Photoshop CS3: Clone Stamp Tool and New healing features

The Clone Stamp tool generally use to cover up or smooth over imperfections area and also repair damaged images. It’s takes a sample of an image, which you can then apply over another image or part of the same image. You can also clone part of one Photoshop layer over another layer.

You can select brush for clone stamp tool just like other painting tool as well as adjusting brush shape brush dynamic or even create your own brush. If you’re new for Clone Stamp tool you may refer to the quick step of using Clone Stamp Tool below in this page and also at eyesondesign.com, there’re comprehensive tutorial about using Healing Brush and Patch Tool.

In Photoshop CS3 the Cloning and Healing have many new improvements, such as preview overlay, option to ignore adjustment layer and new sample mode. Moreover with photoshop CS3 you are now enable to clone with specify output scale and angle that you can set in the new Clone Source palette.

The New Photoshop CS3 Clone Source Palette

• Clone Source Button (A) : In CS3 you can store up to five different clone source locations along with the scale and rotation options. The sampled source location will automatically save in to active slot when you Alt(Option) + Click to define the sampled source or when you switch to different button. The sampled source location are stored in both absolute position (x and y location in the image) and relative position(off set) from the brush cursor.
  

  Note: The Clone Source palette saves the sampled sources until you close the document.

• Offset or Source (B): When Align option turn off the Offset option will turn to Source. The Offset in relative distance of sampled point to the brush cursor in X and Y distance. The Source is the absolute location of sampled point in X and Y coordinate. This option allow you to manually enter the location sampled source after you defined the sample point to precisely trim the selected sample source.
  

  Tip: When you working with in one sampled source, if Align option are checked, you can go back and use the original clone source location that you first define by unchecked the Align option. The sampled source will automatically set to the first point you’re defined.

• W and H (C): You can scale the output from sampled source by enter Width(W) and Height (H) in percentage. You can enter any value form 1% to 400% the default is 100%(no change). You can also click the Link button to constrain the proportion. This scale option can be save using Clone source button. You can easily preview the scale of output by checked the Show Overlay option.
• Rotation : Enter the degree of rotation from sampled source. You can enter value form -360° to 360° and the default is 0° (no change). This rotate option can be save using Clone source button. You can easily preview the rotation of output by checked the Show Overlay option.
• Reset Button : Press reset button to reset the scale and rotation setting to default.
• Frame Offset and Lock Frame (D): This two options are available in Photoshop CS3 extended only. There are use for retouch or duplicate objects in video or animation frames.
• Show Overlay (E): Check this option to show the overlay of sampled source at the area your are cloning. You can specify the transparency of the overlay by using opacity option and also use the dropdown menu to set the overlay blending mode.
• Auto Hide and Invert: Check Auto Hide option to automatically hide the overlay while you cloning. The overlay will hide after you press the mouse button. In some situation which the sampled area and the cloning area are blend and hardly to define. You can checked Invert option to invert the overlay of the sampled area to clarify the overlay and the image.

Photoshop CS3 Clone Stamp Tool options

• Brush Preset (A): Click the down arrow button to quickly select currently loaded brush from preset and also you can modify brush diameter and brush hardness from this dropdown menu as well.You can modify additional Brush Shape options or Brush Dynamic in Brush Palette.
• Blending Mode (B): Specify how painted color effect with the current color (See also Photoshop Blending Mode)
• Opacity, Flow and Airbrush (C): These three options specify for strength of clone tool while you paint. The Opacity option specifies the maximum amount of paint coverage applied by the tool. Flow option Specifies how quickly paint is applied by the tool. Or click Airbrush button to turn airbrush option On or Off. Please visit Photoshop Brush Dynamic for more detail.
• Align (D): By default the clone source will always fix in relative distance from brush cursor whether you stop painting. But if you want to clone from a single location of an image repeatedly you can deselect the Aligned check box. When Aligned is deselected, you’ll clone from the start sample point every time you release mouse button.
• Sample (E): You can select data to samples from the layers you specify by choose this sample dropdown box.
  And select following option.
  • Current And Below: To sample from the active layer and visible layers below it.
  • Current Layer: To sample only from the active layer.
  • All Layers: To sample from all visible layers.

  Note: In the earlier version of Photoshop you will have only Use All Layers checked box which allow you to select to sample from current active layer or from all layer.

• Ignore Adjustment Layers : When Ignore Adjustment Layers is turn On , the tool will sample from all visible layers or all layer below (depend on sample option) except adjustment layers.
  If you are new to photoshop adjustment layer you may refer to Adjustment Layer tutorial at Photoshoptips.net

Note: Personally both Sample option and Ignore Adjustment Layers option are really useful improvement. In Photoshop earlier version, if you Use All Layers option turn on , you have to hide all adjustment layer above the active layer to use clone tool otherwise the color sampled will result in multiply color of adjustment effect. For example, if you have 50% gray color and use Adjustment layer 1 to adjust it to 80% gray, if you use clone tool under the adjustment layer it will sample color as 80% gray color. After clone the new cloned area will effected by the Adjustment layer 1 again and will result in color brighter than 80%.

To hide some adjustment layer, in some situation, may also hide some detail that we need to fixed. And again if you use clone tool above the adjustment layer, it will impossible to re-adjust the adjustment layer below it without change the cloned layer. But with this Ignore Adjustment Layer turn On, make sure that you not have adjustment layer below the cloned layer because this option will ignore all adjustment layer both above and below. If you have a lot of layers, it will be safer to use Current and Below option instead.

To use Clone Stamp Tool

1. Select Clone Stamp Tool
2. Choose Brush tip in option bar or using Brush palette to define additional brush shape and brush dynamic. And also set other options in option bar as needed. (See Clone Stamp Tool options above)
3. Hold Alt(Option), the Cursor will turning to , and Click the select the location that you want to use as source (You can select clone source from any open image file).
4. Release Alt(Option) key and Click or Drag the tool in other area that you want to correct. While dragging the source location will be mark by clone source cross hair .

The Clone Source cross hair will always position in relative with the brush cursor so you can reuse the most current sampling point, no matter how many times you stop and resume painting. When Aligned is deselected, you’ll clone from the start sample point every time you release mouse button.

Related Article:

• Photoshop CS3 Toolbox: Tools Quick Reference
• Using Photoshop Brush Palette
• Photoshop Brush Dynamic
• Using Photoshop Tool Preset
• Photoshop Painting Tool
• All about Photoshop Layer and Layer Palette

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