Using the clone stamp tool

The clone stamp tool takes a sample of an image, which you can then apply over another image or part of the same image. Each stroke of the tool paints on more of the sample. Cross hairs mark the original sampling point.

To use the clone stamp tool:

1 Select the clone stamp tool ().

2 Choose a brush size from the pop-up palette in the options bar. To learn more about using pop-up palettes, see Using pop-up palettes.

3 Specify a blending mode and opacity. (See  Setting options for painting and editing tools.)

4 Select Aligned to apply the entire sampled area once, regardless of how many times you stop and resume painting. This option is useful when you want to use different-sized brushes to paint an image. You can also use the Aligned option to duplicate two halves of a single image and place them at different locations.

If Aligned is deselected, the sampled area is applied from the initial sampling point each time you stop and resume painting. Because the clone stamp tool samples the entire image, this option is useful for applying multiple copies of the same part of an image to different images.

5 Select Use All Layers to sample data from all visible layers. If this is deselected, the tool samples only from the active layer.

6 If you are using a pressure-sensitive drawing tablet, specify the effects of stylus pressure. (See  Specifying the effect of stylus pressure.)

7 Position the pointer on the part of any open image you want to sample, and Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS). This sample point is the location from which the image is duplicated as you paint.

8 Drag to paint with the tool.

Transforming and Retouching > Retouching an image > Using the clone stamp tool