does not have to be ''as it was''

[ianrb]

this could be a photo taken by any tourist visiting the Lock on the murray river, although it's very unlikely they didn't use raw capture so their photo would somewhat edited off the card 


My edited photo did not really work for me  so I decided to move and enlarge the ducks 
Not a hard edit once you have an understanding of layers and layer masks
These are only a guides to tools and settings
> duplicate the layer > select top layer > use the hand selection tool around the ducks leaving plenty of space > move the selection to suit > enlarge if require (needs to look normal) > feathering will help blend it in > add a layer mask > set very soft brush > 50% opacity > brush around the ducks with the black brush so the birds and water blend into the main image > using a lower opacity brush will make it look more natural . 

That's about it. Nothing has really be changed as everything was there.  Just making a more appealing photo, or momento of something seen. 
Very often the "way it was" can be very boring . Horizontally rotating the file is another to change what was there. 
tips and shortcut > I usually make a duplicate layer before doing anything > duplicate > move the locked layer to the top > rename "spare original". Great way to check your progress or duplicate again if needed for whatever reason in the edit -- a macro/action is handy
Brush tool B >> set white and black Alt+B >> move (layer) M >> to enlarge the selection at the same ratio Hold ALT while dragging corners >> Brush Opacity 1/2/3-8/9/0 >> duplicate layer Ctrl+J >>

Your comments  suggestions questions welcome


Yep the file has been rotated -- if I didn't show you and you were not familiar with the area you would never know
If readable, the houseboat name could be removed or flipped back   
 

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