Clone brush doesn't work

[RDT]

I recently got AP 1.8.3.641and installed on Win7. When I select the clone brush tool and Alt+click a small cross appears where I clicked. When I attempt to Click+drag nothing happens.

[Old Bruce]

Alt + Click sets the clone source, click drag will paint from that source to where ever you are painting.

[R C-R]

Watching the Clone Brush Tool video tutorial may help.

[RDT]

I did Alt + Click but nothing happened. I've watched the tutorial and read the help text but I'm still stumped.

[walt.farrell]

24 minutes ago, RDT said:

I did Alt + Click but nothing happened. I've watched the tutorial and read the help text but I'm still stumped.

Alt + Click should give you a sampling target that looks like a + sign, e.g.,

Are you sure you have a (Pixel) layer selected in the Layers panel?

[RDT]

Yes I have the original photo layer selected. I get a little cross inside the circle but it moves with the cursor instead of staying put.

[R C-R]

4 hours ago, RDT said:

I get a little cross inside the circle but it moves with the cursor instead of staying put.

It is supposed to move, just like in the video. Watch it again carefully -- beginning at about the 1 minute mark you can clearly see it move.

[RDT]

Thanks for all the replies. However, in the video the cloned flower moves with the cursor until the cursor is clicked and the flower placed in the desired location. When I do it there is nothing cloned, the circle remains empty except for the little cross.

[walt.farrell]

4 minutes ago, RDT said:

Thanks for all the replies. However, in the video the cloned flower moves with the cursor until the cursor is clicked and the flower placed in the desired location. When I do it there is nothing cloned, the circle remains empty except for the little cross.

After you have done the Alt+Click to set the cloning source point, when you move the brush (without clicking/dragging; just move it) do you see anything in the brush preview circle?

You should see a preview of what will be cloned. If not, something is wrong.

I got Photo into that state last night while I was playing around trying to figure out your problem. I don't know what was wrong, but the brush circle remained empty. I solved it by duplicating the pixel layer I had selected. But I don't know what was actually wrong, as before and after the duplication I had a pixel layer selected, and had selected the clone source point.

It might also have worked to close and reopen Photo, or to close the file I was working on and reopen.

[RDT]

Duplicating the pixel layer seems to do the trick. Thanks!

[walt.farrell]

You're welcome. It shouldn't be needed, though

[ianrb]

what happens if you use the clone tool on the base photo and not layers
Polite tip: would better to post a less complicated /busy photo to make it easier to see the problem

[quitenewtothis]

I’m having the same problem as RDT. The the clone brush tool works only intermittently, with no apparent reason why it stops working. After option-clicking on the source pixels, when click-dragging the brush preview circle, it simply shows the pixels at the position where it’s located, rather than showing the source pixels, so nothing is cloned. I’ve tried duplicating the background layer, and adding pixel layers, to no avail. Closing and re-opening the document or quitting Affinity Photo and relaunching it don't help either.

[Old Bruce]

13 minutes ago, quitenewtothis said:

After option-clicking on the source pixels,

Do you have a Pixel layer selected in the Layers panel? Not an Image Layer, but a Pixel layer. Is this layer the topmost in the layers panel?

[quitenewtothis]

I create a pixel layer first, to clone non-destructively, make that the "active" layer and select "current layer & below". I've tried putting this layer just above the background layer and as the topmost layer — same result.

[walt.farrell]

5 minutes ago, quitenewtothis said:

I create a pixel layer first, to clone non-destructively, make that the "active" layer and select "current layer & below". I've tried putting this layer just above the background layer and as the topmost layer — same result.

And is your background layer a (Pixel) layer in the Layers panel?

Next: What are the brush settings in the Context Toolbar, and what Brush do you have selected in the Brushes panel?

[Old Bruce]

What Walt suggested.

[quitenewtothis]

Yes, it's a pixel layer.

I just use the default brush for the tool and only adjust the size.

What is puzzling is that this happens intermittently. I'm able to clone for while, and then not anymore, in the same document, without having changed anything in the document or the settings as far as I'm aware.

[walt.farrell]

7 minutes ago, quitenewtothis said:

I just use the default brush for the tool and only adjust the size.

There is no "default brush for the tool" in my experience. If you've been using the Paintbrush Tool previously, it's whatever brush you last used.

If you haven't used a brush during the current application session, sometimes it seems to me that no brush is selected at all. The Clone Brush Tool is a brush, and thus you should select a Brush from the Brushes panel when you want to use it. Otherwise the results will be quite unpredictable.

[R C-R]

3 minutes ago, quitenewtothis said:

I just use the default brush for the tool and only adjust the size.

Unless you have set the "Associated Tool" item in one of the brush presets to use that tool, like Walt said there is no default brush for the Clone brush tool. So we still need to know what brush you are using & what are the brush settings you see in the Context toolbar.

[Old Bruce]

And.... make sure you don't have a pixel selection active when you are working.

Occasionally when I am using the Stamp/Clone tool I will have the brush's source outside of the area of the pixel layer and therefor I am just cloning empty space.

[quitenewtothis]

When I used the clone tool initially, the only parameters I modified were the diameter of the preview circle and the hardness. I did not select a specific associated tool or brush. In the Affinity Photo help manual, under the “Using the Clone and Healing Brush tools”, item #3 states "The tool uses a soft-round brush by default." I assume that explains why the tool functioned initially. As I mentioned previously, it stopped functioning for no apparent reason. When I did select a brush, it started working again. However, when I returned to the "no associated tool” setting and deselected the brush, it continued functioning. In other words, when the tool works, it does so regardless of whether a specific brush is selected or not. As I continued trying out the tool, I noticed other issues. I've been using 100% opacity and usually, the target pixels are completely replaced by the source pixels. However, occasionally it looks like there's an overlay between the two, judging from the color, which I assume means that the cloning is not 100% opaque. Finally, normally the source marker (the + sign) moves exactly at the same speed as the preview circle and therefore always maintains the same relative position to the latter. All of a sudden, the source selector has started moving much more quickly than the preview circle, which causes it to rapidly leave the area that I want to clone.

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, quitenewtothis said:

In the Affinity Photo help manual, under the “Using the Clone and Healing Brush tools”, item #3 states "The tool uses a soft-round brush by default."

I am not sure but I think what that means is the first time you use the brush it is set to a soft round one, but if you change it to any other one, that is the brush it will keep using until/unless you change to another one. Regardless, it could be a lot clearer about that!

3 hours ago, quitenewtothis said:

Finally, normally the source marker (the + sign) moves exactly at the same speed as the preview circle and therefore always maintains the same relative position to the latter. All of a sudden, the source selector has started moving much more quickly than the preview circle, which causes it to rapidly leave the area that I want to clone.

That sounds like the Scale setting in the Context toolbar has been changed. If you don't see a "Scale:" item there, it means the workspace window is too narrow for all the context toolbar items to fit, so to see it you need to click on the ">>" icon to open a small submenu with popups for setting scale, flip, & whatever else won't fit.

3 hours ago, quitenewtothis said:

However, when I returned to the "no associated tool” setting and deselected the brush, it continued functioning. In other words, when the tool works, it does so regardless of whether a specific brush is selected or not.

How did you 'deselect the brush'? Since it is the Clone Brush Tool, it always must use a brush, so setting "no associated tool” for any brush preset does not deselect whatever brush that tool was last using.

[DougChoz]

I had this problem until I discovered that I had opacity set to ZERO. ☹️

Change opacity to 100% and your problem will "disappear". 😁

[ianrb]

12 hours ago, DougChoz said:

I had this problem until I discovered that I had opacity set to ZERO. ☹️

Change opacity to 100% and your problem will "disappear". 😁

How often have we all done that. Usually I put the fist through the screen and discover my mistake after buying a new screen 🤣 .. Not quite that bad but  ......