Photoshop provides a number of tools and methods to remove unwanted objects from your image. The Clone tool has long been the go to tool. Adobe has improved the effectiveness of this tool since it was first introduced and it is now so much easier to use and gives amazing results. However there is another tool that is supreme in removing the small annoyances that creep into our perfect shot, the Patch tool.

This is an image I've already been working on and have removed fence posts and fence lines using a combination of the Clone tool and the Spot Healing brush. There is a patch of cactus at the hind leg though, that I wish to remove and I'm going to use the Patch Tool to do it.

I start by making a new layer above my image. This way my changes will be on a separate layer leaving the original in tact if I decide I don't like the changes. Now I select the Patch Tool. The Patch tool is hidden under the Spot Healing tool on your tool bar. Just right click and select it from the drop down menu. Your cursor will change to a little dark arrow head. So let's patch those cacti!

With my new Layer highlighted, I select the Patch Tool. In the upper Tool bar, I have New Selection highlighted and Content Aware selected. I leave the Structure is 3 and Colour 0 and Sample All Layers ticked. 

Enlarge your image and then using either your mouse or tablet stylus, begin to select your object. Using my tablet stylus I begin drawing a line around the cactus. Unlike the Polygonal Lasso, the Patch tool draws a continuous line. I close the selection and check to see that I have all the cactus selected, behind the colt's leg. I can, if I want change my selection by selecting the Add to Selection box or the Subtract from Selection box. I decide it is fine.  Now I drag my selection area to the part of the image I think will make a good fill for my selection. The selection fills with the intended replacement pixels. Once your replacement content, let go and your object will be gone! Click anywhere in the image to deselect it.

If you find you've missed a bit, simply make a new selection and continue as above. I went back with the Clone Tool just to tidy the line of the leg. This is the final image. I've removed the cactus which was an unnecessary distraction to the eye of the viewer. 

Please note I'm using Photoshop CC for this tutorial. The Patch Tool commands are a little different in Photoshop CS6 though the basics are the same.

Check out the Services Page for more examples of Digital Photo Retouching.