Photoshop Elements /

Sampling Isn't Sampling

When you use the Healing Brush and Clone Stamp tools, you sample a photograph.

You press and hold Alt, and click on a photograph.

You may think that part of the photograph is sampled.

That's because of the term, sample.

And, perhaps because the sampling cursor is circular.

So, it's easy to think that a sample is taken of the photograph when you press and hold Alt, and click.

And, it's easy to imagine this sample getting bigger or smaller depending on the brush size.

Incorrect

Nope

As you probably surmised, the above is incorrect.

A sample isn't a sample.

A sample is a center point.

When you sample, you're choosing a new center point for the entire photograph.

When you enlarge the brush, you get more of the photograph, from the new center point.

For example, below, a point between the eyebrows was sampled.

Correct

On the right side of the above photograph, the sampled area was cloned using three different sized brushes.

As the brush size size increased, more of the photograph was included.

No, a small portion of the photograph was not enlarged inside a larger brush.

You just get more of the photograph.

So, if you're sampling an area that's large, and evenly colored, brush size isn't as important.

On the other hand, if the sampled area has many colors, make many small clicks or drags, with a small-sized brush.