Operation Manual

VIDEO PAINT: CHAPTER TWO

Using the Clone tool

The Clone tool is similar to the Paint tools except that it uses the image

for its color palette. For example, you can paint onto an image with another

part of the same image, or even from a second image in another edit

window. This is useful when you wish to replicate an object in an image,

such as creating dozens of fighter planes using one as the template, or if

you want to remove areas from the foreground and replace them with the

background, such as wires or props that were used during filming. When

using the Clone tool, you can also choose the type of paintbrush you want

to use from the Attribute toolbar. (To learn about cloning over several

frames, see the "Duplicating changes over frames" section, page 12.)

To use the Clone tool:

1. Click the Clone tool on the Tool panel to select it. The Attribute toolbar

displays the available tools you can use to paint with and the Brush

panel changes to show the available attributes for the selected tool.

2. Hold down the [SHIFT] key and click your mouse over the area you

wish to clone. This area is marked with a crosshair and the mouse

pointer changes to the clone pointer. (You can clone from the same

image or from another edit window.)

3. Move to the area on the image where you want the clone to appear and

start dragging your mouse. The crosshair changes to indicate the area

you are cloning and as you paint you replace the area with whatever the

crosshair passes over. (The size and shape of the area painted are

determined by the current attributes in the Brush panel.)

In the Options tab of the brush panel, you can specify how the cloning

point behaves as you paint with the Absolute, Frame, and Relative

options. Absolute is the default mode and paints whatever the clone

crosshair passes over. Whenever you release your mouse the crosshair

returns to its original position allowing you to clone the same feature

again. Relative allows you to clone continuously, retaining a relation-

ship with the clone crosshair regardless of where you place your

mouse. (The clone crosshair does not return to the original location