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Cloning in Photoshop Elements

Now, when you already know how to activate and use the Brush, Paint Bucket and Eraser, let's proceed to the Clone Stamp.

§ 1. Open an image from our sample folder.

§ 2. From the Toolbox, choose the Clone Stamp Tool.

§ 3. In the Options bar, set the tool's tip size and style as we did it for the Brush Tool.

§ 4. Point the cursor at the image area you want to paint with, hold down [Alt] key, then mouse-click. You have just selected the source point for cloning.

§ 5. Paint with the copied pixels.

§ 6. The "Aligned" gadget in the Options bar (checked by default) forces the source point to follow your mouse, even after you complete a stroke. In other words, every new stroke continues the image started by the first stroke.

§ 7. Deselecting the "Aligned" option starts the sample point back to its original location every time you release the mouse button. That is, every new stroke re-starts cloning your image from the source point.

§ 8. When finished, close the image without saving the changes.

NB If you feel confused about the "aligned" and "not-aligned" modes, try to clone in a single stroke (that is, don't release mouse button while painting).

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