Snap

The clone stamp tool works by copying pixels of one or more layers to another layer (or part of a layer). Vector data does not have the pixel data to make cloning an option unfortunately. As a matter of fact, vectors have no pixel data until they're rasterized, in which case it's not a vector anymore. They have points, lines, curves, and polygon data (and then when it gets rasterized all that data gets "thrown out" and replaced with bitmap data). There's no easy way to implement a clone stamp tool where points, lines, curves, and/or polygons can be copied and "painted" onto a layer in an intuitive way the same way pixels can be like how the clone stamp tool works.

To quote the information from the provided link: "Nearly ten years ago we had a vision—to create an all-new suite of professional creative applications that worked seamlessly together." That line honestly sums it up perfectly. Please note the choice of words here. A "suite" of "applications" that work "seamlessly together". So a suite, in the context of a software or an application suite, is a collection of interrelated programs/applications with related functionality. Then they explicitly mention applications, as in multiple applications, that work seamlessly together. Each application with a specific purpose that when combined with other applications help solve a common goal. As in AP and AD being separate applications intended for different purposes, ideally to fulfill the needs that the other one doesn't. Then they go on to further state: "To fully experience StudioLink, you also need to own our other apps in order to unlock their toolsets in Publisher..." That is the root of the Affinity concept according to their very own statements. They're not trying to make a single application that can do everything, they're making a suite of applications that work very very well together to solve graphics related tasks. So, to go back to the original reason for this thread and why it's not feasible: To put a clone brush (stamp) tool in AD. AD works with vectors. A clone stamp tool takes the pixels of one part of an image and copies them to another part of an image. That is a function specific to a raster based graphic editor such as AP. AD is vector based and doesn't even have the concept of what a pixel is until you render, i.e. export, it as a raster based image such as a PNG or JPG. And even then, the actual working AD file is still vector based and the exported image is an entirely separate entity by now. If we create a circle as vector, and we want to clone a part of it, then that circle will have to be rasterized so then it can have pixels that can be copied/cloned. Which is certainly an option, but the layer the pixels get cloned to will not be vector based and at that point we're stuck working with a raster image, i.e. we're no longer using AD at this point. And conversely, say we want to clone some pixels to our circle vector...well, there's just no easy intuitive way to implement that. We could create and merge paths with our vector circle to add the section we were hoping to clone the pixels to and then attempt to fill that newly added section with the pixels we want to clone. Except if the pixels we want to clone aren't a repeating pattern and/or the resolution of them varies significantly from the section we're cloning to which is very likely, then the fill is going to look extremely distorted. So, inline with Serif Labs' stated vision, they offer a suite of applications which include a vector based editor, AD, and a raster based editor, AP. A clone stamp tool is a function of a raster based editor because a raster based editor works with bitmaps and the very nature of a clone stamp tool is to copy pixels from one section of an image to another. A vector based editor does not use bitmaps, therefore they cannot have a tool designed to work specifically with bitmaps (pixels).

I'm curious as to what software you were using 10 years ago? As Meb said, it's a basic tool for a photo editor, such as AP and Adobe Photoshop.

AD, AP, and APub are different apps that handle and process graphics in entirely different ways. The only thing they have in common is that they are all are designed to edit and/or create graphics in some way, but that's about where their common ground ends. AD is designed to create and edit vector based graphics. Great for when scalability is needed. The images can be resized/scaled and warped with no quality loss. Often used for graphic design such as logos, icons, and text and for print. AP is designed to create and edit raster based graphics. Great for editing photos and pre-existing images and/or creating more "organic" and less "artificial" looking graphics. For instance, removing an object from a photo or creating a digital graphic that had the look/texture of an oil or charcoal painting would be a good fit for AP. In all honesty, I'm the least familiar with APub, but it appears to be designed for page layout. That is orienting graphics and/or text on a page. Serif labs didn't create AD and purposefully omit features in it only to create AP or APub and then add those features to it and vice versa. Each one has and supports the features they do because of their intended purpose.

Affinity Designer (and Adobe Illustrator) is a vector based graphic editor/creator. Affinity Photo (and Adobe Photoshop) is a raster based graphic editor/creator. Affinity Designer and Adobe Illustrator will probably never have a clone stamp tool or if they did it would most likely not function the same way as in their raster based counterparts (Affinity Photo and Photoshop). The fact that Affinity Designer has a pixel persona is a nice and awesome unique feature that attempts to bridge the gap giving it some raster based functionality. Asking Serif Labs to put a clone stamp tool in AP (or Adobe to put a clone stamp tool in AI) is like asking an automobile maker that makes a car and boat to put wheels on their boat because you'd like to drive it on land like a car. Cars are made to drive on land and a boat can be made to drive on land, but that would essentially require designing a boat to not be a boat and be a car and the end result would not work very well as neither a boat nor a car. It's totally understandable that having a vector based editor that can also offer features and functionality of a raster based editor would be a very helpful thing to have just how having a car that can be a boat or a boat that can be a car would be very helpful. But there's a reason a boat is a boat and a car is a car and there may be some overlap in their functionality, but ultimately they're different things intended for different purposes. The same goes for both raster and vector editors. That's why Adobe has Illustrator and Photoshop, it's why Corel has Draw and Paint, it's why there's Gimp and InkScape, and that's why Serif Labs has Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer. If a graphic editing/creating software company figures out how to make a graphic editor that can seamlessly work with both vector and raster based graphics, that'd be nothing short of amazing and they would certainly end up dominating the graphic software industry. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what Serif Labs, Adobe, Corel etc. are doing by offering their suites of programs that work both with raster and vector graphics and offer as much cross compatibility with each other as possible. Please, before getting mad or frustrated at the lack of this functionality in Affinity Designer, search online for "Raster vs Vector".

Is this a feature yet? It's mid 2020