Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms: clone tool
clone tool
- a tool available in paint and photopaint programs that allows you to duplicate areas. To use the clone tool, click on the center of the area you wish to copy. Move the cursor to where you want the new area to be. Press and hold down the mouse button (the leftmost button if there is more than one) while you paint in the image. The clone tool can be used to create a bunch of cherries out of a few, to cover a gap left by deleting an area, or to put a third eye on someone's forehead. It is not necessary to define the outline of an area or object when using the clone tool; it works from the center out as far as needed. See also rubber stamp.
- (in drawing programs) a tool that copies the properties of an object to a secondary object.
