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Thread: using the clone tool in camera raw for CS5 Help

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    Default using the clone tool in camera raw for CS5 Help

    I've opened an image in camera raw on CS5 and been able to make adjustments however, when I try to use the clone tool (pressing the ALT key and clicking) it brings up the box saying I haven't defined the spot and to press the ALT key and click.

    Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong. I've been searching tutorials, but cannot find any answers.

    Any help would be appreciated.
    Nancy

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    Nancy,

    When you select the clone tool and then press the alt key when the cursor is on the image, the cursor should change (in photoshop--I don't have the other programs). I have the clone tool to show the diameter of the clone tool (I think this may be the default). When I press the alt key, crosshairs appear in the circle. If you don't see a change in the cursor when you press the alt key, it might be that the operating system is trapping it so the program does not see it (at least that may be one thing to check for).

    Roger

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    Quote Originally Posted by Roger Clark View Post
    Nancy,

    When you select the clone tool and then press the alt key when the cursor is on the image, the cursor should change (in photoshop--I don't have the other programs). I have the clone tool to show the diameter of the clone tool (I think this may be the default). When I press the alt key, crosshairs appear in the circle. If you don't see a change in the cursor when you press the alt key, it might be that the operating system is trapping it so the program does not see it (at least that may be one thing to check for).

    Roger
    Thank you Roger. I rebooted and did what you suggested and it seems to be working now. I'm not sure if it was a glitch or I did a step wrong, but at least it's working.
    Thank you.
    Nancy

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    Quote Originally Posted by nancy hazen View Post
    Thank you Roger. I rebooted and did what you suggested and it seems to be working now. I'm not sure if it was a glitch or I did a step wrong, but at least it's working.
    Thank you.
    Nancy
    Nancy,

    You must be on a pixel layer to select, otherwise you will get the message indicated. If you are on a mask or on an adjustment layer you cannot clone.

    If this is too simplistic an answer I apologize, but it took me awhile to figure that out. I get the same error when I am caught up in editing and want to clone something, I tend to click on the clone tool and start trying to select when I am still on an adjustment layer.

    JP

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    John, thank you. So if I was in an adjustment layer, should I add another layer?

    I am a newbie with CS5.

    Thanks
    Nancy

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    Quote Originally Posted by nancy hazen View Post
    John, thank you. So if I was in an adjustment layer, should I add another layer?

    I am a newbie with CS5.

    Thanks
    Nancy
    I do my global tone adjustments in LR3 or ACR and then open in PS.

    My workflow at that point is to make a copy of the background layer right off the bat rename it crop layer and crop, then I copy that layer and rename it "clone layer" and do my cloning, at that point I like to make a composite layer, then I move on to the individual adjustments.

    Sometimes I will make a group for different image parts, for example: "background group" or "foreground group", ect...

    Photoshop is like cooking, there are so many ways one can make the same dish.
    Last edited by John Platt; 07-24-2011 at 04:57 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by nancy hazen View Post
    John, thank you. So if I was in an adjustment layer, should I add another layer?

    I am a newbie with CS5.

    Thanks
    Nancy
    Hi Nancy,
    If you are in an adjustment layer, the clone tool will be cloning what is in the adjustment layer. If you want to clone one part of the image over another and not harm the original, select the original image layer, do the clone selection, then add a new (regular) layer on top and clone there.

    Personally I don't use adjustment layers. I save a couple of intermediate steps along my editing path, but if I find a goof up, I just back out with the history. If I really good up, I go back to a previous version. For example: if raw converted image is image1234.a.tif.
    After some edits, I save image1234.b.tif, then image1234.c.tif and so on. When I'm done I can delete the intermediate files if I wish or save them to an external hard drive.

    Roger

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