Removing Objects Exercise

REMOVING OBJECTS EXERCISE

To wrap up this lesson, you will each work on a unique image to remove all of the people and various other items in the photo. All of the images you can choose from are similar to the Colosseum image we used in this tutorial - they are all aerial shots that include tourists, vehicles, and so forth. The images are all linked down this page. Your first task is to select the image you wish to use to complete this exercise.

EVERYONE MUST USE A DIFFERENT IMAGE

Every student must work on a different image - no two students can use the same photo. Once someone has selected a photo it will be off limits. If you choose a photo that has already been selected you will have to choose another one, so make your choice as soon as you can.
You MUST get your image choice approved by the teacher. Be aware that your choice may be rejected if another student has already chosen it, so it is a good idea to have a few choices ready when you go to tell the teacher which image you want.
If you completed the tutorial quickly (or already know how to remove objects in Photoshop) challenge yourself by choosing an image that is more complicated to work with or will take more time. This will help you practice your skills and become more proficient (really good) at using the software.

Some images are easier to work with than others - choose wisely!

DO NOT start working until your image has been approved

If you wish to see the full sized version of the image, simply click on the image below and the full sized version will open in a new window. All of the actual images are larger than what is displayed on this page. Note that some images are VERY LARGE. This was done on purpose to allow you to zoom in and easily make adjustments.

Some important things to keep in mind as you look at the images and make your selection:

These pictures were selected because they all had some people (and other objects) in them that can be easily removed.

If you are skilled at using Photoshop and try to pick a simple image to work with please know that your teacher reserves the right to deny your selection. Keep in mind that we only improve by challenging ourselves, and if you try to work with something that is too easy then you are really just wasting your time because it will not help you get any better. Use this opportunity to grow your skills and improve yourself. Don't make the teacher have to pick an image for you - that will take away from your enjoyment of this project.

Below each image is the name of the building/location in the image and the city where it is situated (just in case you want to look up additional images to use as source material to make changes).

Also below each image is a short instruction indicating what you will need to remove from that particular image - read these instructions carefully as they will guide your work (and serve as the basis for grading).

Think carefully about which image you want to use!

When choosing an image, you may be tempted to go with the one that has the fewest people in it to remove. Let me warn you - don't use that as a criteria for selecting your image. Images with few people will have additional objects in them that you must remove, or the people may be in a complicated position. I'll be straight with you here - some images are easier to work with than others. This is because some of you are more capable at working with Photoshop than others. As I mentioned above, if you have the hang of removing objects, choose an image that is a little more complicated so you can advance your skills. If you had a difficult time getting things to look good in the Colosseum image, don't worry about it - simply go for an image that is easier to work with. Make sure you read carefully what needs to be removed in each image before making your choice, and look closely at the image to see WHAT TOOLS will work best for that image.

Scroll down this page and look at the images - there are 70 different locations from over 20 nations to choose from, so there is certainly something for everyone
When you find a photo you want to use, let the teacher know so that image can be reserved for you (just tell me the number of the photo)
Again, DO NOT start working until your image has been approved
Once your image has been approved, click on the thumbnail image below to open the full-sized image then simply right-click the picture, click Save As, and save the image to your device

Some things to keep in mind as you work with your image:

Your goal for this exercise is for the location to look abandoned and devoid of people (and in many cases specific objects)
When removing people, be sure to remove their shadow and anything they are carrying as well
Be sure that you remove what is indicated below each picture - you can remove more objects, but don't remove less than indicated
Avoid creating distortions or blurry areas - these really stand out when you look at the image, so if this occurs you will need to FIX IT (see the Quick Word of Warning below)

Do not simply use the Remove Tool on everything!

Try your best to make the final result look as realistic as possible - this is what you will be graded on. If it is easy to tell that people/objects have been removed (for example: there are areas of distortion or blur, colors do not match, lines are broken or shifted [this is a big one], other areas were obviously copied, and so on), you will lose points. Take your time and do a good job.

