Clone tool in PS 2019 Having Problem with it

[rollsman44]

  I am using a Mac and I can open PS and Open an Image in PS from my desktop folder. I right click on the Clone stamp and click on clone stamp I select soft round brush and everything set to normal, 100% Opacity. 100% flow and I hold down the area where I want to copy from and hold down Alt/Option and I dont get the round circle that allows me to Blend in the same color. I tried holding down Shift key and I cant get to sample the area I want to use to remove a moulding on the wall behind the person. I have done this so many times and NO luck. Any help is greatly appreciated . I have the Latest OSX 10.  Thank you Dennis

 I was able to get the circle I needed But could not match the color of the moulding to be removed. Is there a Better tool to use?  Spot healing ? Or ?   

[mcbroomf]

Seems like the clone tool is not working as it should.

You say you hold down (presumably the mouse button?) and then Alt to define the source.  This is the wrong way round.  You need to hold the alt key down then click on the source spot to copy from.  You should then get the clone to work as it should.

As you've done this before with no issues I'm not sure if you just wrote down the steps backwards.  If you did and you're using Alt and click properly then I think something is wrong with the clone tool.  You could reset your prefs.

[rdonson]

For that job I'd consider the "lasso" and "content aware fill" over the clone tool.

[Jeffrey Saldinger]

With the subtly different tones at play in the wall, I might try making three new layers from rectangular selections of the wall (each one wide but not higher than needed to cover the molding) from immediately above or below the molding for each of the areas of molding in play: two on the left (one each for the areas in light and in shadow) and the other on the right.

Then, after moving each selection to roughly cover its part of the molding, work each layer in succession as might be necessary with masks; dodging and burning (with clipped 50% gray layers and mode soft light, with a low opacity brush, perhaps in flow less than 100%); and maybe a curve with a slight lightening or darkening. I believe that these adjustment will provide a lot of options to get the molding convincingly hidden.

At the end there might be needed some subtle cloning to have the work adjacent to the figures match their contours well.

[rollsman44]

  Thank you all for your help. This was my first attempt in cloning and I am NOT sure what I did first. I will try the suggestions listed . Thanks again

[mcbroomf]

  Thank you all for your help. This was my first attempt in cloning and I am NOT sure what I did first. I will try the suggestions listed . Thanks again

Ah, I misread your 1st post where you said you did it many times.  I didn't realize this was the 1st time you'd tried to use the clone tool.

In which case I'm pretty sure it's just the need to hold down the Alt key before clicking the mouse on a source spot ..

Good luck

[rollsman44]

Thank you so much. Now to work on how much opacity to use and which direction to move the tool to get rid of the moulding.  Greatly appreciate it.  Dennis

[Peano]

   I was able to get the circle I needed But could not match the color of the moulding to be removed. Is there a Better tool to use?  Spot healing ? Or ?

Instead of the clone tool, I would select an area below the molding, copy it to a new layer, move it up to cover the molding, and mask it in. Then clip a curves adjustment layer to that to brighten or darken slightly as needed.

[Garnick]

Not sure why this hasn't been mentioned, but the tool of my choice would be the spot healing brush as a starter.  Of course any of these tools should used on a new empty layer, not the Background layer.  As far as the healing brush is concerned, I would work on the right side first with a slightly soft edged brush.  Start from the right edge.  Click once and then hold down the shift key and click near the person, but not too close.  That will draw the brush all the way from the edge to the spot you have clicked while holding down the shift key.  It might not be perfect, but it should provide a good start at least.  You could also try a sharp edged healing brush, which would perhaps work better in this case.  If this procedure seems to provide a good starting point, use it one the left side as well, but definitely a sharp edged brush there to start, and then finesse it with a softer edged brush.

Just a thought   

[rollsman44]

  I would like to thank everyone for all the good recommendations. I was finally able to use the Clone tool after trying so many things. Thank you and Now I am good to go.

[DesW]

A further tip with the Clone tool-- if you wish to DARKEN an area to be the SAME as the surrounding -go to the menu bar and in MODE elect darken and the Clone will only darken THAT area .

Reverse the above command to LIGHTEN--a few trys and you will see how it works--good luck.

Des

[rollsman44]

  Thank you everyone for all your help and how to.   Thanks again