If you use Photoshop regularly, you may be familiar with the Clone Stamp tool. It is a tool that is used to copy parts of an image from one area to another.
The advantage of using a clone stamp in Photoshop is that it replaces pixels and makes retouching unnoticeable. To use clone stamp, select the clone stamp tool from the toolbar and choose the required brush options. Then select an area to clone and copy it to a desired location on your image.
Although these steps sound simple, doing a good job with cloning requires a lot of practice. In this article, we provide some tips to help you achieve the best results using clone stamp.
- Clone on a new layer
First create a new layer on your image before using the clone stamp tool. So anything you do with clone stamp will be on the new layer and will not affect your original image. Once the changes are made and you’re happy with the results, you can flatten the image.
- Zoom in
When using the clone stamp tool, your goal is to make the changes unnoticeable in the final image. To achieve this, a trick is to zoom the area you’re working on. By working on such an intricate level of detail, you are making sure that any changes you make will not be visible upon zooming out.
- Clone before you make other edits
If you are planning to clone, it is a good practice to complete it before you make other edits like color, contrast, sharpness etc.
- Experiment with brushes
Many Photoshop users use only a soft round brush for cloning, but feel free to experiment with other kinds of brushes. There are tons of options available including creating your own custom brush.
Make sure you don’t set your brush size too large, as this will clone areas that you don’t intend to. This may cause the final image to look unnatural.
Similar to your brush size, you can also set the hardness of your brush. If you set the hardness too high, the edges will remain defined and sharp. It’s best to start with a soft brush for the clone to blend nicely. Then, you can increase the hardness if needed.
- Don’t choose your pixels from an adjacent space
If you choose your pixels from an adjacent area, the viewer may notice it easily. A smart move is to choose your pixels from an area that’s away from where you’re going to paste it. This will ensure the viewer doesn’t immediately notice the difference.
- Resampling
Usually, in the areas where you clone, seams are left behind. So, make sure you resample the image frequently to avoid seams where you clone.
These are effective techniques that you can use to make the clone stamped image look flawless. But remember that clone stamping is a messy process and requires a number of trial and errors to get the perfect image.
Repair Photoshop file
If at any time you encounter an abrupt shutdown of Photoshop, it might leave your file corrupt. In such cases, you may lose days or weeks of hard work. To avoid this situation, you can make use of PSD repair tools such as the one from Remo Repair.
Refer repair Photoshop CS6 photo for more details on the product and the repair process. The tool works in such a way that your original image is not modified, so you don’t have to think twice about using the tool. Download a trial version and repair your PSD file for free!