ONE MORE QUICK WORD OF WARNING:
DO NOT SIMPLY USE THE REMOVE TOOL ON EVERYTHING!

Look at the following images...

I used the Remove Tool to remove Riley from the left image and Photoshop gave me the right image. Hopefully it is obvious to you that there are multiple major issues with the final result. While the Remove Tool was a good starting point, the fallen trees and the carved bench that he was sitting on have obvious areas of blur (not to mention the REALLY uncomfortable bench) that stand out and make it noticeable that something has been removed (among other problems). These issues are actually pretty easy to clean up using some of the other tools, so please DO NOT turn in your image with obvious issues such as this. Take your time and do a good job.

Use any of the tools/techniques that we covered in this lesson to remove whatever is indicated in the instructions below the image of your choice
When you are finished with your image, save it as EXremove_yourlastname (replace yourlastname with your actual last name so I know that it is yours) to your device
Submit your image to be graded (please be aware that if you obviously quickly threw something together and turned it in that your teacher reserves the right to make you redo the exercise...yeah, don't make me do it, cause I will)

THE IMAGES:
Remember that if you wish to see the full sized version of the image, simply click on the image below and the full sized image will open in a new window.
The pictures are in alphabetical order by country, so please do not think they get harder (or easier) as you scroll down.

01.

Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia / Remove people, the ship, and the watermark (name in the upper right corner)

02.

Schönbrunn Palace, Hietzing, Vienna, Austria / Remove people

03.

Great Wall of China, China / Remove couple (and their shadow!)

04.

Great Wall of China, China / Remove people and the trash can

05.

Walls of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, Croatia / Remove people and the red line on the building

06.

El Capitolio, Havana, Cuba / Remove people, vehicles, and 2 tall buildings in the background on the left

07.

Old Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic / Remove people and vehicles

08.

St. Nicholas Church, Prague, Czech Republic / Remove people and all colorful displays (leave the blue street)

09.

Israel's Square, Copenhagen, Denmark / Remove people, bicycles, and vehicles

10.

The Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, Giza Necropolis, Egypt / Remove people

11.

The Louvre, Paris, France / Remove people, vehicles, and the front fountain

12.

The Louvre, Paris, France / Remove people

13.

The Louvre, Paris, France / Remove people

14.

Gardens of the Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France / Remove people, the two carts, and that strange ball thing near the middle

15.

Place de la République, Paris, France / Remove people and vehicles

16.

Brendenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany / Remove people and vehicles

17.

Tikal, Guatemala / Remove people

18.

Vatican City, Holy See / Remove people, vehicles in courtyard, and website address

19.

Taj Mahal, Agra, India / Remove people and the Website address

20.

Shaniwar Wada, Pune, India / Remove people and the red buildings in the distance

21.

Gulab Bagh, Udaipur, India / Remove people

22.

Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India / Remove buildings

23.

Banjar Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India / Remove all signs of human civilization

24.

The Ridge, Shimla, India / Remove people

25.

Colosseum, Rome, Italy / Remove people and vehicles

26.

St. Marks Square, Venice, Italy / Remove people and flag poles (and flag)

27.

St. Marks Square, Venice, Italy / Remove people and tables

28.

Piazza del Campo, Sienna, Italy / Remove people and canopies (the red things on the left)

29.

Piazza del Campo, Sienna, Italy / Remove people, vehicles, and the 4 brown rectangles

30.

Piazza del Duomo, Milan, Italy / Remove people

31.

Duomo di Sienna, Sienna, Italy / Remove people, vehicles, and Website address

32.

Great Theatre of Pompeii, Pompeii, Italy / Remove people and the railing on the bottom left

33.

Piazza IV Novembre, Perugia, Italy / Remove people and the handrails on the steps

34.

Piazza IV Novembre, Perugia, Italy / Remove people, car, and planters along the street

35.

