Clone Stamp Lock-In Place? Any extension to provide true stamp behavior?

[Zyst2]

Hi all,

 

Long time PDN user. But I'm kind of stumped on this. The Clone Stamp is great for a quick copy and paste directly where you want it. (All pasting seems to default to the top left corner of the layer, which then needs manual relocation...) I have combined it with AutoHotkey to create a macro where I will re-anchor the stamp with the source location. That is, it will click in the same coordinates on screen while holding down ctrl, automating half of the process for me. I can then move my mouse and click once to put the stamp where I want it.

 

Like, I am literally using this as a stamp. If I had a stamp in my physical hand and were putting it on paper, it would repeat the same image over and over. The "Clone Stamp" tool is really more of a "Clone Brush" tool as you can drag it around and grab a changing image to put in a new spot.

 

Is there any way to truly have a Stamp? I've seen the messy plugins for a signature that is just a shell to add in a new layer basically, perhaps with autoset transparency OR for a "dynamic brush" which is closer to what I want (if I just click and not click and drag) but still comes in kind of messy trying to load in a black and white/transparent image when I truly just want the source image with the original colors and such.

 

Thank you in advance!

[BoltBait]

If you want to "lock in place" the clone stamp, then what you want is a custom brush.

 

Try that:

 

https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/110673-brush-factory-v18-dec-10th-2018/

 

[Zyst2]

Hi BoltBait,

 

I did already have that plugin it seems. Unfortunately, it doesn't do what I want because you can only work on one layer at a time and not see what is below. I have a large "grid" of sprites that I'm placing checkmarks on. If I can't see the layer below, I don't know what I'm checking off or if it's even near center in a "cell".

[Zyst2]

Copying the sprites to clipboard? That sounds like it might be the same issue as the previously suggested. I don't want a merged image, I want to be able to toggle on and off different checkmark layers that have different meanings, ultimately.

 

I'll install it to give it a go just in case it does accomplish what I hope.

 

Edit: Does not work at all for what I am doing. I can load up the "checkmark" just fine. But when I click on the image, it locks me to certain points on the image, not at all where I want to go. I could refine the source image size to directly match the sprites I am overlaying and maybe adjust the tile sizes to make that work, but as is that's a lot of hassle for an end result that I still wouldn't want: it is still creating a "merged layer" -- I can't place these "checkmarks" on their own layer without further advanced manipulation like using XOR or something on a duplicate layer.

 

I am honestly impressed there isn't a tool created after 15 or so years that just keeps the anchor in place for the clone stamp. That's like 99% of the way to what I want, just needs the 1% change to not move the anchor. These other plugins suggested are huge workarounds. Even a custom brush tool, if it didn't require launching its own miniwindow, could have worked if I could see the layers below. Genuinely curious: does Photoshop even have a feature like this? If not, I am surprised I'd be in such a severe minority of people that could want this that no one has had a desire to develop it.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Zyst2