In Photos: How I Wish I Could Have a Clone Stamp in Real Life

** Thanks again to everyone who voted for me inSkinny Scoop’s Top 25 Top Mom Bloggers of 2012. I came in at number 4!  Iappreciate all of your support! **

** Be sure to check out my post today at MichMomswhere I talk about how a little old raised garden box gave me so much more thantomatoes and herbs. **

I am very excited to announce that Brandy from Brandy Nicole Photography will be collaborating with me for my In Photos post.  She is a super talented photographer, and she has been kind enough to set aside time to show me the finer points of Adobe Photoshop Elements 10.  See, for Christmas I asked for this incredible program, and when I tried to use it, well, let’s just say it didn’t quite work out.  I’m looking forward to sharing everything I learn at my Photoshop lessons!

This week we focused on the clone stamp.  It looks like this in the side tool bar.

This tool is amazing because it can take something in the photo that you don’t like and make it look like something else in the photo.  For example, say you planted this AMAZING garden, and because you are a blogger, you took a gazillion photos of it.  When you look at them, you think, why I didn’t move that giant bag of rocks before I took these lovely photos.

See that unsightly bag of rocks by that ugly air conditioner unit?

So to make that disappear, I used the clone stamp and cloned the bricks and grass over those eye sores.

Here are the simple steps:

• -          Click on the clone stamp in your tool bar.
• -          Click on the area you want to get rid of.
• -          Hold the “Alt” key until you see a little target.
• -          Hover over the new area while holding the “Alt” key.
• -          Release the “Alt” key.
• -          Go back to the area you want to cover and click on it.
• -          You should see a clone of the area you copied.

Now don’t you wish you could have a clone stamp in real life?  A stain on a shirt?  No problem, I’ll just clone this clean part of the shirt and *PRESTO* it’s new again.  Someone’s giant tokus is in your family photo taken at Disney World and therefore in your Christmas cards?  Just clone a tree and *POOF* it was like she was never there.

The possibilities are endless, really.

Is there a Photoshop Elements 10 tool that you would like learn how to use?  Let me know in the comments, and be sure to include your blog information so I can link it back to you.