The Clone & Stamp tool

Learn how Luminar’s regular cloning tools work

Sometimes the Erase tool is enough on its own, sometimes you just need the Clone & Stamp tool – and sometimes you need both!

1 Clone & Stamp layer

When you click the Clone & Stamp button in the Canvas workspace, Luminar creates a new, composite layer to work on, just like the Erase tool.

2 Clone target

First you click to select the clone source, then you can start dabbing or painting over the area you want to repair – Alt-click to choose a new source as you work.

3 Brush Settings

You can change the clone brush size using the menu on the top toolbar or right-click on the image to bring up this floating brush properties panel.

4 Softness

You can adjust the brush softness. A hard brush works well on hard-edged patterns, but a soft brush is better at blending in areas of softer, shaded tones.

5 Opacity

For complex areas where it’s difficult to get a convincing repair, try reducing Opacity and using a larger, softer brush to disguise the repair.

6 Done

When you’ve finished, click the Done button to generate the layer. If you need to make more repairs, you can do them on a new Clone & Stamp layer.

Hotel lobby

This hotel lobby had a beautiful persimmon tree on display, but the lobby always had people in it during the photo shoot. It took the Erase tool to remove the person, a grille on the wall behind them and the signs at the base of the tree. The Clone & Stamp tool was used to restore the geometric pattern on the wall afterwards.

River boat

This busy river was never entirely free of boats. Removing this one was a challenge because of its size and reflection, but the Erase tool did all the heavy lifting ,and the Clone & Stamp was used to add back the patterns in the water and the reflections from the sunlit building across the river.

Dog leash

This dog couldn’t be let off its leash in the real world, but we were able to remove it digitally. The closer you zoom in on an object (the leash, in this case), the tighter you can be with the Erase tool, and the better the repair is. A little work with the Clone & Stamp tool finished the job.