Table of Contents

Copy part of an image from one area to another

To copy part of an image from one area to another, use the Clone tool. Just like the other retouching tools, the Clone tool is brush-based, so you choose a clone source and then use the Clone brush to paint the source area in a new part of your image.




Copy part of an image from one area to another

  1. Do one of the following:
    • Choose Tools > Retouch > Clone (from the Tools menu at the top of your screen).
    • In the Tools sidebar, click .
    • Press O on your keyboard.
  2. In the Tool Options pane, customize the Clone tool:

    Brush Size: Drag the Brush Size slider to adjust the size of the Clone tool brush. Press and hold the Option ⌥ key to extend the range of the Brush Size slider beyond 100%. You can also manually enter a value from 0% to 200%.


    Tip: You can use the [ and ] keys on your keyboard to change the size of the Clone tool brush.


    Softness: Drag the Softness slider to adjust the softness of the edges of the Clone tool brush. With softer edges, the outer source areas will usually blend in better with the areas you paint over.


    Opacity: Drag the Opacity slider to change the transparency of the Clone tool brush. If the brush is partially transparent, the areas you clone will be partially transparent too.

    Sample All Layers: Select Sample All Layers to clone using every layer in your image. This option is useful when you want to clone an area nondestructively. In that case, you’d need to add a new, empty layer, select Sample All Layers, and paint on the empty layer. Another use is when you have several images on separate layers and you’d like to clone from one image to another.

    Fix Source Position: If Fix Source Position is deselected, when you start your second brushstroke the clone source moves to line up with the area you’ve started copying. If it’s selected, the clone source stays fixed in its original position with each new brushstroke. Selecting Fix Source Position can be useful when you want to clone the same object multiple times.

    Show Source Marker: Show and hide the clone source marker. When the clone source marker is turned off, Option ⌥ – click the area you’d like to clone from.

  3. Drag the clone source marker to choose the area of the image you’d like to clone from. Alternatively, Option ⌥ – click the area you’d like to clone from.

  4. Paint over the area in your image to which you'd like to clone.

Show Original: Click the Show Original button to see what the image looked like before you cloned anything in it.

Show Split Comparison: Option ⌥ – click the Show Original button or press Control ⌃ + C on your keyboard.

Click Reset to discard all the current changes made with the Clone tool.


Pixelmator Pro User Guide