I recently took a large group picture and some of the participants did not exactly cooperate with the instructions.  That being said I need to edit a few stragglers out of the photo and fill in some holes in the group where there were no people... what is the best way to get this done?

Photoshop,but next time get it right the first time to save yourself hassle.  Are you using an iPad or iPhone for your screen?

I agree 100% but its very hard to get a group of that size to cooperate in the hot weather .  I was thinking photoshop was the best answer so thank you for the feedback.

My guess is the clone stamp will be your friend.  I don't know your exact situation, but don't over do it if the photo is zoomed out.  Extreme pixel peeping can lead to over editing that most people will never see.

Affinity Photo can do that.
Photoshop also (of course)
Next time.....
You know

Hi, thanks for the inquiry. Hope you'll get the best recommendation in regards to editing photo. Thank you for the support.