Adobe Photoshop CS2 Clone Stamp Tool Tutorial

Software: Adobe Photoshop CS2
Subject: Clone Stamp Tool
Difficulty: Intermediate

The clone stamp tool, as the name suggests, is used to clone areas of an image. This means that when using it you can subtly copy and paste areas of the image to cover or alter other areas as you wish.

For this tutorial I am using the following image (click the image to open in new window):

Original image from:
http://www.fotothing.com/aljd/photo/938401311d9584921a334b5c1d8da1f6/

You can choose to use this one or experiment with another image of your choosing.

Once Photoshop is opened the first task is to click and drag the image in to Photoshop to be edited. Open your browser and navigate to your chosen picture, then click and drag the picture on to the main screen of Photoshop. Alternatively, click and drag a file from your computer in the same way:


Once your image is in Photoshop, select the Clone Stamp Tool from the toolbar located on the left of the screen by default:


Once the tool is selected turn your attention to an area you wish to remove from the image. For this tutorial we will get rid of the man on the beach. In order to get rid of him we will clone areas around him and stamp them over his image. To clone an area, hold down the Alt key on your keyboard. The cursor will now turn to a crosshair when placed over the image. Position the mouse over an area of sand near to the man and click:


The tool has now sampled that area of the image and is ready to clone it. Release the Alt key and click and drag over a small area of the man while keeping relatively in line with where you sampled the sand. The man will begin to disappear:


Continue to resample different areas by holding the Alt key and clicking to ensure that the same bit of sand is not cloned too often. Take your time and work a little bit at a time. Try to work horizontally and sample areas similar to what would appear behind the image you are removing. For example, in this image ensure you sample the water when water will appear behind his legs, lighter sand for the rest of his legs and the bluer sand for where his torso would is:


This tool will allow you to completely remove the man from the image. Take your time and try to be as accurate as possible and nobody will be able to tell that he was ever there. You should end up with an image like this:


This technique can be used to remove almost anything from images as long as there are enough areas to effectively sample from. It also has many other uses. It’s commonly used in beauty magazines to remove wrinkles or to make people look thinner.

Adobe Photoshop CS2 Gleam Effects Tutorial

Software: Adobe Photoshop CS2
Subject: Adding Gleam Effects
Difficulty: Easy

Gleams are the effects of light beams shining off a surface. When light hits a surface some is reflected and this effect is what the gleam intends to replicate. In real life, this effect is most noticeable on metal, liquid or glass surfaces and adding this effect to textures in Photoshop can add a further level of depth to these types of surfaces if you are trying to recreate them.
This tutorial will show you how to create a gleam effect on a flat colour.

To begin, open Photoshop and choose File > New from the menu bar:


The new window options box appears. Change the width and height to 500 pixels, or values of your choice, and choose a new name for the window if you wish. Then click OK:


A new window will appear in which you can use to create many graphics and designs in. The working area is known as the canvas. For this tutorial we will be creating the gleam effect on the canvas:


Select the ‘Rectangle Tool’ from the toolbar located on the left of the screen by default:


Drag a rectangle shape out on to the canvas in the new window. Then right click the ‘Shape 1’ box on the right under the layers tab. Select ‘Delete Vector Mask’:


The rectangle will now fill the canvas and a warning box will appear. Click ok to continue:


Next, click the colour box on the toolbar, located on the left, to open the colour picker window. Select a lighter shade of colour to that of your rectangle by clicking in the colour box on the area of colour you require. Then click ok:


Select the Brush tool from the toolbar, located on the left. Click the arrow on the options bar at the top of the screen and select a large brush diameter while ensuring that the hardness is at 0%. Here 300 pixels has been selected which is suitable for the size of the canvas. Also, reduce the opacity to 50%:


Now take the brush and sweep it across the canvas to create a thick and slightly lighter line than the canvas itself. It should look something like this:


After doing this, reduce the diameter of the brush from the option bar:


Sweep another stroke of the brush over the previous line. Continue to reduce the size of the brush after every stroke until you get something that looks like this:


Although this looks quite good it can be improved by smudging the lines together to get a better blending effect which ensures the individual lines you have drawn are not visible at all. To do this, select the Smudge tool from the toolbar. You may have to hold down the tool selection icon to select the Smudge tool from a list of other tools:


Alter the diameter of the smudge tool so that it is large enough to cover the lines you have drawn. Do this in the same way that you altered the brush diameter. Then sweep the smudge tool over the lines. This should create a smoother finish and should look something like this: