Inspiring

Question

Clone stamp tool - Positioning it with Wacom tablet

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
May 26, 2019
6 replies
4240 views

Hello everyone,

First post here

I've been learning Photoshop for a few months now and I can do most of the things I need for my photography work. It got to a point where I thought that a tablet could improve my workflow, so I bought a Wacom Intuos Pro S and I have been having lots of fun with it.
however, there's one little thing that I haven't found a way to control like I did when I was using the mouse. Let me try to explain it. So, suppose I want to use the Clone Stamp Tool, I hold the Option key and use the pen to click where I want it to clone from. Easy. Now, when there is nothing to align the clone, everything works just fine, but when I need to align something to the clone, it becomes a bit too much trial and error for my taste.

What I mean is, I can hover the pen over the place where I want to align the clone, but between that and the moment the pen touches the tablet, it often goes off slightly. With the mouse, the gesture was pretty simple, I would position the cursor where I would like to apply the clone and then clicked it. With the pen is not so easy to do so.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but how do you deal with this? Is it just a matter of getting better at it? Or is there a way to position the pen on the tablet first and then apply the clone?

Any help is very welcome.

Thank you so much.

This topic has been closed for replies.

KShinabery212

Community Expert

If you love the Intuos... then wait until you try the Cintiq or MobileStudio Pro.

See, for me I feel detached with the Intuos. But drawing directly on the screen of a Cintiq of MobileStudio Pro will blow your mind! That is a game changer!

Let's connect on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kshinabery/

R

ruiguerreiroAuthor

Inspiring

Hello everyone,

Sorry for taking too long to reply. This was interesting, so thank you all for your input.
I must say that I'm kind of getting used to the pen/tablet and actually I think I'm getting better at it every time I use it. Also, Precision Mode is great to help with aligning things, so thanks for the tip Trevor.Dennis

And, as davescm beautifully put it, you can use both the mouse and the pen, it's just a matter of getting used to it.

Again, thank you so much to everyone.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

ruiguerreiro wrote
Hello everyone,
Sorry for taking too long to reply. This was interesting, so thank you all for your input.
I must say that I'm kind of getting used to the pen/tablet and actually I think I'm getting better at it every time I use it. Also, Precision Mode is great to help with aligning things, so thanks for the tip Trevor.Dennis
And, as davescm beautifully put it, you can use both the mouse and the pen, it's just a matter of getting used to it.
Again, thank you so much to everyone.

Don't forget to try Lazy Nezumi Pro if you are a Windows user (it doesn't come in a Mac flavour). For me LNP is the single most important Photoshop add-on.

Dag, you are speaking in generalities, and assuming everyone uses Photoshop the same way that you do. Context is everything.

You did not answer how you deal without pressure sensitivity. You probably didn't bother downloading the Kyle Webster Mega Pack because hardly any of the presets will work as intended with just a mouse. OK you can fudge opacity, but only on a stroke by stroke basis, but looking through the KWMP there's hardly a preset that does not need a pressure sensitive tablet.

Even if you only use Photoshop to edit photographs, a tablet is still invaluable if you want to make use of Photoshop's full potential. Dealing with blown skin tones for instance, and building up tone. I found this with Google images. It is beyond nasty

My favourite brush at the moment is one the Aaron Blaise freebees. It is a joy to use

By controlling the pressure curve with LNP I have moved pressure sensitivity to the low end of the scale, but still have full control in the area I have set

You can slowly build up skin tone complete with texture. It's still a horrible picture, but I chose it because of that.

D Fosse

Community Expert

Trevor.Dennis wrote
Dag, you are speaking in generalities, and assuming everyone uses Photoshop the same way that you do.

I think we both did that, if we're going to be completely honest...

So let's make a deal. I won't say "this is a worthless piece of junk and whoever sold it to you should be beaten with an Eizo CG318-4K", and you won't say, "if you don't have this you're not worthy and are hereby sentenced to six months of MS Paint. You can apply for Gimp in three months if you demonstrate adequate skill by taking all your meals with a Wacom Cintiq Pro 24".

Fair enough?

Grant H

Community Expert

hmmmn a debate on tablets. I am a specialist Product photographer and a graphic designer... I haven't used a mouse in years, I have a medium size wacom intuos pro and am pretty darn precise! You do get better in my opinion, but its up to preference I guess.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

While I use my mouse to position path points, I prefer the tablet for the clone tool. The problem with using the mouse with the clone tool is that once you have touched down, you are then back to that 'drawing with a bar of soap' thing. Yuck!

If the 'S' at the end of your tablet name means Small, then that works against you, but you can offset that by using Precision Mode. That gives you heaps more control for as long as you hold the key down, and returns you to normal when you release it.

If you don't already, then try setting this cursor option. Having the crosshair tells you exactly where the center of the clone tool brush is going to start stamping. It makes for much better accuracy IMO.

It sounds like you have not had the tablet long, and while a tablet is an essential accessory if you hope to use Photoshop, or any other app, for digital art, they still need a little bit of practice before you get completely comfortable. I've used a tablet for as long as I can remember, but I still spend time practicing just for the joy of it.

If you are a Windows user, have a look at Lazy Nezumi Pro. Its primary function is stroke smoothing, but it does a whole lot more.

https://lazynezumi.com/

D Fosse

Community Expert

Trevor.Dennis wrote
while a tablet is an essential accessory if you hope to use Photoshop

I love the English expression "I beg to differ". So: I beg to differ

I think the OP describes very precisely the problem with tablets. That's exactly it, and it doesn't get better with practice. A while back I made a serious effort over many weeks, I even went so far as to stuff the mouse away to force myself to get friendly with the thing. I didn't.

Say what you will about a mouse, but it has one property the pen will never achieve: Unless you move it, it doesn't move. That inherently makes it better for high precision work. A pen and tablet is good for large movements. It is not good for small movements.

You can live a long and happy life without ever owning a tablet. Don't listen to the hype.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

https://forums.adobe.com/people/D+Fosse wrote
I think the OP describes very precisely the problem with tablets. That's exactly it, and it doesn't get better with practice. A while back I made a serious effort over many weeks, I even went so far as to stuff the mouse away to force myself to get friendly with the thing. I didn't.

You work in a gallery full of what I assume you consider beautiful art. How many of the paintings were produced holding a mouse? Do those paintings consist entirely of 'large movements'? Or did the artists manage to sneak in some fine detail using an oh so clumsy paint brush?

https://forums.adobe.com/people/D+Fosse wrote
You can live a long and happy life without ever owning a tablet. Don't listen to the hype.

OK, you found you are not good using a stylus and tablet, but it is arrogant to try to drag other people down to your level. A mouse doesn't do pressure sensitivity, and most of the best and most useful brush presets become irrelevant without a pressure sensitive tablet.

Like Dave, I use the mouse for path points, but I prefer the tablet for most everything else. I mentioned Precision mode for the OP, but I have never once found the need to use it myself.

Rista12

Participating Frequently

By putting the clone on its own layer, I am usually able to improve alignment with the arrow keys.

I use a fairly old Intuos 2.

davescm

Community Expert

Hi

The pen and tablet are great for freehand drawing, shading with pressure etc and I would not be without one.

But for precise positioning such as placing path points or aligning a clone exactly - then it is back to the mouse. There is nothing wrong with your tablet it is just that when lowering the pen to the tablet, your hand will move slightly. You can minimise the imact by zooming in, but I find it better to revert to the mouse for precise placement.

Dave