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Post-Processing & Retouching

Clone Stamp

A retouching tool that copies pixels from one part of an image directly onto another.

Measured in px (brush size)

In depth

Cloning replaces the target completely, tone, texture and colour together, which makes it precise but obvious when the source and target differ in brightness. It is the right tool where an exact copy is needed — a repeating pattern, a hard edge — and the wrong one for blending into a gradient, where healing works better.

Examples in practice

Cloning a section of brickwork over a drainpipe preserves the mortar lines exactly, which healing would smear.