Today’s Question: If I use one of the Remove tool options in Lightroom Classic, say Heal, then change the tool type to Clone, the result changes from Heal to Clone [for an existing cleanup area]. How do I use Heal, then switch to Clone, without changing the setting for the previous action?
Tim’s Quick Answer: The key to avoid changing the Mode setting for cleanup areas when using the Remove tool in Lightroom Classic (or Camera Raw or Lightroom), simply press the Escape (Esc) key on the keyboard to ensure no cleanup area is selected before making the change.
More Detail: With the Remove tool in Lightroom Classic (or Camera Raw or Lightroom) you can change the Mode setting for a selected cleanup area. For example, if you used the Clone option for Mode but then realize that it isn’t providing a good result, you can switch the Mode to Heal or Remove instead.
Of course, if your intent is to switch to a different setting for Mode for the next cleanup area rather than the current cleanup area, this behavior can be frustrating. The key is to ensure that no cleanup area is active before making a change to the Mode setting. To do so simply press the Escape (Esc) key on the keyboard before changing the setting for Mode. This will enable you to change the setting before initiating a new cleanup area.
It is also possible, of course, to simply paint a new cleanup area on the image, which will inherit the Mode setting from the cleanup area that had previously been selected. You can then change the Mode setting for the new cleanup area after creating it. But again, if you want to change the Mode first, you can simply press the Escape key before creating the new cleanup area.
Note that I have published an updated video lesson on performing image cleanup work in Lightroom Classic to my “Mastering Lightroom Classic” video course. The updated lesson is “Removing Blemishes and Distractions”, which is Chapter 3, Lesson 3 of this course. You can get all the details about this course on the GreyLearning website here:
https://www.greylearning.com/courses/mastering-lightroom-classic-2023
