Remove distracting text
Here is a quick tip to remind you about how distracting text can be. One of the very first things that our eyes are drawn to is text… and that is great if we are trying to communicate something with that text… however incidental text can be very distracting to the over all feel and impact of an image.
Here is a shot I took of one of my sons… and granted it is not the greatest picture… but that is what you get when trying not to drop your camera or yourself in the water.
Especially since you can’t interact with his face… the text becomes one of the main areas of focus… great for the kayak company, but probably not what you are intending for the scene.
The image itself isn’t what is important here, but what is is the impact that text has. You probably don’t even notice it until it is gone. Compare the visual impact of the image above with the one below. There is a peacefulness that comes from removing the text, since the eye isn’t bouncing around trying to read all the words.
After just a bit of work with the Spot removal tool, the text is gone and the scene is more about a boy on the water, instead of an ad for the kayak.
So one of the question you should always ask yourself with in the develop module is… “Is there any text in the image that can be removed in order to help the overall impact of the scene?”
Great tutorial. I am always so impressed with what lightroom and this site have to offer. Thanks!
Great article. The final image looks flawless
Nice post! Helpful information. Do you recommend using any particular program for the people without Photoshop?
Thanks for the post!
Manuel, not trying to sound snarky, but since this is a Lightroom blog… I would recommend Lightroom. Using the Spot removal tool has gotten so much better now that you can clone/heal lines and more. If you don’t have Lightroom or Photoshop, then you can try one of the many other programs out there such as Macphun or Topaz.
“. . . the scene is more about a boy on the water, instead of an add for the kayak.”
Add or ad?
Wow Alan. You’ve never made a typo or grammatical error before? You’d better stop reading on the internet if something like this drives you to comment. IT’S EVERYWHERE. And the horse got out of the barn long ago.
I’m always amazed (well, not so much anymore) when people take the time to try and help others (for free even) and the only feedback they get is a comment like this. Carry on Pete.
I’m with Bill on this, Alan. We don’t need stupid comments like this … I’m sure you knew what he meant.
O Dennis and Bill be sweet!
Nothing wrong with the Alan’s comment and Pete’s tip stays as good as it was.
I agree with Gerrie – valid comment by Alan – should we accept sloppiness instead of expecting good writing? What message does that send to the writer?
And I note that they did not even fix the typo after the comment was made. Or say thank you. What does that say about how much they care about correct writing?
And, I do love LKT and think it is one of the best sites for photo information.
Well Irene, I do care about correct writing, and I will happily change the typo… to be honest I was enjoying watching folks get worked up over a simple slip of the keyboard. 😀
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