Please advise: removing word ballons from comic art

[The Batman]

One of my hobbies is using interior comic book art for backgrounds and blogging, but I sometimes want to display images without the word balloons.

I've tried to do this myself, with usually poor results.

Here's an image I'm currently trying to "clean up:"

[csm725]

You could use GIMP and the Resynthesizer/Heal Selection plugin.

Or, you could set your primary color's alpha - transparency to ~35 and go to the Clone Stamp tool (keyboard shortcut 'L') and Ctrl-Click somewhere that is not a speech bubble. Then, proceed to reclick on the speech bubble.

Edited April 11, 2010 by csm725

[The Batman]

I've tried the clone stamp before and can't see to get it right.

Is there another technique I could use? Or could someone maybe do the modifications for me and then let me know how they were done?

[Sarkut]

Mostly copy and paste into new layer, position, merge.

To make things match up, the pasted/selected bits can be rotated,

stretched, compressed using the selection adjustment nodes.

When positioned right, deselect and apply feather object.

Some minor brightness adjustment with Brightness / Contrast

can give a smoother blend.

Edited April 11, 2010 by Sarkut

[Axle]

nice Sarkut, if that dosnt work try using the colour picker (to match the colour) and draw the bit thats behind the text on a new layer, to overlap the text