Using a mirror cloning technique in Photoshop

A so called mirror cloning technique is a great way to fix or alter a photo where a traditional cloning technique simply doesn't cut it.

I will use a photo of  the lovely British actress Imogen Poots, who starred in a movie called [z.a http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463854/ 28 weeks later].

But as you can see, there is a big spot on her right cheek I want to get rid of.

I've added that spot to show you the mirror cloning technique.

Choose the Clone Stamp Tool (S for a keyboard shortcut).

In the menu click Window and choose Clone Source.

In the Clone Source pane, set the Flip Horizontal (see picture).

Enable the Show Overlay option so you will be able to see what what exactly you are cloning.

Press and hold Alt key (Option in MacOS) then right-click the opposite (mirror) side of where the spot is (the lips in my case).

Right-click the document and set an appropriate tool Size and Hardness to 0% (see picture).

Press Enter to confirm the changes.

Now move your mouse to the area you want to clone the lips to. As we enabled Show Overlay option in step 5 you can already see the preview of how the cloned area will look like after we apply it. Also notice the mirror image of the source area, lips in my case.

Now start clicking to apply the clone ...

... until you get rid of the pesky spot.

You will probably clone some of the stuff you don't want, like hair in my case. But don't worry I will do the following:

Press and hold Alt key (Option in MacOS) click the source clone area, like hair in my case ... 

...and clone them bellow (see picture).

I did the same with the cheek, notice the hair was covering it before.

That's it. Don't be afraid to ask me for some extra help if you get stuck in the process and most importantly have fun!

Also recommended:

  Hair transplant using Photoshop

  How to replace a face with Photoshop