Object removal, how do I fix this?

[Ed0D4B]

Whenever I try to remove an object or person from a photo, there is a ghostly looking figure of the object I tried to remove. The object is removed but there is like a siloutte or haze looking of the object still there. Not professional looking at all. What am I doing wrong?

[Greg_S.]

What version of Elements are you using?  Which tool are you using and what are the steps you are taking to remove the object?  (Are you using a guided edit - if so, which one?)

It would be helpful if you could post an example of the original photo and the edited one with the ghosting.

[Ed0D4B]

Hello Greg and thank for getting back to me. I am using Photoshop Element 2020 (trial version). Trying to decide if I want to buy it. With in the Element software I first go to photo editor. From there I open my first photo. Then go to Guide edit, Basic, Object removal and follow the exact instruction on the right. With my first photo 1, using the object removal edit, I used the lasso tool. In photo 2, I followed the same procedure but using the 'quick' removal tool. Below I included 4 photos. Two originals photos and the after photos of each. Please excuse photo #1 original. That was a photo that I tried using speed pan (which was too bad). I should have sent the original without the speed pan but, you will still be able to see where I tried to remove the one boy with the number 4 on his jersey, The second set, I tried to remove the one boy standing to the right.

Greg, Thank you for any comments or critques you may have.

[Peru Bob]

In Expert Mode, I would use a combination of selection, cloning, and healing tools to manually touch that up.

I  think that your results are OK as a start to cleaning up the photos.

Duplicate the layers and work on the duplicates so that you can compare the results and try different approaches.

[Ed0D4B]

Hello Peru Bob, Thank you for your response and help. If I may ask the question; does using duplicate layers mean using an additional editing software i.e., Photoshop or Lightroom? Or can I create layers within the Photoshop Element app?

[Greg_S.]

With your example photos, rather than try to correct the ghosts, I would blur the entire background to bring the subject of your image more sharply in focus. The ghosts will not be noticed.  If you need help with doing that, you can try the Depth of Field Guided Edit (under Special Edits).  This will not work for all photos since you may want to keep the ghosted area more in focus, in which case you would use the tools suggested by Bob.  Here is the idea of what I am talking about:

Also, I am not sure whether your post had a typo for the version you are using.  Elements 2021 came out a few weeks ago and there have been some improvements in some of the selection tools.

[Ed0D4B]

Hello Greg and thank you for the feed back.

I complete understand your description on the Depth of Field Guided Edit (under Special Edits) blurring the background even further to enhance the main subject.

The version I am using is Adobe Photoshop Element 2021 {19.0 (20200826m.15182) x64.

I heard about the trial version through my emails since I do subcribe to Lightroom. I guess I was over taken by the trial version and how easy it look to follow the step in Element 2021 tutorial to get easy effects. I am seeing now, that I may need more than just the one software to make things work. May be it would be just as easy to learn within Lightroom using layers as Peru Bob (above) suggested. There's no quick fix as Element 2021 suggest. Thank you again and I will keep trying for as long a my 30 day trial is in effect.

[Peru Bob]

Or can I create layers within the Photoshop Element app?

Yes, you can:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/using/creating-layers.html