoshop
  3. Make sure the Opacity and Flow are both set to 100 percent.
    Step 3 Opacity and Flow photoshop
  4. Hold the Alt key and sample a color from the image, ideally a clean color close to where the distractions are for the best possible match.
    Step 4 Sample Color photoshop
  5. Brush the off-white color across the entire image. Note that your subject will be protected, so you don't have to be careful around the edges.
    Step 5 Brush entire image in Photoshop
  6. Press Ctrl+ D to deselect the selection.
    Step 6 Ctrl + D to deselect in Photoshop

We're now left with the subject and a clean, white background without any distractions.

You may have noticed that the woman's shadow was also painted over. If we wanted to keep the shadow, we could have adjusted our mask in the beginning. You can learn about how to mask a subject in Photoshop for more advanced editing.

It’s Easy to Use the Brush Tool to Remove Distractions

In certain images, it may be as easy as two steps to use the Brush tool to remove distractions in Photoshop. Hopefully, you'll find it useful to use the Brush tool when other traditional tools may prove to be more time-consuming.