Removing dust spots from your photos in Lightroom mobile is done using a dedicated healing tool designed for spotting imperfections like dust or sensor spots.
The primary method involves using the Healing Brush or Spot Removal tool within the app. This tool works by copying texture from one area of the image to cover up a blemish in another.
Using the Spot Removal Tool in Lightroom Mobile
Lightroom mobile makes the process straightforward. Here's how you typically use the tool to eliminate dust:
- Open the image you want to edit in Lightroom mobile.
- Look for the Healing icon (it often looks like a band-aid or a circle with a dot in the middle) in the editing tools panel.
- Tap on the Healing tool.
- Select the appropriate mode, usually Heal or Clone. For dust spots, Heal is often the best choice as it blends more naturally with the surrounding area.
- Adjust the size of the tool's brush to be slightly larger than the dust spot you want to remove. You can also adjust the Feather and Opacity settings, though defaults are often fine for simple dust spots.
- Simply click on a dust spot, and Lightroom will automatically choose an area nearby to use as the source for healing the spot.
- Lightroom will attempt to blend the source area over the dust spot.
- If you don't like the results, you can set a different source spot by moving it to another location. A circle indicating the source area will appear; drag this circle to a different area that is clean and matches the texture of the area around the dust spot.
- Tip: Zooming in on your image will help you see dust spots more clearly and make it easier to accurately tap on them.
Finding Dust Spots
Sometimes camera sensor dust can be hard to see in some parts of an image. Dust spots are often most visible in areas of solid color or smooth gradients, such as:
- Skies
- Walls
- Smooth water
- Areas with shallow depth of field
To help spot dust, you can temporarily increase contrast or clarity in the image or use a visual aid feature if available in the app (though Lightroom mobile primarily relies on manual identification).
Troubleshooting and Refining
- Multiple Spots: Repeat the clicking process for each dust spot you find.
- Poor Match: If the automatic source doesn't look right, manually drag the source circle to a cleaner, more appropriate area.
- Difficult Areas: Some complex textures or edges can be tricky. You may need to refine the source area carefully or try slightly different brush sizes.
By using the Healing tool as described, you can effectively clean up unwanted dust spots and sensor blemishes directly within the Lightroom mobile application.