Basilica di San Petronio, Bologna, Italy / Remove people and vehicles

36.

Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pisa, Italy / Remove people, vehicles, and the red flag

37.

Piazza del Duomo, Milan, Italy / Remove people and vehicles

38.

Piazza della Signo, Florence, Italy / Remove people, carriages, vehicles, and newsstand (on the right)

39.

Trenta Cathedral, Trento, Italy / Remove people, vehicles, and flag (and flagpole)

40.

Chichen Itza, Mexico / Remove people

41.

Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico / Remove people and vehicles

42.

Zócalo, Mexico City, Mexico / Remove people and the watermark (name in the upper right corner)

43.

Etosha National Park, Namibia / Remove animals

44.

Takapuna Town Square, Takapuna, New Zealand / Remove people and vehicle (be sure to remove the people on the roof)

45.

Castle Square, Warshaw, Poland / Remove people, green umbrellas and tables, red umbrellas and tables, and time stamp (numbers in the bottom right corner)

46.

Main Square, Krakow, Poland / Remove people

47.

Main Square, Krakow, Poland / Remove people and the triangle shaped signs in front of the building

48.

Saint Basil's Cathederal, Moscow, Russia / Remove people, the red inflatable, and the blue & white dome (center of the image in the distance)

49.

Red Square, Moscow, Russia / Remove people and vehicle

50.

Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy, Moscow, Russia / Remove people and vendors (bottom left corner)

51.

Kizhi Island, Russia / Remove people, boat, and red building

52.

GOUM Shopping Center, Moscow, Russia / Remove people, store signs, and escalator

53.

Kruger National Park, South Africa / Remove animals

54.

Sechseläuten Square, Zürich, Switzerland / Remove people and bicycles

55.

Taksim Square, Istanbul, Turkey / Remove people and vehicles

56.

Taksim Square, Istanbul, Turkey / Remove people and vehicles

57.

King's Cross Square, London, England, United Kingsom / Remove people (make sure the stripes look good!)

58.

Union Square Park, New York, New York, USA / Remove people, vendors, and vehicles

59.

The Mall at Short Hills, Short Hills, New Jersey, USA / Remove people, pink ribbon in upper-left corner, snowflake decoration (and chain) in upper-left corner, and the vehicle

60.

Wall Street, New York, New York, USA / Remove people, vehicles, and all flags

61.

The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas, USA / Remove people, construction equipment, air conditioners on roof, kiosk (the umbrellas), and anything in the grass

62.

The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas, USA / Remove people and flowers

63.

University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, USA / Remove people, bags, bike, and flying disc

64.

Longwood University, Farmville, Virginia, USA / Remove people and fountain

65.

University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA / Remove people, vehicles, and all signs

66.

Troy University, Troy, Alabama, USA / Remove people

67.

Texas State University - Round Rock, Round Rock, Texas, USA / Remove people

68.

University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA / Remove people, bicycles, and blankets

69.

Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas, USA / Remove people and clock tower

70.

Discovery Green Park, Houston, Texas, USA / Remove people, website address, tower (that says ICE on it), and banner (on the right that says FIRST+AID on it)

Remember, you are shooting for REALISM. The MOST IMPORTANT thing here is that it is not obvious that items have been removed from the image. I'll say it again: this is what you are being graded on! Just like the SUV all the way back on the Introduction step of this tutorial, you should not be able to tell where items were removed. There should be NO blurry areas, NO broken lines, NO left over pieces, and so on.

TAKE YOUR TIME AND MAKE IT LOOK GOOD

As a reminder, when you are finished:

Save your image as EXremove_yourlastname (replace yourlastname with your actual last name so I know that it is yours) to your device
Submit your image to be graded (please be aware that if you obviously quickly threw something together and turned it in that your teacher reserves the right to make you redo the exercise...yeah, don't make me do it, cause I will)