How to Use the Clone Tool in GIMP Freeware
Adobe Photoshop is one of the world's most popular software programs, but it is expensive and not affordable for the casual digital photographer. GIMP is a powerful image editing program available for free. It has many of the same features as Photoshop and is easy to use. Using the clone tool in GIMP is very similar to the using the feature in Photoshop.
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Things You'll Need
- GIMP 2.0 or later running on a PC
- A copy of an image for experimentation
Instructions
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Open your saved file in GIMP. From the toolbar, select the clone tool from the tools palette. As in Photoshop, the clone tool looks like a rubber stamp. Notice the properties for the tool below the word clone.
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Notice the dotted line selection area. This is the tool you will use to select the area to clone from. To select the area, move the mouse to the area you want to clone and move it over that area while holding down the CONTROL key and clicking the left mouse button.
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Set the clone mode to NORMAL. This will allow you to paint the new area with the clone selection that you made. You can also choose to replace color or clone behind the image area you select. In this case, we will replace the man with a clone of the woman. We selected a large clone brush and adjusted the size using the SCALE slider, which makes the selected brush smaller or larger.
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Using small circular motions, we begin to paint the area we selected over the area we are painting. Notice the image of the woman begin to appear over the man. This is because we chose normal mode.
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In the final image we have replaced the man with the woman. At first glance it looks OK, but look a little closer. Notice the difference in the background and the missing part of the woman. This is not a procedure that can be done casually to create a great image. Experiment with color replacement, behind and dissolve modes to get the effect you want.
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Tips & Warnings
When downloading GIMP, make sure you download the help system. It is a separate download and is also free.
The clone tool is best used with objects against solid backgrounds. You can also use the blend function to blend the cloned image into the background.
Always work with copies of your images to preserve your image archive.
Resources
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Comments
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Would have been nice if you'd included tips on why the clone tool is disabled. I opened my saved JPG file, selected the tool like you say and it has a black circle with a diagonal line through it. I created a new layer - same problem. Been googling for about an hour and there is no solution.
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woodsmenspost
Mar 04, 2010
Congrats on being eHow Featured Member of the Day. Nice article I love gimp!!! Use it almost daily I'm reading all your articles. Especially the ones on gimp Have A Great Day!!!!!
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Hinda
Dec 19, 2007
This looks hard to do well. I will experiment with it when I find a suitable picture
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Hinda
Dec 19, 2007
This looks hard to do well. I will experiment with it when I find a suitable picture
