Okay, so I’ve been seeing these “cloning” photo ideas all over social media and I was like, “I gotta try this!” It looked so cool, and I figured it couldn’t be that hard, right? Famous last words, maybe. But I did it, so here is my try.
Getting Started: Picking My Subject (aka My Poor Dog)
First, I needed a subject. My dog, bless his furry little heart, is always my go-to model. He’s pretty patient, especially when treats are involved. I decided to do a “feeding the dog” clone sequence, I have seen other guys do it, and the sequences such as getting dressed, eating, drinking looked cool.
The Shoot: Treats, Tripods, and Total Chaos
- Set up the tripod: This is KEY. The camera CANNOT move. At all. I learned this the hard way after my first attempt, which was a blurry mess.
- Bribe the subject: Like I said, treats are your best friend. I used small, high-value treats to get my dog to hold still(ish) in different positions.
- Snap, snap, snap: I took a TON of photos. Way more than I thought I needed. It’s better to have too many options than not enough. I pretended to be a professional photographer.
The Editing: Where the Magic (Sort Of) Happens
This is where things got a little tricky. I had my own old laptop, and I needed a software. I used a free one, but you can go to the paid ones. Open it up, and:
- Layering up: I imported all my photos as layers into the same project.
- Masking madness: This was the most time-consuming part. I used layer masks to carefully “erase” parts of each photo, revealing the layers underneath. I had to zoom in real close to get the edges right. It took forever, and my hand definitely cramped up a few times.
- Fiddling and fixing: Once I had the basic cloning done, I spent some time adjusting the colors and lighting to make everything look as seamless as possible. I am not very good at adjusting, but I tried my best.
The Result: Not Perfect, But Pretty Cool!
Honestly, it’s not perfect. There are a few spots where you can tell it’s been edited if you look really closely. But overall, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out! It’s definitely a fun project, and I learned a lot. Would I do it again? Maybe. If I have a lot of free time. And a lot more treats.
