Adobe Content Aware Fill is Horrendous 40% of the Time

[editingissues24092]

I pay for Adobe Photoshop primarily to use the content aware fill feature to resize images. Unfortunately, it is truly terrible. Attached is a simple tile image before-and-after using content aware fill. I tried both auto and manual fill settings. Neither worked.

Are there other Adobe tools that could perform this job better, or do I just have to wait until Adobe improves their software?

[MChamlee]

I don't think their are any other methods that are as easy as contrnt aware fill, but for this particular image I would revert to methods I used before content aware was available in Photoshop. There are at least 3 methods that immediately come to mind.. if I could see your entire image it would be easier to say. But most likely I would use a combination of patching in a few "donor" sections from other parts of the background, combined with some clone stamping and the brush tool. Also I might look at pattern/fill. Just make sure you don't leave any obvious patterning or repeating of the same sections, sorry not sure if I'm explaining that very well. Also.since it's basically just one color it's not inconceivable to create a brush preset, or several from a section of this pattern and then use that brush to paint it in.

Good luck

--When content aware fill was introduced,  one of the instructions for using it was if you don't like the results hit undo and run it (CAF) again. It's supposed to give different results each time you click CAF.

I assume you're using the latest version of Photoshop. What operating system do you run?

If you get stuck and need help let me know. I was a retoucher for a national magazine chain for 18 years. One of the most common requests I got from Jennifer the art director was "can you extend this background to fill the page?"

[Derek Cross]

Excellent advice from a patching expert and his first post on here for eight years - more please!

[MChamlee]

Thanks Derek. 
I got lucky on that one as Editingissues' question was "right up my alley" so to speak.

Abd since I'm currently unemployed, this seems like s good place to spend some of  my excess spare time . 

[jane-e]

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@MChamlee wrote:

Abd since I'm currently unemployed, this seems like s good place to spend some of  my excess spare time . 

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Happy to have you here, @MChamlee!

Jane

[editingissues24092]

Hi, thank you for your detailed response. I have tried using content aware fill multiple times and it still fails for this particular pattern.

I'm on MacOS. The issue with using patch (which I've used successfully before) is that the shadow effect looks weird. I suppose you're suggesting using patching tool and then using clone stamping and/or brush to correct those shadow issues.