Well, Healing Tool is excellent no doubt. But there is something with this tool that bothers me for a long time, the oversampling that occurs when the brush barely touches a hard limit, producing annoying stains/spots. This obviously happens a little less when using a soft brush, but it happens.

Do you think Healing Tool should be a little smarter for the case that I'm considering? I find it impossible to work properly on hard limits, even for those with a steady hand.
Or maybe I'm the one that does not use the tool properly and I should be a little smarter (you let me know if that's so)

You note that I am proposing the issue for cases much more complex that the image I give as an example. That is, images which would not be so easy to select a portion of the image and separate it from what you do not want to be taken for the sampling.

Ok, I just need someone to tell me if you have had this problem too working with Healing tool. To see if it's just me, or is worth comment this issue with developers.

Tried and it' not just you... The idea of the heal tool is that it mixes the source and some local stuff (the stamp only uses the source) so I don't see how you could avoid this, except by isolating that part to its own layer...

But why not use the stamp?

Yup; happens to me too; have to be more then smart with the healing brush I I do often use; clone tool as well.

Thank you both.
@ ofnuts, with stamp you're referring to clone tool?

Well, Clone tool and Healing have different uses, but I usually use both for the same work. Clone tool for hard work covering areas and healing tool for fine work. For example if you want to remove next tattoo:

First you do the work covering the tattoo with Clone, and then fine work with healing:

As you can see, in this example I have not had the problem I discuss in this thread since I can keep away from the hard edges that I do not want to be included in sampling.
Healing tool is very good and has many uses, for example to repair scratches on a photo, or matching stained textures. As long as you stay away from the hard edges that you do not want to be included in the sample.

In theory if the problem is how to exclude hard edges you may
1)
dup the layer and use one edge detection filter on this dup (Gimp has several more are in Gmic
2) there you should able to see the edges that you want delete , BUT use it to delete the rest and leave there only the edges to remove
3) select the edges
4 back to the original now use the clone or healing tool to fill the selection (the edges ), doesn't need to be a too accurate work
5) Selection> None (don't invert the selection,but delete !)
and then just as usual

5 steps may seems but should be quicker to do then to explain

@PhotoComix, Thank you very much! I am not familiar with edge detection techniques but I will try it.

Here I found an example where I can better show where I have problems with the issue that I commented on this thread. You assume the skin in next image is the skin from an old woman:
http://loyaltyandblood.com/wp-content/u ... cklace.jpg
You suppose you want to smooth the skin and remove imperfections using as sources other skin in better conditions in another layer.

Healing tool will do a great job in areas of the skin away from the edges (green). But near the edges (red lines) will be a nightmare.