The Clone Tool allows you to paint an exact duplicate of one area of a picture onto another. This is useful for removing scratches, blemishes or unwanted items from a photograph. Uses of the Clone Tool include:


Taking one area of sky in a photo and using it to cover up scratches or objects in another sky portion of the photo.

Copying skin from one area of a portrait to cover up scars, blemishes, etc.

Cloning an area of landscape to paint out an offending feature.

Producing exact duplicates of a section of an image.


After selecting the Clone Tool, begin by clicking on the area you wish to duplicate. This is the Clone origin. Next, move the mouse cursor to the area where you wish to reproduce that part of the picture. Once the mouse cursor is in the right area, press down the mouse button and drag the mouse to copy the original area. You may continue to hold down the button and "paint" a copy of as much of the original area as desired.


You can change the Clone origin at any time by clicking the right mouse button to mark the new location. You even can use this method to place the origin on another open picture.


The Clone Tool provides two operating modes - Fixed and Floating - which can be selected from the Option Panel. The Fixed mode always snaps back to the point of origin once the mouse button is released. The Floating mode allows the Clone origin to follow the mouse cursor, maintaining a fixed distance.


The size, shape and edge (softness) of the Clone Tool can also be adjusted using the controls on the Option Panel.