Bob, it sounds like you’re trying to do something that the clone tool doesn’t do, i.e., anchor its selection point and let you clone away with that color. If you think about that, what would be the effect? Instead of copying a section of a photo onto another area, you’d be painting with one color/tone. It would be the same as using the Brush tool; you wouldn’t get the realism associated with variations in color, tone, and texture. If you do want to just use that one color without variations, you can use the Eyedropper tool to select the color, then use the Brush tool to paint with it.
I hope this makes some sense..if not, please come back.
Chuck
Bob,
Maybe you’ll get closer to what you want if you un-check the "Aligned" option on the Clone Stamp’s option bar.
In either configuration, you ALT-click to set your source point.
With Aligned selected, the first time you click to paint with the clone brush, you establish a FIXED relationship between the source point and the brush. From that moment forward, the source point moves as you move the brush, whether you are painting or not.
With Aligned UNselected, each time you click to paint you begin picking up the image at exactly your original ATL-clicked source point, every time. If you click-drag to paint, your source point will move proportionately with the brush. But, each time you click anew, your source point starts back at "home".
HTH,
Byron
Byron, that’s a great explanation! I had never really grasped the fact that in unaligned mode the selection point returned to the original whenever the mouse button is released. If you do an area with a lot of clicking it can be almost like having the point anchored but still give you enough variation to be realistic.
Chuck
Oh brilliant. Yes, thanks, got it now. Thanks for fast response.
Bob
Byron,
Wow, that’s what’s so great about this forum, you always pick up new hints and tricks!
Thanks for that one.
Dick
I’m glad I was able to help!!
Bob,
When I’m using the Clone Tool I experiment with different opacities, this helps in blending, Also take samples from different places with similar tones.
Terry
I had a funny thing happen to me tonight related to cloning. I publish a newsletter for a volunteer group of which I’m a member, and I had a photo submitted for inclusion in this issue. Well, it was a group photo (there are so many of them in newsletters….yawn) but the photographer had stood in such a way that her shadow impinged on the feet and lower legs of a couple people in the front row. So….using the Clone tool, I dutifully removed the shadow and, of course, was very proud of myself. Well, the photographer came up to me tonight at our meeting and said how disappointed she was that I had removed ‘her’ from the picture; she’s an artist and viewed her shadow as representing her in the image (since she couldn’t join the group and take the photo at the same time)! I told her I’m just a simple technician and didn’t perceive her artistic intent; I apologized profusely and promised to always consult her in the future before disturbing a composition….
Go figure…..
š
Chuck’
Like the old saying goes "You can’t please everyone". I like to view galleries and some of them have the before and after pictures. There are some out there that have really mastered the clone tool.
Terry
Terry, it was good-natured and all in fun, fortunately. But it did give me a moment of pause as to how much photo manipulation I’ll do in the future!
The Clone tool is a favorite of mine. I use it a lot to clean up scanned images from old 35mm slides and negs. I learned the hard way about the Aligned box and how it affects tool operation. Sometimes when I opened the tool, the box would be checked. Other times not, and the tool acts quite differently! The erratic operation was really driving me crazy. I finally figured it out, and now pick the mode I want depending on the task.
For example, if you’re working your way across a section of sky where the color changes gradually, using the Aligned mode adjusts the color of the corrections as you go. If you want to keep the same color for all corrections, then it should be UNchecked. I have found the Brush/eyedropper is sometimes easier to use in this case if you are trying to "brush" an area, rather than click spots. Brushing an area with the Clone tool, even in Unaligned mode will cause the sample to move, so you can pick up local variations which you might not want.
Bert
It all started with me trying to remove someone’s car from a view I took in Wales. I got elements but could not believe that if you removed the car you could find something to replace it in the picture. I mean, how would you guess what had been concealed by that car? But actually through cloning I seem now to have managed a pretty good job. (Well, what would there be? some rain, grass and sheep.) And yes the opacities helped me put in a bit of road behind it without it looking too false.
My next challenge is not so much red eye as white eye. I have pictures taken outdoors of the house at night with the kids in front where their eyes are bright from catching the flash. Redeye correction does not move that. So I suppose I need to either clone from another part of their little faces or try and blot out the whiteness some other way. IĀm still mastering how to do that.
Anyway, thanks for the tips everyone. Very friendly and helpful.
Bob
Bob, Use the red eye brush. It is very similar to the CS color match brush tool. You will retain all of the details just the color is effected. All you have to do is reset your color chips for the red eye brush in the option bar. You can even use a different picture to select your new color. Now set your tolerance to select how intense color will be. You’ll still have to paint but the detail isn’t lost as it would be by using the paint brush.
Terri
Edit: I should have compared it to the CS color replacement tool. And also by intensity I meant’t how "much" the color is applyed. I was thinking you might think I mean’t a color shift. At any rate, I think this is the route you want to take if you only want to alter the color without clouding the details.
I’ll give it a go Terri – thanks
I know it sounds daft but if I go to a truly white eye and sample it, then pick the replace swatch and go for a dark colour there, it still does not seem to replace it when I go and click all over the white bit. I can seem to replace other colours but not white. Spent an hour just on this, last night
Anyway I seem to have had more success using the burn tool to take out highlights.
CLONE STAMP TOOL ALT-CLICK ERROR
Anyone out there have a solution for this PhotoShop Elements 2 problem that Adobe’s help desk can’t solve? (even after almost two hours on the phone!)
When I use the Clone Stamp tool and press the Alt key, it gives me a double-headed arrow, not crosshairs in a circle, and acts like a move tool. It will not clone.
This is on my desktop running Windows XP Home. I am not running any Hot Key programs. I booted up in Safe Mode. Even Uninstalled and Reinstalled Photoshop Elements 2. Nothing helps.
On the OTHER hand, my laptop is running Windows XP Professional and doesn’t have this problem with the Clone Stamp tool.
Any fix ideas will be greatfully received.
Sincerely,
Wagnerstrauss
Did they have you try deleting the Elements Preference folder? That’s always the first thing to try when a tool that has been working properly goes weird on you. Or has it been like this since you first installed it? You say the tool works properly on another computer, but you didn’t say whether it had ever worked right on this one. If it’s never worked right, did you have any antivirus software running when you put it on?
You don’t have the Cap Lock on do you?
By the way, even if you did an uninstall, that Preference folder would not have been removed during the process. It requires a separate search and destroy mission in order to get it out.
In case you need the instructions: With Elements closed, click on the start up icon and then make a really quick grab for the Control, Alt, and Shift keys. Hold all three down until you get a screen asking if you want to delete Settings. Say Yes, and the folder will rebuild as Elements continues to launch.
Let us know. And good luck!
