Batiquitos Lagoon

I took this image a while ago, and still find it to be very pleasing

(the mixture of warm and cool hues is what attracted me in the first

place), but the telephone wires have always bothered me. I tried

cloning them out when I first processed this photo, but the results

were sub-par, leaving smudges in the clouds. I used a very soft

setting with my clone stamp, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't

get it to look natural. I'm wondering if anyone has some tips for how

to clone a scene like this. Thanks in advance.

This will be exceptionally difficult because of all of the tonal variations that the wires pass through.  The problem (as you know) is finding a cloning source that matches the color and brightness of the areas around the wires.  I can only suggest using the smallest possible brush size and a source as close as possible to the wires, almost pixel by pixel.  I don't know if the new cloning brush of CS5 would handle something like this better than CS4.

Yeah, that was my fear.  I already tried using the cloning brush in CS5, to no avail.  Granted, a more accomplished cloner might have better luck, but I think I may just need to accept these wires as a necessary imperfection that goes along with photographing nature in suburbia.

Hi Michael.

The wires should really be no problem. Use a soft brush, small size, and turn down opacity to 60-80% on the clone tool. 

It is realy a beautiful landscape shot. Congrats.

Kind Regards

Bela Dick 

Bela, I'd love to be able to examine your cloning results at a much larger scale.  I don't doubt it's possible, I wouldn't want to take on the job, but I believe you were probably successful and I'd like to see the results up real close.  From your own screen, do you think an average critical viewer would be able to tell that wires had been there?