Quick links to procedures on this page:
Painting with a cloner brush is a great way to obtain an artistic rendering from photographic source material. Choose the Cloner tool to automatically enable the brush variants in the Cloners brush category. Some variants, such as the Straight Cloner, reproduce a source image directly, but most variants let you reproduce a source image with media effects, such as paper grain and specialized dabs.
An example of a cloner brush variant
For a list of the cloner brush variants available in the Painter 2020 Brushes library, see Cloners.
You can customize existing cloner brush variants or create new variants by using the brush controls. For more information, see Adjusting brushes with brush controls.
Cloning method
You can also expand Corel Painter’s cloning capabilities by turning almost any brush variant into a cloner. Brush variants that use the Cloning method reproduce the source image while effectively "filtering" it, which allows you to create an artistic rendering of an image.
An example of a brush variant using a cloning method
Because the Cloning method uses a full set of pixels from the original document for each brush dab, you get a truer copy of the original than you might by using the Clone Color button 
. Unlike the Clone Color option, the Cloning method preserves the original image texture in the clone. The Cloning method is good to use when you want to precisely recreate portions of a source image.
Brushes that use build-up methods, like pencils and felt pens, build toward black. If you clone with one of these brushes in a dark area of your image, you may not achieve the desired results. Use the Opacity slider on the property bar to control how rapidly these brushes build up to black. You can also choose chalk or one of the other tools that cover underlying colors.
Cloning controls
The Cloning controls are specific to brushes that use the Cloning method and the Clone Color option.
Clone Color
The Clone Color control directs a brush to pick up color from a source image. Clone Color takes averaged samples of color from the clone source, resulting in an approximation of the original. The Clone Color option is also available on the Color panel and the temporal color selector. For information about using different clone types, see Cloning color.
Precise Sampling
The Precise Sampling control directs a brush to sample color from the center of the dab and is useful when using a large dab to clone images with transparency. It is supported for brushes that use the following dab types: Circular, Computed Circular, Captured, Single-Pixel, Static Bristle, Dynamic Speckle Bristle, and Dynamic Speckle Particle types (Flow, Gravity, and Spring).
Cloning color with Precise Sampling enabled (left) and disabled (right)
Variability
When you work with brushes using the Cloning method, you can modify the Variability to control the offset of the clone based on the location of the source image. When Variability is set at zero, the pixels of the source and destination images correspond precisely. Using a cover brush at full Opacity (and no Grain) simply recreates the source image.
Brushstrokes with Variability set to 0 (top) and 12 (bottom)
Introducing a degree of randomness disturbs the pixel-to-pixel correspondence. The resultant variations distance the clone from its photographic source, which can contribute to a Natural-Media appearance.
How Often
The How Often controls allow you to set the period between random offsets.
Brushstrokes with How Often set to 0 (top) and 15 (bottom)
Random Clone Source
Random Clone Source randomly samples the source document and then places strokes in the clone document. There is no correspondence between the samples taken from the source and where they are placed in the clone. The result is a random pattern of the predominant colors and edges of the source. The brush and stroke determine the nature of the pattern.
You might use Random Clone Source with a faint stipple brush to add "noise" to an image. In this case, the clone source image merely contains the noise colors that you wish to add.
Brushstrokes with Random Clone Source disabled (left) and enabled (right)
Clone Type
The Clone Type control lets you choose among several cloning variations. These variations are arranged according to the number of reference points used. With two or more reference points, you can apply a transformation (rotate, skew, scale, mirror, and perspective) during cloning. For complete information on using the different clone types, refer to Image cloning and sampling.
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Normal (0), or zero-point, cloning references the upper-left corners of the source and destination documents and patterns. This means that the pixels of the destination document correspond directly to the pixels of the source document. This type of cloning, in which no transformations occur, is the basic type of cloning between documents. |
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Offset (1) cloning offsets the image from the source. The source and destination areas can be at different locations in the same or different documents. Offset cloning is basic point-to-point cloning and is useful for retouching photographs. For more information, see Cloning image areas. |
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Rotate & Scale (2) cloning rotates and scales the source image using two reference points. |
Rotate & Scale cloning. Note that the source and destination reference points are numbered and connected by a line.
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Scale (2) cloning scales the source image using two reference points. The distance between the two destination points, in relation to the distance between the two source points, determines the scaling transformation. |
Scale cloning
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Rotate (2) cloning rotates the source image using two reference points. The line between the two destination points in relation to the line between the two source points determines the rotation transformation. |
Rotate cloning
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Rotate & Mirror (2) cloning rotates and mirrors (flips) the source image using two reference points. |
Rotate & Mirror cloning
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Rotate, Scale, & Shear (3) cloning rotates, scales, and shears (slants) the source image using three reference points. The relative positions of the three source and the three destination reference points determine the transformation effect. |
Rotate, Scale, Shear cloning
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Bilinear (4) cloning applies a bilinear warp to the source image using four reference points. The relative positions of the four source and the four destination points describe the bilinear transformation. |
Bilinear cloning
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Perspective (4) cloning applies perspective to the source image using four reference points. The relative positions of the four source and the four destination points describe the perspective transformation. |
Perspective cloning
Obey Source Selection
The Obey Source Selection option uses any selection in the clone source region to constrain painting in the destination. If a transform Clone Type is used, the selection is appropriately transformed. This option is available only with the Cloning method.
Copy Source Selection
When Copy Source Selection is enabled, the Cloner brush reproduces the source selection information in the destination selection. This option is available only with the Cloning method.
4-Point Tiling
With the 4-Point Tiling check box enabled, your clone source is tiled in a repeating pattern.
Using brush loading
For greater color accuracy while cloning, you can use the brush loading option to pick up individual colors in different regions of the brush dab.
Without brush loading, the Clone Color option uses a single, averaged color from the source for each brush dab. This results in an approximation of the original and lets you create an artistic impression of the source.
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The Cloners brush category and a cloner brush variant are automatically selected. |
For increased color accuracy, you can enable the Brush Loading option. For more information, see Using brush loading.
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In the General panel (Window  Brush Control Panels General), choose Cloning from the Method list box. |
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From the Subcategory list box, choose one of the following options: |
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Hard Cover Cloning — results in partially anti-aliased brushstrokes that hide underlying strokes |
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Drip Cloning — pushes color around as if it were wet, cloning the original with distortions based on your stroke |
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In the Cloning panel (Window Clone Source), choose Normal from the Clone Type list box. |
You can also transform a brush into a cloner brush by choosing a brush in the Brush Selector and clicking the Clone Color button in the Color panel (Window Color Panels Color Panel (Full View)). Enabling the Clone Color option disables the Color panel and the color information is pulled from the clone source.
If you change brushes while cloning images, you must click the Clone Color button again.
If you change the brush or variant, the clone color is automatically disabled. To continue working with the clone color, re-enable the clone color.
For more information about methods and subcategories, see General controls: Methods and subcategories.
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In the Cloning panel (Window Clone Source), enable the Clone Color check box. |
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In the Cloning panel (Window Clone Source), enable the Precise Sampling check box. |
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In the Cloning panel (Window Clone Source), choose a type from the Clone Type list box. |
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In the Cloning panel (Window Clone Source), enable the Obey Source Selection check box. |
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In the Cloning panel (Window Clone Source), enable the Copy Source Selection check box. |
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In the Cloning panel (Window Clone Source), enable the 4-Point Tiling check box. |
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In the Cloning panel (Window Clone Source), perform a task from the following table. |
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In the Clone Location area, move the Variability slider to the right.
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In the Clone Location area, move the Variability slider to the left.
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Clone location sliders have no effect when Clone Color is enabled in the Color panel. They have an effect only when a Clone method is used.
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In the Cloning panel (Window Clone Source), perform a task from the following table. |
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In the Clone Location area, move the How Often slider to the left.
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In the Clone Location area, move the How Often slider to the right.
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In the Cloning panel (Window Clone Source), enable the Random Clone Source check box. |
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Choose Window Brush Control Panels Brush Media Blending. |
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In the Blending panel, enable the Brush Loading check box. |
in the toolbox.
in the toolbox.