Clone Stamp Tool

[Wendi Karen]

When using the clone stamp tool I sometimes get a circle showing the brush size so that I know exactly how big the area that I am cloning is and at other times I just get cross-hairs and I have no idea how much of an area I am cloning.

How can I get this tool to always show the circle?

I hope this question makes sense.

Thanks so much for your help.

Wendi

[kimi_boo]

Hi Wendi.. I know this one. :p

You will get the cross hair on your brushes if you have the Cap Lock on.
On the other hand if you are trying to get into a very small area it can come in handy.

I had the same problem and asked the same question. :)

[Wendi Karen]

Well, I'll be darned. I had no idea. I have been frustrated many times because I couldn't see the circle and I didn't know what I was cloning.

Thanks so much Kimi_boo. I just wish I had asked sooner.

Wendi

[kimi_boo]

Wendy... when I first got here I was scared everyone would thing I was such a lame-o for asking stupid questions. I soon got over that. :p
One of the great things about this site is that everyone is at different levels. No one is looked down on for being a beginner. :D Elements can do loads of things but you don't know, if you don't ask.

[efarnstrom]

Well, I'll be darned. I had no idea. I have been frustrated many times because I couldn't see the circle and I didn't know what I was cloning.

Thanks so much Kimi_boo. I just wish I had asked sooner.

Wendi

Just yesterday this same thing happened to me and the first thing I checked was the caps-lock key, since I had read it here once.

I felt the same way as you when I first started. I suffered in silence! I just kept lurking and reading before I had to have some information right away to keep me from dropping my computer off the balcony! Fortunately, Wendy saved my computer by answering my lamo-o question (I had chosen the cookie cutter tool instead of the custom shape tool). After that, I got brave and starting putting in my 2 cents worth and actually helping others who had questions. Then last month I started my gallery. There's no telling what I will do next!

[Wendy]

hi there ...

Oh when I think of what that caps lock did to me ... first time it happened I just couldn't sort it out so I uninstalled Element sand then did a reinstall ...

I must have done that 3 times before someone told me about the caps lock :D :D

Wendy

[robpendragon]

Not sure if this helps but your tools readjust to some pictures, try just pressing your bracket key a few times for size increments, this one ( ] ) equals increase tool or brush & this one ( [ ) decreases size of tool or brush. Just make sure selection is off or deselect object:)

[wildhorsedesigns]

How does one change the softness, or hardness of the clone tool? There seems to only be two choices either hard or soft and nothing in between. With the soft one my cloning looks "muddy" and the hard one is too hard. Is the an inbetween variation somewhere? Thanks:o

[Jerrilyn]

I was frustrated too when I got the crosshairs for no apparent reason and couldn't change it back. But, I think I did something even more lame. I must have pressed the "p" key when I thought I was pressing the left bracket key and it changed to the crosshairs. "P" is for precise in the preferences window. (And "D" is for Dummy!)

[JulieM]

I was frustrated too when I got the crosshairs for no apparent reason and couldn't change it back. But, I think I did something even more lame. I must have pressed the "p" key when I thought I was pressing the left bracket key and it changed to the crosshairs. "P" is for precise in the preferences window. (And "D" is for Dummy!)

That's a neat shortcut. Thanks, Jerrilyn!

[GeoR]

How does one change the softness, or hardness of the clone tool? There seems to only be two choices either hard or soft and nothing in between. With the soft one my cloning looks "muddy" and the hard one is too hard. Is the an in between variation somewhere? Thanks:o

Hi & welcome to the forum Wildhorsedesigns: You can also control the clone brush by lowering the opacity down (example to 10-25%) which enables you to gradually build up brush strokes when cloning. Also as you gain experience in the blend modes drop down menu the lighten & darker modes work good also. Both opacity & blend modes show up on the top tool bar when clone tool is selected. If you are a subscriber there are a bunch of really good videos to show how different tools work. Plus a newsletter that comes out 8 times a year thats worth the price of admission itself. GeoR